in 2013, whitt and jr motorsports parted ways with the team citing lack of sponsorship. he later joined forces with tri-star motorsports, driving their no. 44 nationwide entry from dover onward. he earned his first top-ten of the year with an eighth-place finish at road america. late in the season, he ran seven sprint cup races with swan racing company as a replacement for david stremme. the team then hired him for the full 2014 season, placing him in their new second team, the no. 26.