Furniture Row Racing

Furniture Row Racing

Company type	Private
Industry	Auto racing
Founded	2005
Founder	Barney Visser
Defunct	2018
Fate	Ceased operations; charter sold to Spire Sports + Entertainment
Headquarters	Denver , United States
Area served	United States
Key people	Barney Visser (owner)
Products	NASCAR Cup Series racing team
Owner	Barney Visser

Furniture Row Racing (FRR) was a professional American stock car racing organization that competed in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2005 until 2018. The team was owned and sponsored by Furniture Row, a furniture retail chain in the United States, and operated out of Denver, Colorado—making it the sole NASCAR team located west of the Mississippi River. FRR ran the No. 78 Toyota Camry full-time with driver Martin Truex Jr. and captured its only championship title in 2017, marking the first Cup Series championship under the Monster Energy sponsorship era. Additionally, FRR was the pioneer single-car team to qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup, achieving this feat initially in 2013 with Kurt Busch and consecutively from 2015 through 2018 with Truex.

Between 2016 and 2018, FRR maintained a technical collaboration with fellow Toyota outfit Joe Gibbs Racing. Before this period, from 2010 to 2015, the team aligned with Richard Childress Racing while competing under the Chevrolet brand.

Following the conclusion of the 2018 season, Furniture Row Racing discontinued its operations and transferred its charter to Spire Sports + Entertainment, which now competes as Spire Motorsports. Much of FRR’s former assets and facilities have since been repurposed under Falci Adaptive Motorsports, a nonprofit organization dedicated to adaptive racing for athletes with physical disabilities.

History of Car No. 78

Furniture Row Racing made its NASCAR Busch Series debut at Nashville Superspeedway in 2005, fielding the No. 78 Chevrolet driven by Jerry Robertson. In his first race, Robertson qualified 24th and finished in 33rd place. Over the course of 2005, he participated in ten events and returned for nine races in 2006, with his best result being a 22nd-place finish at California Speedway during the 2005 season.

Car No. 78 results

Year	Driver	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	Owners	Pts
2005	Jerry Robertson	78	Chevy	DAY	CAL	MXC	LVS DNQ	ATL	NSH 33	BRI	TEX 25	PHO 23	TAL	DAR	RCH 40	CLT	DOV	NSH 37	KEN DNQ	MLW	DAY	CHI 34	NHA	PPR 29	GTY	IRP	GLN	MCH DNQ	BRI	CAL 22	RCH DNQ	DOV	KAN 39	CLT	MEM	TEX 35	PHO	HOM DNQ	50th	710
2006				DAY	CAL	MXC	LVS	ATL	BRI	TEX	NSH	style="background:#EFCFFF;" |PHO 40	TAL	style="background:#CFCFFF;" |RCH 29	DAR	CLT	DOV	style="background:#FFCFCF;" |NSH DNQ	KEN	MLW	DAY	style="background:#EFCFFF;" |CHI 36	NHA	style="background:#CFCFFF;" |MAR 32	GTY	IRP	GLN	style="background:#FFCFCF;" |MCH DNQ	BRI	style="background:#CFCFFF;" |CAL 39	style="background:#CFCFFF;" |RCH 29	DOV	style="background:#EFCFFF;" |KAN 42	CLT	style="background:#EFCFFF;" |MEM 42	style="background:#FFCFCF;" |TEX DNQ	style="background:#EFCFFF;" |PHO 41	HOM	52nd	564

History of Car No. 77/87

2008

In 2008, Furniture Row Racing expanded its lineup by adding a second vehicle, the No. 87, which Kenny Wallace drove in the Daytona 500. Wallace was initially designated as a backup driver in case Nemechek did not qualify; however, Nemechek secured his position early on, and Wallace earned his place through the Gatorade Duels.

