Dirt star Jonathan Davenport to make Cup debut at Bristol

Davenport, 39, will drive the No. 13 Chevrolet, a third Cup entry for Kaulig Racing in the April 9 Bristol Dirt Race – the Cup series’ annual race on dirt.

Davenport, who earned 24 wins in super dirt late models in 2022 and the XR Super Series title, is no stranger to the dirt track at Bristol.

He earned two top-five and three top-10 finishes during the XR Super Series Bristol Dirt Nationals in late March and early April in 2022.

In April, Davenport held off a hard-charging Kyle Larson to record his second win in as many years on the high-banked, half-mile oval, as his first Bristol win with the World of Outlaws.

Davenport’s Cup entry will have primary sponsorship from Nutrien Ag Solutions. Nutrien Ag Solutions has been a partner with Kaulig Racing since 2019.

Kaulig previously entered the No. 13 car in the 2023 Daytona 500 with Chandler Smith, but failed to make the race.

Chandler Smith, Kaulig Racing, Chevrolet

Photo by: John Harrelson / NKP / Motorsport Images

“This is literally a dream come true for me. I’ll get to race against the best race car drivers in the world and will get to do it at one of my favorite tracks,” Davenport said. “I have a lot to learn but have two great teammates in A.J. (Allmendinger) and Justin (Haley) to learn from.

“We started working on this last October during the Roval weekend in Charlotte and to see it come to fruition is absolutely amazing.”

Added Chris Rice, president of Kaulig Racing: “Jonathan Davenport is an all-time favorite of mine because of how well he has done in his dirt racing career. I’m super excited to have his side of dirt racing intermix with NASCAR and see what he can do in one of our Kaulig Racing Chevrolets.

“He’s a great guy, a great racer and we’re looking forward to making our relationship with Nutrien Ag Solutions deeper.”

Davenport’s first time on track in NASCAR competition will come on April 7 during Cup practice at Bristol.