JD Motorsports
 | |
| Owner(s) | Johnny Davis Gary Keller Gary Cogswell |
|---|---|
| Base | Gaffney, South Carolina |
| Series | NASCAR Xfinity Series |
| Race drivers | 0. Garrett Smithley, Vinnie Miller (R) 01. Vinnie Miller (R), Landon Cassill, Lawson Aschenbach (R) 4. Ross Chastain, Garrett Smithley 15. B. J. McLeod, Joe Nemechek, Katherine Legge, Matt Mills |
| Sponsors | 0. Flex Tape 01. Flex Glue, JAS Expedited Trucking, Flex Tape, Gerber Collision & Glass, Herb Kinman Chevrolet 4. Flex Seal, Daley Technology Systems, Florida Watermelon Association, USVets911.com, Delaware Office of Highway Safety, Georgia Watermelon Association, Gerber Collision & Glass, AE Door & Window Co., KM Sports/Future Media Sales, Protect Your Melon/Buckle Up New York, SEM[disambiguation needed] 15. Fleetwing Corporation |
| Manufacturer | Chevrolet |
| Opened | 2002 |
| Career | |
| Debut | 2002 GNC Live Well 250 (Milwaukee) |
| Latest race | 2024 National Debt Relief 250 (Martinsville) |
| Races competed | 696 |
| Drivers' Championships | 0 |
| Race victories | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
JD Motorsports, currently operating as JD Motorsports with Gary Keller, is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. It is owned and operated by Johnny Davis. The team began running in 2002, and currently fields the No. 0 Chevrolet Camaro full-time for Garrett Smithley and Vinnie Miller, the No. 01 Camaro full-time for Vinnie Miller, Lawson Aschenbach and Landon Cassill, the No. 4 Camaro full-time for drivers Ross Chastain, and Garrett Smithley, and the No. 15 Camaro full-time for part-time drivers: Joe Nemechek, Matt Mills and other drivers. The team buy engines from Clements Racing Engines. Clements drove for JD Motorsports in the past.
Johnny Davis has been affiliated with NASCAR competition for over 27 years, serving as a crew member, fabricator, and then crew chief for several Winston Cup and Busch Series teams. Davis' first foray into team ownership was with competition Go-Karts in the 1990s. The team has since expanded and is located in a state of the art 40,000+ square foot facility in Gaffney, South Carolina. The team made history by having the first female crew chief in 2008 and building the first Nationwide Series Car of Tomorrow. The team is also known for running extremely well at restrictor plate tracks. JD Motorsports entries have led laps in 5 of the last 6 races at Daytona and Talladega with Mike Wallace driving.[1]
Car No. 0 history
The No. 0 car made its debut in 2002, fielding an entry for Davis' son Kertus. In his first race, he started 31st but finished 32nd after a wreck. He ran three more races that season and had a best finish of twenty-fourth at Memphis Motorsports Park after gaining sponsorship from Broadway Motors.
In 2003, Eagle Jet International became the team's new sponsor, and Morgan Shepherd was hired as the team's driver for most of its races. His best finish came at Talladega Superspeedway, where he finished 11th, when J. R. Robbs took over for three races with a best finish of 27th. Jason White then became the team's regular driver, and Shepherd moved to Davis' new No. 70 team. White drove for most of the season and had two top-twenty finishes in the No. 0 car, before Gus Wasson finished out the year in the car, finishing 29th at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
In 2004, the No. 0 switched to the No. 10 and the No. 70 the No. 0, and Jason Schuler began the year with the team with Operation Fire SAFE as sponsor. After six races and a best finish of 27th, he was replaced by Wasson with Race Girl sponsorship. He ran for most of the season in the ten car, replaced once by Tina Gordon. His best finish that season came at Nashville Superspeedway, where he finished 22nd.
For the 2005 season, the No. 10 returned to its original No. 0. Kertus Davis began driving the No. 0 full-time with Race Girl sponsoring. He competed in twenty-eight races with a top-ten at Talladega for his rookie season, and Rafael Martínez and Joe Fox served as relief drivers on road courses.
