It wasn’t an easy journey to Front Row Motorsports and 2015 when you look back at it all, a rookie season filled with a team shutting down being bounced from one team owner to the next and trying to find your way isn’t an easy path. But sometimes that’s the way it happens in racing being as the sport driven by sponsorship as it is. Early in 2015 Whitt announced he would not return to BK Racing and instead take long time sponsor Speed Stick and join Front Row Motorsports beginning at Daytona.
“I’m really excited and grateful for the opportunity to go racing with Front Row Motorsports and continue my relationship with Speed Stick” Whitt said. “Bob Jenkins is a smart businessman and has grown his team the right way over the years, and I’m really looking forward to being a part of that growth. The 2014 season was great for me as a driver. We had some important personal victories and some areas where we’ll want to improve.”
With a new NASCAR campaign and Speedweeks 2015 in full gear Whitt taking over the No. 35 was without points to fall back on or guaranteed to even make the season opener Daytona 500. Finishing out the Duel at Daytona with a tenth place finish locking into the Daytona 500 Whitt was able kick the season off with Top-25 finish in what is most arguably the most competitive stock car race in the world.
The spring and summer came with new challenges in backing up the run at Daytona after leaving an engine expired late in the going at Atlanta leaving Whitt to dig out when heading out west.
By the time the team made it back to Talladega and plate racing resumed on the schedule Whitt had worked his way through a hand full of top-25 runs and ready to get back to running at the top of the field.
“I tend to lay back a little more early in the race, sit in that little pocket between the back pack and the big group up front. Typically, if they stay three-wide up front, you can sit four car lengths behind them or even further, and still suck up to them really easily. So, I tend to lay back there, keep my mind fresh, keep my car good, and then try to avoid the wrecks. Then at the end, you can race the last 50 laps hard.”
After leaving out of Talladega with a 13th place finish the summer was full bore ahead for Whitt and team continuing to keep pace with many of the mega teams staying not only staying out of trouble and not experiencing trouble but in many cases outrunning all of the other smaller teams but in several cases out running some of the great racers such as Tony Stewart on several occasions.
As the summer series rolled through and many teams were thinking about the upcoming Chase for the Sprint Cup, Whitt and team were continuing to improve in the long runs during the races with top-20 finishes.
Now as we close out the season in Homestead Whitt and Front Row Motorsports look to finish out the season and a strong point.
“I love Homestead. I think it’s awesome. I don’t know what it is about it. I think it’s partly because it’s the last race of the year. Everybody just seems to be in a different mood down there. Obviously, you have guys going for the championship and everybody else like us just trying to get as many points as possible for the end of the year. But for me, it’s still super relaxed.
But the unknown is always there for Whitt going into 2016 as earlier in the year Jerry Freeze disclosed the team would go to a two team operation as we as looking into a possible move to an alliance with another organization that would move the team to another manufacturer. What the future holds for Whitt at Front Row Motorsports is a mystery but what is known is Whitt time with the team in 2015 has shown signs of brightness of improved runs and finishes throughout the year.
