By Seth Eggert, Associate Editor
Veteran NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Spencer Boyd and Chris Miller have formed a new full-time race team, Freedom Racing Enterprises.
Boyd will drive the No. 76 Freedom Racing Enterprises Chevrolet Silverado beginning at the Fresh From Florida 250 at Daytona Int’l Speedway. The launch of his new team marks another turning point in the 28-year-old’s NASCAR career. Boyd earned his first, and so far, his only Truck Series win to date at Talladega Superspeedway in 2019.
He would not be the only driver-owner competing in the Truck Series. Stewart Friesen co-owns his Halmar-Friesen Racing No. 52 Toyota Tundra, Timmy Hill will race his Hill Motorsports No. 56 Toyota full-time this year, and Bret Holmes was the driver of his own Bret Holmes Racing No. 32 Chevrolet last season.
“This is a wildly proud moment for me,” Boyd admitted. “If you asked a wide-eyed 20-year-old me at Martinsville Speedway if I was going to start my own NASCAR team in the next decade, I might have laughed it off. I have been blessed to be able to race cars for a living and remain part of the NASCAR family for as long as I have.
“I wouldn’t be here without a small group of very important people to my career, so I definitely want to thank them for believing in me through thick and thin. They know who they are and hope they are sharing in this feeling of pride.”
Under the Freedom Racing Enterprises banner, Boyd will have a strong team behind him. It also marks the return to the No. 76 for the Creve Coeur, MO native. He last drove that car number for Bobby Dotter’s SS-Greenlight Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2018, earning a best finish of 17th in the July race at Daytona.
“This is an invigorating endeavor with some very competent people,” Miller, co-owner, said of the team. “Business success is about surrounding yourself with good people all pulling the rope in the same direction and that is what we have here. I look forward to being part of the journey.”
Joining the team as their general manager is legendary crew chief for Darrell Waltrip and Junior Johnson Motorsports, as well as FOX Sports Analyst, Jeff Hammond. He last served as a crew chief for Clay Greenfield in the Truck Series in 2020. Together their best finish was 14th at Talladega.
“I’m motivated by the optimism and professionalism in the group of people that Spencer has assembled,” Hammond, team general manager, stated. “The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is undergoing many changes this offseason, so it is an ideal time to form a
new team. We know the Trucks produce some of the greatest racing in the world, so I’m delighted to be energized by Spencer Boyd and Freedom Racing Enterprises!”
Ultimately, Boyd credits his family for leading him onto the past that has brought him to team ownership in the Truck Series. The journeyman driver has driven for 10 different team owners throughout his seven-year tenure in NASCAR competition. Over the past five seasons, Boyd had found a home at Young’s Motorsports where he earned one win, two top-five, and three top-10 finishes.
“My parents had no idea what they were getting into when they put me in a go-kart at
five years old, but I hope my father Paul and my mother Bonnie will take a moment to realize all the sacrifices they made have led us here,” Boyd explained. “This step in my career is one that allows me to build something that keeps the Boyd name in NASCAR competition for the long haul. I am beyond grateful for this opportunity and look forward to an exciting future.”
The Fresh From Florida 250 at Daytona is scheduled for Friday, February 16 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1. The race will also be broadcast on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.