Kyle Tilley returns to NASCAR Cup Series at Road America

Despite not running the first two NASCAR Cup Series road races at Circuit of the Americas and Sonoma Raceway, Kyle Tilley has once again been tasked with navigating the road course of Road America by Live Fast Motorsports, where he will drive the #78 Ford Mustang with sponsorship from the Patriot Military Foundation. The race will be Tilley’s first with the new seventh-generation Next Gen car.

Tilley mainly races in sports cars and historic motorsport, winning the Asian Le Mans Series LMP2 Am championship and the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona LMP2 class in 2021. That year also saw him make his stock car début by racing at COTA, Road America, and Watkins Glen International for Live Fast, respectively finishing thirty-first, thirty-fifth, and thirtieth. He also drove for team owner B.J. McLeod‘s NASCAR Xfinity Series team at Watkins Glen but placed last due to early damage.

“Very excited to be returning to the NASCAR Cup Series with my friends B.J. McLeod, (co-owner) Matt Tifft, and Team Live Fast,” said Tilley. “The opportunity to drive the Next Gen car is one that I’m relishing, and I’m hopeful that it will suit my driving style. I love Road America so the two combined is going to make for a great weekend.”

Live Fast elected to have Andy Lally and Scott Heckert drive at COTA and Sonoma. Lally had replaced Tilley at the 2021 Indianapolis Cup event after the latter suffered a shoulder injury.

Although it took four months for Tilley to return to the cockpit of a stock car, he continued his sports car participation with his Era Motorsport LMP2 team. After retiring from the 2022 Rolex 24, he and his team finished third in the 12 Hours of Sebring.

“Our team is super excited to have Kyle Tilley back behind the wheel of Live Fast Motorsports’ Ford Mustang at Road America,” McLeod commented. “Tilley is a very talented road course driver and we are eager to watch his return. We are also proud to welcome the Patriot Military Family Foundation on the #78.”

The Bath, England native has also competed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and works as a driver coach when not racing.

LFM’s #78 is primarily piloted by McLeod outside of special events like the road courses and Bristol Dirt Race, the latter of which saw him place B.J. McLeod Motorsports driver Josh Williams in the car. The entry is thirty-fifth in owner points with McLeod holding its best race finish of nineteenth at Atlanta and Charlotte.