DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Jordan Anderson may not have hoisted the trophy Saturday evening after another oh-so-close brush with victory at Daytona International Speedway. Instead the full-time team owner and part-time driver held something much more dear aloft in a heartfelt family moment on pit road.
Anderson matched a career-best by driving home fourth in Saturday’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series opener at the 2.5-mile track, embracing his 4 1/2-month-old son, Banks, and his wife, Kendall on pit road.
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Anderson’s flirtation with his first NASCAR national-series win has been a familiar one in past wintertime trips to Daytona. The 34-year-old South Carolinian was also fourth in this race two years ago, and he ended up as an emotional runner-up in a pair of Craftsman Truck Series openers (2020, 2021) here. This time, he carried the name of his son above the right-side window of his No. 32 Chevrolet into Saturday’s United Rentals 300, complete with a “baby on board” decal.
Few could keep pace with eventual winner Austin Hill’s No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevy, but when Anderson emerged within sight of the lead and intense jostling ensued on the final lap, he thought an opening might provide him with a winning avenue for the team he’s built from nearly scratch.
“I’m like, this is the shot. This is it,” Anderson recalled thinking. “And I thought the seas were getting ready to part, and just kind of got bumped around and just wasn’t meant to be, but a top five to start the year off. Not bad for a part-time guy, but it’s so cool. Our team worked so hard all offseason between the 32, the 31, the 27 with Blaine (Perkins) back, Jeb (Burton) back. We’re committed. We want to be in this sport for a long time, and we want to get better every year. This is just an example of what we’re capable of. So what a great way to start the year off, and it’s just so cool.
“I will never, ever, ever take it for granted to be able to get behind the wheel. I’ve worked so hard my whole life to grow this and grow the team, and to come out here and have a little fun just keeps me connected to my roots. So I’m just all smiles.”
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The family jubilation on pit road was almost less-attended. Clif Anderson, Jordan’s father, caught a daytime flight Saturday to be in Daytona, waiting until the last minute to find out if his son had qualified for the 38-car field before getting on the plane. Jordan’s mother, Sherry, had stayed back to tend to another big family moment, with Jennifer Self, Jordan’s sister, in Charlotte, nine months pregnant.
“He made the show, I stepped on the airplane,” Clif Anderson said. “As soon as I get on the airplane, my daughter sent me a text and said, ‘Dad, I’m going into labor.’ “
Clif Anderson had three reasons to be proud Saturday, wearing a white ballcap that identified him as Banks’ grandfather, awaiting the pending arrival of his third grandchild and sharing in his son’s race-day celebration.
“At the end of the day, this is his passion,” the elder Anderson said. “This is what drives him is driving race cars. So all the late nights and working in the shop, building the program, at the end of the day, this is his passion, so I’m glad to see him getting to have a good run.”
Jordan Anderson has reason for optimism for the organization he’s built. After years of clawing to field a lesser-funded single-truck effort, Jordan Anderson Racing has expanded to three full-time O’Reilly Auto Parts Series entries, recently forming a technical alliance alongside Richard Childress Racing to aid the team’s efforts.
All the newer developments on the family side, however, took priority Saturday evening after the racing was done.
“Just on cloud nine,” Jordan Anderson said. “Just being a dad has put a whole new perspective on my life. I can have a tough, long day at the shop, but come home and I see him smile and all is well in the world. So he won’t remember this one, but one day, it’ll be something him and I can talk about and have some good memories from.”