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Wisconsin NASCAR racer Josh Bilicki will drive for Gibbs for a few Xfinity races this season

After 204 starts across NASCAR’s three national series since 2016, Josh Bilicki is finally getting a chance in front-line equipment.

The 29-year-old Richfield native will make his debut in Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 Toyota in the Xfinity Series race June 1 at Portland International Raceway, the team announced Tuesday.

The deal is for multiple races, JGR said, but the others will be announced at a later date.

“Josh brings a unique skillset to our program that is going to be particularly valuable for us with our road course efforts” Steve deSouza, executive vice president of JGR’s Xfinity Series program, said in a statement. “We’re looking forward to having him in the car as our No. 19 GR Supra continues its owner’s championship campaign.”

Bilicki came out of road racing and made his debut at Road America in Elkhart Lake in 2016. His best finish in 96 Xfinity starts came at that track last summer. The Xfinity Series has five road-course races remaining, Portland, Sonoma one week later, the Chicago street race in July, Watkins Glen in September, and the Charlotte “roval” in October.

Bilicki has been adept at putting together deals to stay on track.

“This is a huge opportunity for me and my partners,” Bilicki said in the announcement.  “I’ve been blessed to race for a lot of teams but given JGR’s reputation in the Xfinity Series, I’m particularly excited to see what we can accomplish in their equipment.”

Josh Bilicki of Richfield made his NASCAR debut in 2016 at Road America and has run 204 races across the three national series.
Josh Bilicki of Richfield made his NASCAR debut in 2016 at Road America and has run 204 races across the three national series.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin NASCAR driver Josh Bilicki joins Joe Gibbs Racing in Xfinity