Jennifer Jo Cobb will not make her NASCAR Cup Series debut this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.
On Monday, NASCAR ruled that Cobb was ineligable to compete in GEICO 500, denying her of being the first female driver in the top series since Danica Patrick in the 2018 Daytona 500.
Cobb, 47, was to drive the No. 15 car of Rick Ware Racing who she previously drove six races for between 2011-2016.
“I am grateful to have a new sponsor like Arrowhead Brass join in my excitement of having Jennifer Jo Cobb drive for RWR at Talladega Superspeedway,” Rick Ware said in a team released statement a week ago. “Being a female in a male dominated sport is not an easy task, especially for as long as Jennifer has been competing in NASCAR.”
Cobb had to seek aproval to run in the Cup Series and her denial can be attributed to Section 3.11.1.1.b of the Cup Rule Book which says drivers must outline their previous racing experience, which the NASCAR Resume Committee will determine if the driver is approved for competition.
In her career Cobb has made 217 Camping World Truck Series starts including nine at Talladgea but has limited experience in the Xfinity Series with no races coming since 2018. Driving often as a driver/owner or for underfunded teams, Cobb has one top-10 in the Truck Sieres which came in the season opener at Daytona in 2011.
NASCAR allowed Derrike Cope, 1990 winner of the Daytona 500, to run the Daytona 500 this year despite not competing in a Cup Series race since 2018.
