With the NASCAR Cup Series‘ Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway fast approaching, Live Fast Motorsports have signed a ringer who certainly knows his way around a dirt track. On Wednesday, Live Fast announced Shane Golobic will make his Cup Series début at the race in the #78 Ford Mustang. The effort will be supported by Golobic’s dirt team Matt Wood Racing.
““We are thrilled to have Shane Golobic join Live Fast Motorsports at the Bristol dirt race,” Live Fast co-owner Matt Tifft stated. “This is such a historic event for the Cup cars to race on dirt once again and for the first time at Bristol. We couldn’t have thought of anyone better to join our team with all of Shane’s background in the dirt racing world, and we can’t wait to see the show that he and the NASCAR Cup Series puts on in just a few weeks.”
Golobic has eighty-three career feature race wins in sprint cars (winged and non-winged) and quarter midgets. “Sugar” Shane, as he is nicknamed, has won in the World of Outlaws, United States Auto Club (UASC), and took the track championships at Ocean (2012 and 2014) and Calistoga Speedways (2009). He has participated in the prestigious Chili Bowl Nationals since 2008, making the A-Feature on eight occasions (2010–2011, 2013, 2016–2020) with a best finish of seventh in 2013. His 2021 run in January, during which he competed against Cup driver, fellow California native, and eventual winner Kyle Larson, ended with a crash.
While the 29-year-old has never raced in NASCAR’s national series, he competed in what is now the ARCA Menards Series West in 2013. Running three races for Bill McAnally Racing, one of the series’ premier organisations, he scored a pair of eighth-place finishes in his first two races.
“I believe every racer has dreamed of the opportunity to race in the NASCAR Cup Series, and the fact that it’s going to happen on dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway only makes it sweeter,” Golobic said in an LFR release. “This opportunity honestly fell into our lap out of nowhere, and it’s something you just can’t pass up. I am so thankful for everyone involved in making this happen, as well as everyone who has had a hand in helping me get to this point in my career. I hope to represent all of our supporters to the best of my ability, and I can’t wait to see what we can do on the dirt at Bristol!”
The San Jose State University alumnus is the second confirmed dirt track ringer for the Food City Dirt Race after Chris Windom, who was announced in late February. Golobic and Windom are both sponsored by NOS Energy in their dirt exploits.
Live Fast Motorsports are a new team for the 2021 Cup season, co-owned by Tifft and B.J. McLeod. While McLeod is driving the bulk of the schedule, which included débuting the #78 in the Daytona 500, he stepped aside for the Daytona road course event the following week as he placed another Cup newcomer and road ringer in Scott Heckert in the car. After the first three races, McLeod’s twenty-third in the 500 is the #78’s best finish.
“Sometimes, something falls in your lap that’s just too good to be true,” Wood added. “Partnering with Matt Tifft and B.J. McLeod of Live Fast Motorsports to run Shane in the NASCAR Cup Series is one of those deals. I think it’s every person’s dream that’s ever owned a race team to be a part of a NASCAR Cup race. This is definitely one of those items you put in your bucket that you think you will never check off the list.
“I’m very excited for Shane. […] Obviously, he knows his way around dirt. I think this will be an opportunity for him to showcase that talent on one of the World’s biggest stages. I’m very proud of what we have accomplished with our Sprint Car and Midget program. This will be completely new experience for us. Hopefully we can do more in the future with Matt, B.J. and Live Fast Motorsports.”
The Food City Dirt Race will take place on Sunday, 28 March, as the Cup Series’ first dirt event in five decades. Golobic’s addition to the entry list comes on the heels of NASCAR revealing the heat race format earlier in the day.
