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| 2021 NASCAR RCA Cup Series (Johnsonverse) | |||
| Previous: | 2020 | Next: | 2022 |
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Kyle Larson, the current points leader.
The 2021 NASCAR RCA Cup Series was the 73rd season for NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 50th season for the modern era Cup Series. The season started at Sonoma Raceway with the Dodge/Save Mart 350 on January 31, followed by Daytona International Speedway with the Busch Clash, where it was run on the track's road course layout instead of the oval. That race was followed by the Gatorade 125's qualifying races, and the 63rd running of the Daytona 500. The season ended with the Los Angeles Times 500 at Ontario Motor Speedway on December 12 with Larson earning his first Cup Series championship after a 10-win season.
The 2021 season represented a new era as several mainstays of the sport were absent. This was the first season since 1999 without three-time champion Dale Earnhardt Jr., the first since 2000 without Jimmie Johnson, and the first season without Clint Bowyer and Reed Sorenson since 2004. This was also the first season for 23XI Racing, co-owned by Joe Gibbs Racing Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin and basketball legend Michael Jordan, and Trackhouse Racing Team, co-owned by former NASCAR and current sports car racing driver Justin Marks and musician Pitbull. It was also the last season for Chip Ganassi Racing, as Trackhouse purchased the entirety of CGR's NASCAR team for 2022, StarCom Racing, as they ceased operations after 2021, Team Penske crew chief Todd Gordon, who announced his retirement from crew chiefing following the 2021 season, and the Cup Series Strictly Stock Car, which was replaced with an updated version starting in 2022.
This was also the first season in which Nissan joined as a manufacturer.
Teams, drivers and maufacturers[]
Manufacturers[]
Complete Schedule[]
| Manufacturer | Team | No. | Race driver | Crew chief | Model | Primary Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet | Earnhardt-Childress Racing * | 01 | Brad Keselowski | 2021 Impala | U.S. Army | |
| 3 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Wrangler | ||||
| 8 | Tyler Reddick | National Guard | ||||
| 38 | Josh Berry | Pennzoil | ||||
| 81 | Martin Truex Jr. | Bass Pro Shops | ||||
| Hendrick Motorsports | 5 | William Byron | Alan Gustafson | 2021 Camaro | Farmers | |
| 24 | Kyle Larson | Steve Letarte | Axalta | |||
| 25 | Shane Hmiel | Lowe's | ||||
| 52 | Casey Atwood | Chad Knaus | M&M's | |||
| Dodge | AK Racing | 7 | James Kulwicki | 2021 Avenger | Zerex by Valvoline | |
| 11 | Tina Cooke | Microsoft | ||||
| Chip Ganassi Racing | 1 | Stephen Leicht | 2021 Challenger | UAW-Delphi | ||
| 41 | Crissy Hillsworth (R) | Target | ||||
| 46 | Bryan Clauson | Tums | ||||
| Elliott-Evernham Motorsports | 9 | Chase Elliott | 2021 Dart | Coors Light | ||
| 13 | Matt DiBenedetto | Nickelodeon | ||||
| 94 | Alex Coletti | Flonase | ||||
| Furniture Row Racing | 77 | Corey LaJoie | 2021 Charger | Golden Corral | ||
| 78 | Emi Charendoff | Cole Pearn | 5-Hour Energy | |||
| Petty Enterprises | 43 | Adam Petty | Mike Shiplett | 2021 Challenger | STP | |
| 44 | Chad McCumbee | Kevin Buskirk | McDonald's | |||
| Team Penske | 02 | Joey Logano | 2021 Challenger | Verizon | ||
| 2 | James Buescher | Miller Lite | ||||
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Circuit City | ||||
| Trackhouse Racing | 40 | Jane Brewer | 2021 Charger | Kmart | ||
| 42 | Daniel Suárez | Juicy Fruit | ||||
| 45 | Alana Houston | UPS | ||||
| Ford | Allison-Yates Racing | 28 | Robbie Allison | Jimmy Fennig | 2021 Mustang | Texaco/Havoline |
| 88 | Chase Briscoe (R) | Citi Financial | ||||
| Brett Favre Racing | 15 | Parker Kligerman | 2021 Mustang | Nike/Sony | ||
| 90 | Katrina Goode | FujiFilm | ||||
| Roush Racing | 6 | Carla Alvarez | Drew Blickensderfer | 2021 Roush Mustang | Best Buy | |
