Jennifer Jo Cobb not approved by NASCAR to run in car No. 15 in Sunday’s Talladega Cup race.
The following written content by Dustin Long
NASCAR denied approval for Jennifer Jo Cobb to drive in Sunday’s Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway, forcing Rick Ware Racing to find another driver for the No. 15 car.
The team announced April 13 that Cobb would make her Cup debut in the No. 15 car at Talladega Superspeedway. She would have been the first female to compete in a Cup race since Danica Patrick drove in the 2018 Daytona 500.
Car owner Rick Ware issued a statement Monday: “We’ve been informed by the sanctioning body that Jennifer is not approved to compete in the NASCAR Cup Series event at Talladega Superspeedway this coming weekend. This is an unfortunate situation, but as a team we support NASCAR’s decision to uphold the sanctioning (body’s) rules and regulations.”
NBC Sports has reached out to Cobb for comment.
Section 3.11.1.1.b of the Cup Rule Book states that drivers must outline their previous racing experience to the NASCAR Resume Committee, which will determine if the driver is approved for competition.
The rule also states: “Any previously approved driver who has not competed for at least one year must resubmit the Driver Information and Record application.”
Because Cobb had not competed in Cup, she had to submit for approval for that series.
Cobb’s limited Xfinity starts in recent years and her performance raised issues even though she has made 217 Camping World Truck Series starts, including nine starts at Talladega. Cobb’s best finish in a Truck at Talladega was 11th in 2018. She has been with underfunded teams in her career. Her incident with Norm Benning this past weekend during the Truck race at Richmond Raceway had no bearing on this decision. Read more from NBC Sports.
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