The team began the 2006 season under rumors that they would close due to sponsorship issues, but remained open. Davis qualified for twenty-two races in that year, sharing the ride with Randy LaJoie and Morgan Shepherd.
Kertus Davis left for Kevin Harvick Incorporated in 2007 and was replaced by Eric McClure and Hefty sponsorship. J. R. Fitzpatrick drove at Mexico City and Montreal, while Kevin Lepage driving at Watkins Glen. At the end of the 2007 season, McClure and his sponsorship departed for Front Row Motorsports. Due to a lack of sponsorship, it was announced on Jayski's Silly Season Site that JDM's equipment would be auctioned off on December 1, although the team remained open.
The No. 0 team began the 2008 season with Kertus Davis qualifying at Daytona, however his time was disallowed and he moved to the No. 01. Since Daytona, Dwayne Leik has run four races, Mike Potter has run two races, Danny Efland has been in the car for five races and Davis returned to the No. 0 car at Dover for one race. Larry Gunselman drove the car regularly for the balance of the season, with Wheeler Boys filling in on road courses. Danny O'Quinn began the season as the driver of the No. 0 car, but moved over to the No. 01 after one race. J. C. Stout, Robert Richardson, Mark Green and Steve Grissom shared the car before Mike Wallace took over the driving duties. The team starts and parks on occasion in 2009, however the team did manage to finish at Kentucky. After Wallace moved to the 01, Andy Lally, Stout and Jeremy Clements drove.
In 2011, James Hylton ran the car at Darlington as a start and park. Tim Schendel and Brad Teague also started and parked at Iowa and Dover respectively.
For 2015, JD Motorsports announced that Harrison Rhodes would be their third full-time driver with the No. 0 Chevrolet Camaro. ARCA regular Bobby Gerhart would replace Rhodes in the 0 while he is driving the 4 with Ross Chastain being moved to the 01. The following year, Eric McClure, who previously drove this team since 2007, joined the team for the season opener at Daytona in the No. 0,[2] while Garrett Smithley took over the week after, competing for Rookie of the Year honors.[3]
Car No. 01 history
The No. 01 debuted in 2006 as Duesenberg & Leik Motorsports, with Jay Sauter driving the Western Union car. In the team's first season, the No. 01 team started 33 out of 35 races, with a best finish of seventh at O'Reilly Raceway Park. Dwayne Leik also made one start, at the Winn-Dixie 250 in the No. 26. He started 38th and finished 32nd.
For the 2007 season, Duesenberg & Leik merged with Davis' operation, with the owner's points for the 2006 season for the 01 were transferred to the 0 car. Morgan Shepherd drove the 01 on a limited basis. Kevin Lepage, Shelby Howard and Danny Efland also drove in 2007 after Shepherd left to drive for his own team. Joe Fox ran at Montreal and Watkins Glen. Kertus Davis returned after being released from KHI and drove at Michigan, California, Kansas and Lowe's Motor Speedway.
Dwayne Leik qualified the No. 01 at Daytona to start off 2008, but was replaced by Davis after the No. 0 time was disallowed. Davis continued to run in the No. 01 full-time since moving to the No. 01 at Daytona. J. C. Stout raced the No. 01 car at Dover, shortly before Davis announced he was leaving the team for Jay Robinson Racing. The car was 29th in owner points when Davis left. A variety of drivers drove the car including Trevor Boys at Montreal and his son Wheeler Boys at Watkins Glen International. Danny Efland became the regular driver for the rest of the season. Mike Wallace drove the 01 at Daytona, before O'Quinn became the team's full-time driver. Cash4Gold.com, the American Basketball Association, and Sun Drop served as the team's regular sponsors. O'Quinn left the team late in the season and was replaced by his teammate Wallace. Wallace ran the final 10 races of the season in 2009, finishing 35th in points. Wallace ran the No. 01 full-time in 2010, getting the team up to 8th in points after Nashville, but they soon fell back and finished 18th in points.