Performance of Car No. 87

Year	Driver	No.	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	Owners	Pts
2008	Kenny Wallace	87	Chevy	DAY 43	CAL	LVS	ATL	BRI	MAR	TEX	PHO	TAL	RCH	DAR	CLT	DOV	POC	MCH	SON	NHA	DAY	CHI	IND	POC	GLN	MCH	BRI	CAL	RCH	NHA	DOV	KAN	TAL	CLT	MAR	ATL	TEX	PHO	HOM	58th	134

Erik Jones (2017)

On August7,2016,Furniture Row Racing revealed that Erik Jones would compete full-time in the Cup Series, driving the No.77 car sponsored by5 Hour Energy, marking the return of this number since2014. In December2016, FRR secured the charter for the No.62 from Premium Motorsports, guaranteeing Jones a spot in every race during2017. Jones joined FRR on loan from Joe Gibbs Racing.

Throughout the season, Jones reached significant career highlights, including a seventh-place finish in the Coca-Cola600 and achieving his first top-five result with a third-place at Pocono, alongside numerous top-ten finishes. On July11,2017,it was announced that Jones would depart FRR after that season to drive JGR’s No.20 car in2018; however,5 Hour Energy continued its sponsorship with FRR due to contractual stipulations.

Following Jones' exit announcement, Furniture Row Racing sold their No.77 charter to JTG Daugherty Racing for use with their No.37 team and confirmed that the No.77 operation would cease indefinitely after2017, emphasizing that this was not intended as a short-term endeavor.

Car No. 77 Performance Summary

Season	Competitor	Number	Manufacturer	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	Owners	Points
2017	Erik Jones	77	Toyota	DAY 39	ATL 14	LVS 15	PHO 8	CAL 12	MAR 12	TEX 22	BRI 17	RCH 38	TAL 33	KAN 22	CLT 7	DOV 15	POC 3	MCH 13	SON 25	DAY 9	KEN 6	NHA 39	IND 31	POC 8	GLN 10	MCH 3	BRI 2*	DAR < br > < small >5 < / small >	RCH < br > < small >6 < / small >	CHI < br > < small >33 < / small >	NHA < br > < small >6 < / small >	DOV < br > < small >12 < / small >	CLT < br > < small >17 < / small >	TAL < br > < small >36 < / small >	KAN < br > < small >35 < / small >	MAR < br > < small >26 < / small >	TEX < br > < small >10 < / small >	PHO < br > < small >4 < / small >	HOM < br > < small >21 < / small >	19th	863

History of Car No. 78

Initial Period (2005–2008)

In 2005, the team participated in two NASCAR Cup Series races, with Kenny Wallace making his debut at Dover International Speedway and Joe Nemechek competing at Phoenix International Raceway.

For the 2006 season, Wallace was slated to drive the opening five races, while Regan Smith was assigned the remainder. Wallace missed qualifying for the Daytona 500 but secured spots in two subsequent events, finishing 41st and 38th respectively. Due to underwhelming results, the team experimented with several drivers including Jimmy Spencer and Travis Kvapil and collaborated with PPI Motorsports to pool resources. Robertson took part in select Busch Series races, achieving a best finish of 29th.

Wallace returned full-time in 2007 but was released mid-season in August. Following unsuccessful qualification attempts by Scott Wimmer and Sterling Marlin, Joe Nemechek was appointed as the full-time driver under a three-year contract covering 2008 through 2010. In 2008, Nemechek qualified third for the Daytona 500, secured the team’s inaugural pole position at Talladega, and recorded an 11th-place finish there—the highest at that point.

Regan Smith Era (2009–2012)

Facing budget limitations, FRR reduced its schedule to part-time in 2009; Nemechek was let go after declining a limited race program. Regan Smith competed in eighteen events that season.

The team returned to full-time competition in 2010 by aligning with Richard Childress Racing (RCR), acquiring owner points from RCR’s No. 07 car to guarantee early top-35 status, with Childress officially listed as owner.

In November 2010, FRR’s transporter was destroyed near their Denver base; RCR stepped in by providing a replacement transporter for the Homestead race.

Smith earned FRR’s first top-ten finish at the 2011 Daytona 500 (seventh place) and captured their initial victory at Darlington’s Southern 500. After struggles in 2012, crew chief Pete Rondeau was replaced by former RCR chief Todd Berrier, which sparked back-to-back top-10 finishes.

