Live Fast Motorsports announced Thursday that Jessica McLeod has been appointed as the company’s new CEO. Jessica will be working directly with the company’s team owners, Matt Tifft, and her husband, co-owner and driver, B.J. McLeod.
“Jessica has been a crucial asset to LFM since the start,” Tifft said. “Her direction, hard work and dedication to the team have served as foundational assets leading us to successes in our team’s first year, 2021. Today as LFM starts our second year racing in the Cup Series, it feels right to give credit where credit is due, by naming Jessica with the well-deserved title and promotion of CEO.”
Jessica and B.J. are from Wauchula, Florida, and have had many business ventures within NASCAR’s K&N, Trucks, Xfinity and Cup Series. In the Xfinity Series, Jessica and B.J. co-own a racing team, B.J. McLeod Motorsports (BJMMS), which fields three full-time stock cars, the Nos. 5, 78 and 99. Now, Jessica climbs from general manager to CEO at LFM.
Said B.J.: “LFM is honored to name Jessica as CEO. Jessica’s commitment to this team is surreal. She carries tons of behind-the-scenes responsibilities and is a great leader to every employee and crew member on this team.”
As the Tour enters its 38th season of intense, ground-pounding, short-track asphalt Modified racing, the visit to Florida will mark the inaugural stop at New Smyrna, a half-mile banked oval. New Smyrna also serves as the official opening of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Racing Series season. The Whelen Modified Tour will compete on the second of nine nights of the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing, one of the most prestigious racing events for grassroots competitors in the country.
It all leads up to the 64th running of the Daytona 500, set for Sunday, Feb. 20, at Daytona International Speedway, just about 15 miles up the road from New Smyrna.
The Whelen Modified Tour and New Smyrna Speedway together to open the season just seems like the perfect fit.
“It’s the right time. This is something that ever since New Smyrna Speedway joined the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Racing Series, it’s been in the works and it just hasn’t come together until now,” said Jimmy Wilson, director of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. “This really started to take shape about three years ago. We have both been working hard to make it happen.
“For me personally, New Smyrna is the first place I got a taste of the Modifieds, right at the World Series. There is nothing quite like it.”
New Smyrna Speedway
The race marks the first time the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will compete in a points-paying event in the state of Florida. Previously, the Tour competed in two non-points events at Daytona International Speedway as part of the “Battle at the Beach,” a track constructed on the backstretch of the Daytona’s 2.5-mile track. Winners in those two events were Steve Park and Doug Coby.
“Why not kick-off the season down in New Smyrna, where all of the eyes are on the area as part of the opening of the racing season,” Wilson said. “The entire NASCAR family will be there. You have the ARCA Menards Series, the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, the three national series divisions opening their season at Daytona; the only series we don’t have down there is Pinty’s.
“It’s huge for us to be part of it and get our season rolling at New Smyrna.”
Many of the drivers entered for Saturday’s 200-lap affair are no strangers to New Smyrna. During the World Series, the track holds Tour-Type Modified events five times, including two extra-distance races.
But the true difference between the Whelen Modified Tour opener and the New Smyrna weekly events is the lap distance. The longest lap count for Modified events at New Smyrna as part of the World Series is 100 laps, in the Richie Evans Memorial. In this year’s Modified Tour race, drivers will need to navigate double the distance with strategy in mind.
Teams will be allowed six change tires on top of the four with which they start the race, and they almost surely will need extra fuel to make it the full distance. As part of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour rulebook, teams are not allowed to change both tires and fuel on the same pit stop, adding a new layer to the race strategy.
When do you pit for fuel in order to make it to the end of the race? Do you save tires for the end in case of a late caution?
“New Smyrna is one of those tracks where if you start 10 cars or 40 cars, one way or another, it always turns into an entertaining race,” Wilson said. “I’ve seen it with Super Late Models, Modifieds, every division that runs there. I thought it was really important when we were putting this together for it to be a 200-lap race. Let’s double the distance. There will be multiple trips up and down pit road, and there is going to be a lot of strategy involved in who wins the race.”