Wallace returned to the 01 for 2011, gaining sponsorship from G&K Services. The team was battling for the win at Talladega, but the 01 flipped on its roof on the last lap, but Wallace drove the battered car to a 17th-place finish. Midway through 2011 the team gained a 10-race sponsorship from the movie Cowboys & Aliens. Wallace was released after the 2013 season.
For 2014, Landon Cassill moved to the No. 01 car for 2014, becoming the team's primary driver in addition to running the full Sprint Cup Series campaign with Hillman-Circle Sport LLC.[4] With the switch, Cassill also retained the sponsorship of G&K Services.[5] Cassill gained notoriety over the course of the season for getting the most out of his equipment with fewer resources to work with,[6] consistently running in the top 15 each week.
On January 25, 2016, JD Motorsports announced that Whelen Modified Tour regular Ryan Preece will pilot the 01 full-time for 2016. Preece started the season on a low note, crashing early at Daytona, finishing last. Preece would get his first top ten place finish at Darlington, 10th. Preece didn't make the Chase, and finished 17th in points. JD Motorsports announced that Preece would return in 2017, however Preece left the team to return to Whelen Modified Tour.
On February 7, 2017, it was announced that Harrison Rhodes would return to the team, to drive the No. 01 car full-time, replacing Preece. Although Sheldon Creed drove the No. 01 at Road America and Mid-Ohio, with United Rentals as a sponsor for these races.
On November 28, 2017, it was announced that Vinnie Miller would replace Rhodes in the No. 01 car full-time for the 2018 season.
Car No. 04 history
In mid-2003, Johnny Davis created a second car, then No. 70, for Morgan Shepherd to drive when Jason White was hired to pilot the primary No. 0 car. Shepherd would qualify for three races in the No. 70 before he left to drive for Dwayne Miller. Other drivers to drove the No. 70 for the remainder of 2003 were Jason Rudd, Don Satterfield, Jason White, Brad Teague and Gus Wasson.
In 2004, the Davis' primary No. 0 car switched to the No. 10 and the No. 70 became the No. 0. Jimmy Kitchens drove the No. 0 car for the first four races of the season, but did not finish a race. Greg Sacks and Blake Mallory attempted a few races in the car, but did not qualify. Mike Potter drove the car for two races before Kertus Davis came back to drive three times late in the season. The team would shut down at the end of the season with the team focusing instead on its purchase of the No. 01 car. Davis would enter a third car No. 00 for Mike Potter at the Milwaukee Mile in 2007 to fill out short Busch Series field.
The team would be revived in 2009 with Mark Green driving the No. 04 at Talladega, but lose an engine. Kertus Davis took over the car after leaving Jay Robinson Racing starting with Milwaukee, and will drive it for at least 3 races.
In 2010, the team returned for Brad Teague, Jeremy Clements and Kevin Lepage.
Car No. 4 history
Throughout the team's history the No. 4 car has been the most competitive and successful car.
In early February 2012 it was announced that JD Motorsports would field the No. 4, primarily for Danny Efland and Daryl Harr. Steve Wallace drove the car as a Ford at the spring Richmond race with his father's team, and Jeremy Clements drove the car at the Brickyard and Richmond when Ty Dillon was driving the No. 51 (under RCR)[7]
For 2013, Danny Efland ran the car at Daytona, finishing 25th. Daryl Harr then ran the next four races with a best finish of 28th at Fontana. Landon Cassill joined the team in March for the remainder of the season.[8] Cassill ran 23 races for the team, and managed to finish 24th in points despite missing 10 races. He would move over to the 01 car for 2014.