Kurt Busch Tenure (2012–2013)

Although performance improved under Berrier’s guidance, Smith was replaced by Kurt Busch beginning with the 2012 Bank of America 500 at Charlotte.

In 2013, Busch elevated FRR’s competitiveness by securing eight top-five finishes, thirteen top tens, and one pole position. Despite setbacks from crashes and mechanical failures, the team clinched a spot in the Chase—marking FRR as the first single-car team to qualify.

Furniture Row served as the primary sponsor for most races; notably, the car sported a Wonder Bread livery at Talladega as an homage to Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.

Martin Truex Jr. Period (2014–2018)

In August 2013, Busch departed FRR to join Stewart-Haas Racing. After considering candidates like Juan Pablo Montoya and veterans Jeff Burton and Bobby Labonte, FRR signed Martin Truex Jr. on a multi-year contract starting with the 2014 Daytona 500 and brought over his Michael Waltrip Racing crew.

Truex’s rookie season included five top-ten finishes and a 24th-place points standing; crew chief Todd Berrier was succeeded by newcomer Cole Pearn.

Under Pearn’s direction in 2015, Truex showed marked improvement—achieving nine top tens within ten races, winning at Pocono (FRR’s first Sprint Cup triumph since 2011), and finishing fourth overall with twenty-two top-ten finishes.

Truex re-signed for the 2016 campaign as FRR transitioned to Toyota machinery through a technical alliance with Joe Gibbs Racing and received engines from Toyota Racing Development. That year featured four victories for Truex including a record-setting Coca-Cola 600 performance.

In 2017, Truex maintained strong form with multiple wins and stage sweeps but faced controversy following an altercation with Kyle Busch at the Brickyard 400 that resulted in crew suspensions. The season culminated with FRR securing its first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship at Homestead.

Truex began 2018 strongly with several wins and consistent finishes, earning a spot in the Championship 4 and ultimately finishing second in the standings.

On September 4, 2018, founder Barney Visser announced that FRR would cease operations after losing key sponsor 5-hour Energy despite recent achievements. Truex and Pearn transitioned to Joe Gibbs Racing’s No.19 team for the following season. The No.78 charter was sold to Spire Sports + Entertainment, which now fields Spire Motorsports No.77 in the Cup Series.

Performance of Car No. 78

2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series

NASCAR Cup Series

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No.	Year	Race	Venue	Competitor
1	2011	Showtime Southern 500	Darlington Raceway	Regan Smith
2	2015	Axalta "We Paint Winners" 400	Pocono Raceway	Martin Truex Jr.
3	2016	Coca-Cola 600	Charlotte Motor Speedway	Martin Truex Jr.
4	2016	Bojangles' Southern 500	Darlington Raceway	Martin Truex Jr.
5	2016	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400	Chicagoland Speedway	Martin Truex Jr.
6	2016	Citizen Soldier 400	Dover International Speedway	Martin Truex Jr.
7	2017	Kobalt 400	Las Vegas Motor Speedway	Martin Truex Jr.
8	2017	Go Bowling 400	Kansas Speedway	Martin Truex Jr.
9	2017	Quaker State 400	Kentucky Speedway	Martin Truex Jr.
10	2017	I Love NY 355 at The Glen	Watkins Glen International	Martin Truex Jr.
11	2017	Tales of the Turtles 400	Chicagoland Speedway	Martin Truex Jr.
12	2017	Bank of America 500	Charlotte Motor Speedway	Martin Truex Jr.
13	2017	Hollywood Casino 400	Kansas Speedway	Martin Truex Jr.
14	2017	Ford EcoBoost 400	Homestead Miami Speedway	Martin Truex Jr.
15	2018	Auto Club 400	Auto Club Speedway	Martin Truex Jr.
16	2018	Pocono 400	Pocono Raceway	Martin Truex Jr.
17	2018	Toyota/Save Mart 350	Sonoma Raceway	Martin Truex Jr.
18	2018	"Quaker State 400"	"Kentucky Speedway"	"Martin Truex Jr."