The race serves as the beginning of a 16-race schedule for 2022, one that will bring teams to 13 different tracks and seven states. The storylines are endless heading into the new year, with Justin Bonsignore looking for his fourth championship while names like Ron Silk, Jon McKennedy, Kyle Bonsignore and others look to take him off the top.
“This certainly ranks up there,” Wilson said when asked whether this was one of the most anticipated seasons yet. “There has always been something we can point to every year. Coming out of what we did in 2020, and still feeling that pinch in 2021, we’re ecstatic to get back on track this year for 2022. Everything is finally coming into play for us with the schedule. We want to diversify the schedule and showcase some more tracks. Half of our garage area goes to New Smyrna for the World Series no matter what. We can’t think of a better way to kick-off the season.”
Whelen Modified Tour notes:
Justin Bonsignore opens his title defense at New Smyrna. The Holtsville, New York, native has won the last two championships and also captured the 2018 crown. He will look to become just the second driver (Doug Coby) in the modern era of the Whelen Modified Tour to win three consecutive championships.
Kyle Bonsignore, Justin’s cousin, opens the 2022 season with a new sense of pep in his step. Bonsignore will be working with Cam McDermott, one of New England’s sharpest crew chiefs, looking to become a major title threat to his cousin. Kyle’s first goal will be to kick the season off well at New Smyrna with a top-five finish, or maybe his second career Tour win.
FloRacing opens its full-time coverage of the Whelen Modified Tour on Saturday. The service will show all 16 race events live through FloRacing.TV, showcasing the series to a national audience. The events will also air on tape-delay on USA Network. Announced last week, Joe Coss and Ben Dodge will be full-time voices of the series in 2022.
Ron Silk swapped teams in the offseason, pairing with Haydt-Yannone Racing for a title run driving their No. 16. The team has plenty of experience together, running Tour-Type Modified races in 2021 with success.
Trevor Bayne is set to make his NASCAR Xfinity Series return, signing with Joe Gibbs Racing for select races in 2022.
Bayne, 30, will be behind the wheel of the No. 18 Devotion Nutrition Toyota Supra for seven starts. The 2011 Daytona 500 winner made the announcement himself on FS1’s NASCAR Race Hub on Wednesday night.
The former Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 Ford driver will make his first start Feb. 26 at Auto Club Speedway. He’s also scheduled to pilot the 2021 title-winning No. 18 at Phoenix Raceway (March 12), Charlotte Motor Speedway (May 28), Nashville Superspeedway (June 25), New Hampshire Motor Speedway (July 16), Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Oct. 15), and Homestead-Miami Speedway (Oct. 22). Jason Ratcliff will serve as crew chief. Additional drivers and sponsors will be named at a later date, according to the team.
He’s back!
Trevor Bayne will contest seven #NASCAR Xfinity Series races in the No. 18 Devotion Nutrition Toyota GR Supra, beginning at Auto Club Speedway on 2/26.
“Returning to NASCAR with Devotion Nutrition and Joe Gibbs Racing is beyond huge for me,” Bayne said in the team’s release. “Devotion is a super-passionate, family-run business with a mission to help people live a healthy lifestyle. Their passion is something I certainly relate to. Over the past three years I didn’t know if I’d ever get an opportunity to race for wins again, but my desire to do so never faded. I’m so excited to have this opportunity to work with Jason and everyone at JGR. I want nothing more than to come back stronger than ever and put that Devotion Nutrition Supra into Victory Lane.”
Bayne, whose last NASCAR action came in 2020 with eight Camping World Truck Series starts, made his Xfinity debut at the age of 18 in 2009, picking up two wins over 152 starts. He last appeared in the series in 2016 with a fifth-place finish at Watkins Glen International. Bayne was behind the wheel of two of NASCAR’s most iconic Cup Series rides for parts of nine seasons, driving the No. 21 Ford for four of them as well as well as the No. 6 Roush Fenway (now Keselowski) Racing Ford. He became the youngest driver ever to win the Daytona 500 with his Great American Race triumph in his second start ever.
