DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Xtreme Concepts set big goals recently when they announced an expansion of their partnership with Joe Gibbs Racing, but Thursday afternoon at Daytona Int’l Speedway they announced an even larger goal.
The turnkey security solutions company will launch its own NASCAR team under the Xtreme Concepts Racing banner, competing in five NASCAR Xfinity Series races and two Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races later this season.
Xtreme Concepts Racing will debut on March 30 in the Xfinity Series stop at Texas Motor Speedway, with the My Bariatric Solutions 300 serving as a lead-in to the team’s first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race, the GEICO 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on April 28.
The team will also make Xfinity Series appearances on June 29 at Illinois’ Chicagoland Speedway, July 5 at Daytona Int’l Speedway, Aug. 16 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and Aug. 31 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway before concluding their year on Oct. 13 with the second Cup Series race at Talladega.
Jeffrey Earnhardt will pilot the No. 81 Toyota for the team, which will have a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing, in both the Xfinity Series and the Cup Series.
“We are taking a very deliberate and methodical approach to becoming a NASCAR team,” said Xtreme Concepts founder Landon Ash. “Having a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing makes the learning curve a little less steep and allows us to field competitive race cars right out of the gate.
“As we build the competition side of our race team, we’re also building a strong marketing platform for our brands, most notably iK9, a comprehensive canine solutions provider for detection and service dogs. iK9 will be the lead brand on the No. 81 Toyota in both series. Jeffrey Earnhardt has been an excellent representative for Xtreme Concepts and iK9, and through this endeavor with Joe Gibbs Racing, we plan to grow together.”
Xtreme Concepts Racing becomes the latest team to align with Joe Gibbs Racing, joining Leavine Family Racing, which switched to Toyota and inked a technical partnership with JGR during the offseason.
“JGR prides itself on delivering performance, not just for us, but for our partners,” said Coy Gibbs, Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer, JGR. “Having a new team in XCI Racing is great for our sport, and all of us at JGR are committed to ensuring its success.”
Ash was quick to point out on Thursday that Xtreme Concepts’ jump into the NASCAR landscape is not meant to be a flash in the pan. Both the company and the team are in it for the long haul, with the aspiration of eventually moving into the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series on a week-to-week basis.
“Our ultimate goal is to become a full-time team at the Cup level. We’ll take what we learn this season and apply it to next season,” Ash noted. “We plan to grow incrementally, and our alliance with JGR will be a key component of that growth.”
