David Gilliland won’t run Sprint Unlimited, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is in
The Sprint Unlimited field is set and David Gilliland isn’t a part of it.
Gilliland was eligible for the event because of his pole win at Daytona in July of 2014. However, the team told NBC Sports that it didn’t have sponsorship for the event and is therefore not participating. Gilliland’s absence means Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is in the race to fill the 25-car field.
Previously, JTG-Daugherty said it wasn’t running the race with AJ Allmendinger because it didn’t have sponsorship lined up for the event. That bumped Paul Menard into the Unlimited, because Clint Bowyer was the next driver up in points to replace Brian Vickers after Vickers’ absence because of a heart procedure.
Casey Mears is racing in the event because Brian Scott isn’t participating. Scott won the pole at Talladega in 2014 and is attempting the 2015 Daytona 500.
Why is the Unlimited a race that numerous teams aren’t electing to run? Well, here’s a pretty good reason:
Sprint Unlimited last yr, only top-3 got at least $50,000 in purse. Regular full Cup race, typically all but bottom 3-4 get at least $70,000
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 9, 2015
Add in the fact that it’s a non-points event with the high risk of a crash (relative to other races) and the decisions to not participate make complete sense.
Here’s the official entry list. Practice for the event is on Friday and the race is Saturday night.
Jamie McMurray, Brad Keselowski, Austin Dillon, Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, Danica Patrick, Denny Hamlin, Casey Mears, Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer, Greg Biffle, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, Jeff Gordon, Paul Menard, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, Kyle Larson, Aric Almirola, Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., Dale Earnhardt Jr.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