“We are proud to be a part of Trevor’s return to the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Joe Gibbs Racing,” said Dana Lynn Kaye, owner of Devotion Nutrition. “We are extremely passionate about our brand and excited about the platform JGR and NASCAR provides to reach new consumers and educate them on how Devotion Nutrition can become an easy part of a daily healthy lifestyle.”
DAYTONA BEACH, FL — NASCAR announced Wednesday an official partnership with Stepp’s Towing Service, Inc., a Florida-based company that has been designated the Official Track Recovery Service Partner of NASCAR.
Stepp’s Towing Service will provide towing and wrecker vehicles for a majority of NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events. NASCAR’s Track Services team members began training with the vehicles last month, working in conjunction with the American Medical Response safety team.
“Recovery response is a critical part of NASCAR, allowing us to safely host events without taking away from the excitement and competition that fans are used to seeing on the track each week,” said Mike Phillips, NASCAR’s managing director of track services. “The addition of Stepp’s Towing Service gives our on-track recovery teams the support they’ll need to continue providing a best-in-class on-track response throughout the season.”
Founded in 1960, Stepp’s Towing Service began as a single tow truck operation and has grown to offer a multitude of services, including towing, heavy transport, environmental response and auto salvage.
“We are extremely excited and proud to be an Official Partner and the designated Official Track Recovery Service Partner of NASCAR,” said Todd Stepp, president and CEO of Stepp’s Towing Service, Inc. “With over 60 years of experience providing top quality towing, heavy transport and recovery services in the state of Florida, we are fully committed and prepared to deliver that same level of service on a national basis across the NASCAR national series with a highly proficient, well-trained and dedicated team of towing professionals.”
The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season begins with the 64th running of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 20 (FOX at 2:30 p.m. ET).
There’s not much Kyle Busch hasn’t accomplished within the NASCAR Cup Series realm.
Busch is the only active driver with multiple championships, from his triumphs in 2015 and 2019. His 59 career wins top the current leaderboard of those in the garage. And he has won the sport’s All-Star Race (2017) and three crown-jewel events — Southern 500 in 2008, Coca-Cola 600 in 2018 and Brickyard 400 in 2015-16.
The only gem he’s missing there is the Daytona 500.
“I’ve yet to win that race,” Busch said Tuesday during a Zoom teleconference. “That’s kind of the biggest thing, the last checkbox on my radar, my career that I’ve yet to get.”
The driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota will have his 17th chance at the Harley J. Earl Trophy next Sunday with the 64th running of The Great American Race at Daytona International Speedway (Feb. 20 at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
“That would be nice,” Busch said. “And to do it in the Next Gen car would be fantastic as the first superspeedway race with it.”
The Next Gen car made its debut last Sunday in The Busch Light Clash exhibition at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Busch finished runner-up to Joey Logano by 0.877 seconds. Busch, however, led a race-high 64 of the 150 laps.
“We didn’t have a very good Phoenix test, which is representative,” Busch said. “And so we came out of the box at (the Coliseum) really good I thought and ready to go and the best of our team obviously, so that was really good. That was a little bit of a confidence booster for me and my guys getting into that part of the season, with Phoenix and Martinsville coming up (soon). Hopefully that bodes well. We’ll see.”
Results from the temporary quarter-mile track NASCAR built inside the Coliseum will translate more to a 0.526-mile Martinsville Speedway or 1-mile Phoenix Raceway than the 2.5-mile beast that is Daytona. Phoenix is the fourth race on the schedule, Martinsville eighth. So, pocket Clash notes until then. They, too, will have a different rules configuration than Daytona anyway.
Daytona will require Next Gen cars to have an engine-output target of 510 horsepower and a 7-inch rear spoiler. NASCAR held two offseason tests – one back in September, the other in January – to determine its superspeedway package. Busch wasn’t present at either, but he discussed findings with Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin, along with brother and fellow Toyota pilot Kurt Busch.