Jeffrey Earnhardt joined the team in 2014 to pilot the No. 4 car, with sponsorship from Warrior 50, a non-profit organization honoring Vietnam War veterans.[9] Perdue Foods came on to sponsor the car at Richmond in April.[10] The Great Outdoors RV Superstore sponsored the car for the Zippo 200 at Watkins Glen International. In July, Earnhardt was injured in a motorcycle accident, breaking his collarbone. Matt DiBenedetto relieved him during the July Daytona race after 53 laps.[11] After being relieved in two more races, Earnhardt was cleared to run the full race at Indianapolis.[12]
For 2015, Ross Chastain drove the No. 4 Chevrolet Camaro and replaced Jeffrey Earnhardt. Chastain scored a few top tens and finished 15th in points in his first year with the team. Chastain regressed in 2016, with no top tens and finishing 16th in points, though this was the best of all of the JD teams. In 2017, Chastain had his best season so far. He scored a top 5 at Iowa and 2 top tens and finished a career high 13th in points, beating J. J. Yeley to be the highest non-playoff driver in points. Chastain will return in 2018. Chastain ran 30 races in the No. 4, moving to Chip Ganassi Racing and their No. 42 entry for 3 races. Garrett Smithley drove the remaining three races.
Car No. 15 history
In midway through the 2017 season, Johnny Davis added a fourth new car as a start-and-park entry to help fund the no. 0, no. 01 and/or no. 4 car. The no. 15 withdrew at Daytona in July and Kentucky Summer race. Reed Sorenson drove at New Hampshire (39th place - brakes), Indianapolis (38th place - vibration) Iowa (39th place - transmission) and Charlotte (37th place - electrical). This team was announced to go full-time in 2018 with part-time drivers Joe Nemechek, Reed Sorenson, and others. However, in February it was announced Matt Mills (racing driver) would drive the car full-time starting at Atlanta. Nemechek would drive the car at Daytona. But after 5 attempts by Mills (including a DNQ in his 5th attempt at Texas) and having only one finish better than 36th (27th at Las Vegas) along with 2 DNF's, Mills was replaced at Bristol by Nemechek, who finished 19th.
Car No. 87 history
In an alliance with NEMCO Motorsports, Davis fielded a third car sharing the number 87 with NEMCO and Rick Ware Racing. Daryl Harr and Kevin Lepage each ran three races for the team, and Tim Schendel ran one race at Iowa.[13]
References
- ^ Woosley First Female Crew Chief In NASCAR National Series History
- ^ DeGroot, Nick (January 26, 2016). "JD Motorsports announces 2016 driver lineup". Motorsport.com. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- ^ "GARRETT SMITHLEY JOINS JD MOTORSPORTS, MOVES TO NASCAR XFINITY SERIES IN 2016". JD Motorsports. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
- ^ Grayson, Dave (December 29, 2013). "Good news for Landon Cassill: Cassill will replace veteran Mike Wallace as the team's lead driver". motorsport.com. motorsport.com. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
- ^ "G&K SERVICES RETURNS AS CASSILL SPONSOR". Archived from the original on 2014-12-17.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Christie, Toby (August 8, 2014). "Fender To Fender: An Exclusive Interview With Landon Cassill". Rubbings Racing. Rubbings Racing. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
- ^ "JD Motorsports To Field Second Series Team In 2012". SPEEDtv.com. Fox Sports. February 8, 2012. Archived from the original on February 11, 2012. Retrieved 2012-02-09.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ Staff Report (April 3, 2013). "CASSILL TO FINISH NATIONWIDE CAMPAIGN FOR JDM". NASCAR.com. NASCAR.com. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
- ^ Jeffrey Earnhardt (January 10, 2014). "Earnhardt teams with JD Motorsports with Gary Keller". motorsport.com. motorsport.com. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
- ^ "Perdue Foods on Board for Richmond". jeffreyearnhardt.com. Gaffney, South Carolina: jeffreyearnhardt.com. April 23, 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
- ^ Associated Press (July 5, 2014). "Jeffrey Earnhardt calls in relief driver". ESPN.go.com. Daytona Beach, Florida: ESPN. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
- ^ Christie, Toby (July 26, 2014). "NNS: Jeffrey Earnhardt Cleared To Run Full Distance At Indy". Rubbings Racing. Speedway, Indiana: Rubbings Racing. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
- ^ "Car number 87 in 2014". http://racing-reference.info/. racing-reference.info/. 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website=
External links
- Official website
- Johnny Davis owner statistics at Racing-Reference