| 16 | Chris Buescher | Donnie Wingo | 3M | |||
| 99 | Trevor Bayne | Bob Osborne | Office Depot | |||
| Wood Brothers Racing | 21 | Ryan Newman | Donnie Wingo | 2021 Shelby Mustang | Motorcraft | |
| Honda | Andretti Autosport | 27 | Kurt Busch | 2021 Accord | DHL | |
| JTG Daugherty Racing | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Todd Berrier | 2021 Accord | Kroger | |
| Michael Waltrip Racing * | 00 | Brian Vickers | Rodney Childers | 2021 Civic | Aaron's Dream Machine | |
| 17 | Macy Waltrip | NAPA Auto Parts | ||||
| Spire Motorsports | 30 | Aric Almirola | Bootie Barker | 2021 Civic | GEICO | |
| Nissan | Front Row Motorsports | 33 | Jane Ritter | 2021 Maxima | Speedco | |
| 34 | Steff Crawford (R) | Jay Guy | Love's Travel Stops | |||
| 35 | Hunter Nemechek | Long John Silver's | ||||
| Moroso-Rudd Racing | 82 | Denzel Lane | 2021 Maxima | Mountain Dew | ||
| 83 | Michelle Basone | Tide | ||||
| 84 | Boston Reid | RCA | ||||
| Pontiac | Combos Racing | 73 | Alana Burleson | 2021 G8 | ||
| GMS Racing | 51 | Alex Bowman | Nick Harrison
Jimmy Elledge |
2021 G8 | Marvel Comics | |
| Stewart-Foyt Racing | 4 | Kevin Harvick | 2021 Trans-Am | Budweiser | ||
| 10 | Kyle Busch | Tony Gibson | Valvoline | |||
| 14 | Ross Chastain | Greg Zipadelli | Home Depot | |||
| Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing * | 18 | Christopher Bell | 2021 Camry | Yahoo! | |
| 19 | Erik Jones | GameStop | ||||
| 20 | Denny Hamlin | Steve Addington | FedEx | |||
| 80 | Carl Edwards | Darian Grubb | Rheem | |||
| Jordan-Davis Racing | 22 | Kasey Kahne | 2021 Camry | Caterpillar | ||
| 23 | Bubba Wallace | Dr Pepper | ||||
| Swan Racing | 37 | Johanna Long | Steve Lane | 2021 Avalon | Petco | |
| Team Red Bull | 85 | Ryan Truex | Jimmy Elledge | 2021 Avalon | Red Bull | |
| 86 | Michael McDowell | Ryan Pemberton | Red Bull |
Limited Schedule[]
| Manufacturer | Team | No. | Race driver | Model | Rounds | Tire | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lend-Lease entries[]
| Manufacturer | Team | No. | Race driver | Model | Rounds | Tire | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Changes[]
Teams[]
Drivers[]
Crew chiefs[]
Sponsorship[]
Manufacturers[]
Challenges[]
In addition to the Busch Five, Coca-Cola Million, and Unocal 76 Challenge, one more challenge was introduced:
- The Camping World Elimination Challenge: An elimination-style format, the first 16 winners of the season (although, if there are more or fewer winners, the field is decided on points) compete for a $100,000 cash bonus, with groups of four being eliminated every few races until four are left in the Los Angeles Times 500. This does not affect championship points.
Schedule[]
The 2021 Cup Series schedule was supposed to be released in the spring of 2020, but its release was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A # indicates a Busch Five race.
| No. | Race name | Venue | Track Type | Date | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dodge/Save Mart 350 | Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma | Road Course | January 31 | WBC |
| Busch Clash | Daytona International Speedway (Road Course), Daytona Beach | Road Course | February 9 | WBC | |
| Gatorade 125's | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach | Superspeedway | February 11 | WBC | |
| 2 | 63rd Daytona 500 by STP | February 14-15 | WBC | ||
| 3 | Western Auto 253 | Daytona International Speedway (Road Course), Daytona Beach | Road Course | February 21 | WBC |
| 4 | Subway 400 | Rockingham Speedway, Rockingham | Intermediate | February 28 | WBC |
| 5 | Pennzoil 400 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas | Intermediate | March 6 | WBC |
Schedule changes[]
Season summary[]
Race reports[]
Results[]
| No. | Race | Pole Position | Most Laps Led | Winning Driver | Manufacturer/Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dodge/Save Mart 350 | Chase Elliott | Chase Elliott | Chase Elliott | Chevrolet Camaro |
| Busch Clash |
Cars Used in 2021 Season[]
Event logos[]