“There was a little bit of tandem effect that they were trying to do that seemed to be a little effective, not as bad as what we saw back in 2010, 2011, whenever that was when we were doing this,” Kyle Busch said. “But I think the other thing of this car is it’s going to react very similar in the draft. You’re going to need majority of cars to go faster than fewer cars, so whichever line has the most power in it is going to be the faster line. I anticipate there being two-wide action. I don’t know how slippery the cars felt while in the draft, especially the buffering effect that get as well as the straightaway looseness that you get when the cars aren’t loaded like you feel when you’re in the corner. A lot of unknowns for me, so I’m needing to get some of that track time, practice time to kind of feel all that out.”
And he’ll get that extra track time, as practice and qualifying make their return in 2022 after a two-year absence for the most part due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are two practices on tap next Tuesday, with single-car qualifying set for the following Wednesday. Next Thursday will then showcase the two Bluegreen Vacations Duels before a third practice Friday and the final practice Saturday.
That’s five days’ worth of work before the Daytona 500 itself.
“It’s a clean slate all over,” Busch said. “I mean, you want to win obviously.”
After a shorter offseason compared to past years, Justin Bonsignore and his No. 51 Ken Massa Motorsports team are ready to roll with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season-opener this weekend at New Smyrna Speedway.
The New Smyrna Visitors Bureau 200 will mark the first time the Whelen Modified Tour season begins in Florida, and also will be the first points-paying event to be contested in the Sunshine State.
Bonsignore won the last two series titles and three of the last four. With 31 career wins to his credit, he’s looking forward to trying to add the half-mile to his tour win list, while opening the chase for a fourth championship with a strong run.
“It’s a huge step forward for our series to open our season during Speedweeks at New Smyrna, it’s special,” Bonsignore said. “All of the eyeballs will be on us. It’s an honor to be part of it. We’re just going to take this one race at a time, but our goal each year is to contend for the championship. We want to get off on the right foot. We want to try and win the race, but if we can’t, come home with a good top-five finish and get things rolling for the year.”
The Holtsville, New York, native does have previous experience around New Smyrna as part of the World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing in the Tour-Type Modifieds. The half-mile hosts a nine-night racing spectacular which will also include the ARCA Menards Series East, Super Late Models, Pro Late Models, Tour-Type Modifieds and more from Feb. 11-19. The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour event will headline action on Saturday, Feb. 12.
“Never been there with Ryan Stone setting up the car and I’m confident with what Ryan brings to every track,” Bonsignore said. “We’ve had some success in the years we went down to New Smyrna and we used it as testing for our program. I’ve won there before and we are familiar with the track. It’s a long race, multiple pit stops and the Tour drivers… so it will be different but we’re confident.”
The day begins with the only practice session from 2-3:20 p.m. ET, followed by Mayhew Tools pole qualifying at 5:45 p.m. ET. The New Smyrna Visitors Bureau 200 is scheduled to take the green flag at 7:30 p.m., live on FloRacing.
Eleven up-and-coming drivers will compete for 2022 Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors across NASCAR’s three national series.
In the Cup Series, Austin Cindric, Harrison Burton and Todd Gilliland will battle for the accolade.
Cindric, the 2020 Xfinity Series champion, amassed 13 wins, 62 top fives and 89 top 10s in four full-time seasons driving for Jack Roush and Roger Penske. A perennial contender at the Xfinity level, Cindric was tabbed to fill the seat of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford this season alongside teammates Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney. Cindric made seven Cup starts a season ago.
No stranger to battles with Cindric, Burton also moved up in the ranks to become the youngest driver to ever run a full-time season for Wood Brothers Racing. Burton spent two seasons in the Xfinity Series, highlighted by a four-win campaign in 2020.
Gilliland jumps up to the top level after 93 starts and a pair of wins in the Camping World Truck Series, earning a spot in the two-car operation for Front Row Motorsports. He will drive alongside Michael McDowell.
Sheldon Creed, Austin Hill and Jesse Iwuji are each vying for the title in the Xfinity Series.
