NASCAR will be losing a second Cup team after 2021

As has been speculated for a few months, StarCom Racing will be on their way out after the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season.

The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season finale at Phoenix Raceway is set to be the final race for not one but two teams at the sport’s top level.

It had already been confirmed in late June that Chip Ganassi Racing will be acquired by Trackhouse Racing Team after the 2021 season, with the Justin Marks and Pitbull-owned team taking ownership of Chip Ganassi’s two charters to become a two-car operation after running just one car with a charter leased out to them by Spire Motorsports this year.

Now it has been confirmed that StarCom Racing will not be back next year.

As was first reported by Catchfence in late August (and later backed up by a team crew member), StarCom Racing have parted with their lone charter, and this afternoon’s season finale at Phoenix Raceway is set to be their final race.

StarCom Racing entered the Cup Series in the 2017 season and became a full-time team with multiple drivers in 2018. They committed to running full-time with just one driver in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Landon Cassill drove the #00 Chevrolet in 2019 before Quin Houff took over in 2020. Houff retained his ride for 2021.

The team’s top finish was an 11th place finish at Daytona International Speedway with Cassill behind the wheel of the #00 Chevrolet in July 2019. This was one of six top 20 finishes for the team in 145 starts. Houff’s best result is a 13th place finish at Talladega Superspeedway in October 2020.

As for StarCom Racing’s charter, it has been rumored that Spire Motorsports have purchased it. They currently have three charters, one of which is leased out to Trackhouse Racing Team, but have sold two of them to Kaulig Racing for next year, so it would make sense for the two-car team to purchase what would be a second charter for 2022.

Meanwhile, the search for a charter is believed to be ongoing for the Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan-owned 23XI Racing after they announced that Kurt Busch is set to become their second driver alongside Bubba Wallace next year. Their negotiations with Front Row Motorsports recently fell through.

Tune in to NBC at 3:00 p.m. ET this afternoon for the live broadcast of the 2021 season finale from Phoenix Raceway. Start your free trial of FuboTV today!