Front Row Motorsports expands, signs Cole Whitt for third team

Front Row Motorsports has signed Cole Whitt and will expand to three full-time teams for the 2015 season, the organization announced Friday.

Whitt, 23, joins a driver lineup consisting of veterans David Ragan and David Gilliland and will wheel the No. 35 Ford. Speed Stick will serve as the primary sponsor for 10 races with Randy Cox named as crew chief.

A rookie in 2014, Whitt split time between two teams, Swan Racing and BK Racing, finishing 31st in points with a best result of 15th in the October race at Talladega Superspeedway. Gilliland and Ragan placed 30th and 32nd in the standings, respectively.

A mid-sized outfit, Front Row is owned by Bob Jenkins, a fast-food restaurant magnate who owns nearly 150 Taco Bell and Long John Silver’s franchises. Because of its budgetary constraints, Front Row tends to emphasize being competitive in races at Talladega and Daytona International Speedway, the two restrictor-plate tracks on the schedule where the draft tends to level the playing field.

The team’s lone victory was produced by Ragan in 2013 at Talladega with Gilliland finishing second.

“This is an exciting time for Front Row Motorsports,” Jenkins said. “Adding Cole Whitt to our program, along with the support of the Speed Stick team, is another big step in our growth as a young team. We’re going to have a diverse mix of experience with our drivers, which, I think, is going to be a big benefit for everyone.”

Said Whitt: “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.”