Creed and Hill both begin their first full-time seasons at this level after multiple years of success in the Camping World Truck Series. Creed and Hill will both pilot entries for Richard Childress Racing, with Iwuji making his full-time debut in NASCAR after collaborating with Emmitt Smith and others to form his own team — Jesse Iwuji Motorsports.
Jack Wood (GMS Racing), Dean Thompson (Niece Motorsports), Lawless Alan (Niece Motorsports), Corey Heim (Kyle Busch Motorsports) and Blaine Perkins (CR7 Motorsports) are this season’s contenders in the Camping World Truck Series.
Los Angeles already experiences its own clash among cultures, preferences and fashion statements. One thing Angelenos do agree on, however, is supporting their sports teams in person.
The Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum amplified these fashion clashes, placing meticulously planned outfits alongside tried-and-true combinations like a T-shirt and jeans while bringing together generations of fans. First-time racegoers and dedicated fans traveling from track to track alike wore outfits they were proud to be photographed in.
Cherokee M. and Seana M. enjoyed the opportunity to walk the track ahead of the Sunday race. Credit: Jade Bolton | For NASCAR
Vintage revival and the resurgence of Y2K fashion were fan-favorite trends. Brightly colored jackets, retro and bold car graphics, and checkered-flag patterns were in full force. Some opted for matching color schemes with luxe fabrics or dressed representing their favorite driver or track. Attendees that chose to dress up for the event did so for both Saturday’s qualifying sessions and the main event on Sunday. With the LA Rams in the Super Bowl this Sunday, fans displayed their allegiance by incorporating Rams merchandise into their race-day looks.
Deegan L. and his father Timothy L. enjoy spending a day at the track together. Credit: Jade Bolton | For NASCAR
Students at the University of Southern California are well acquainted with the process of attending a football game at the Coliseum dressed in head to toe in Trojan Cardinal and Gold. However, most have less experience in dressing up for a day at the NASCAR race track, making for a fashion experimentation playground. Many of those who attended the race were seated in a designated student section or alongside family members who came back to California to see the race, and of course, visit their child.
Celebrities have a long history of getting dressed up for a particular sporting event and mirroring that event’s particular style. On past race days, they donned jackets representing the NASCAR brand or the colors of their favorite driver’s team. At this event, many opted for leather accents or jackets paired with a simpler look of a T-shirt and jeans to offset the mid-afternoon heat. Others took the leather look a step further, blending it into a more elevated ensemble or pairing it with NASCAR merchandise.
Ally Brooke, singer of the national anthem, rocks a leather and velvet ensemble. Credit: Jade Bolton | For NASCAR
Before race day, fashion was already front of mind thanks to the FaZe Clan and NASCAR limited-edition merchandise collaboration. FaZe Clan is an esports organization competing across the globe against other esports teams. The collection features vintage-inspired merchandise that mirrors some of the Y2K racing graphics other fans sported.
The majority of fans photographed said this race was their first, or a friend or family member that went with them is the reason they came to Sunday’s event.
Patrick Rogers, NASCAR Vice President of Marketing Services and Project Lead for the Clash at the Coliseum, noted that 70% of all ticket sales came from first-time NASCAR attendees. That rate signals a potential demographic shift in the average NASCAR fan, with younger individuals curious to see what a race is like.
The event’s debut stoked great excitement surrounding both the LA market and the proximity to college students, many of whom were picking a driver for the first time and exploring a new sport. The Clash also provided an opportunity for many Los Angeles residents and USC students to experience a new sporting event, as NASCAR opened the door to welcome in new fans.
Jade Bolton is a communications student in her senior year at USC.
What a wonderful week for Joey Logano and wife Brittany as they welcomed a third child to their family, a girl named Emilia Love whose birth was announced Tuesday. This happy arrival, of course, came on the heels of Logano winning the Busch Light Clash last Sunday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The couple announced back in July a girl would join the family that already includes sons Hudson and Jameson — and the two boys revealed the gender news when they put the pedal to the metal in a toy replica of the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series champion’s No. 22 Team Penske Ford.
