JD Motorsports

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 for Eric McClure and Garrett Smithley, the No. 01 full-time for Ryan Preece, and the No. 4 Watermelon.org Chevrolet Camaro full-time for Ross Chastain.

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 are 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 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 2009, Steve Grissom drove this car

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 #70 team. White drove for most of the season and had two top-twenty finishes in the #0 car, before Gus Wasson finished out the year in the car, finishing 29th at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

In 2004, the #0 switched to the #10 and the #70 the #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 #10 returned to its original #0. Kertus Davis began driving the #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 sponsorhip, 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 #0 team began the 2008 season with Kertus Davis qualifying at Daytona, however his time was disallowed and he moved to the #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 #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 #0 car, but moved over to the #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 #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 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

Taken at Daytona International Speedway by Anthony Zampella

The #01 debuted in 2006 as Duesenberg & Leik Motorsports, with Jay Sauter driving the Western Union car. In the team's first season, the #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 #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.

Landon Cassill at Road America in 2014.

Dwayne Leik qualified the #01 at Daytona to start off 2008, but was replaced by Davis after the #0 time was disallowed. Davis continued to run in the #01 full-time since moving to the #01 at Daytona. J. C. Stout raced the #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 #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. Mid-way 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.

Car No. 04 history

Kertus Davis in 2009.

Kevin Lepage in 2010.

In mid-2003, Johnny Davis created a second car, then #70, for Morgan Shepherd to drive when Jason White was hired to pilot the primary #0 car. Shepherd would qualify for three races in the #70 before he left to drive for Dwayne Miller. Other drivers to drove the #70 for the remainder of 2003 were Jason Rudd, Don Satterfield, Jason White, Brad Teague and Gus Wasson.

In 2004, the Davis' primary #0 car switched to the #10 and the #70 became the #0. Jimmy Kitchens drove the #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 iinstead on its purchase of the #01 car. Davis would enter a third car #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 #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.

Car No. 4 history

The #4 driven by Landon Cassill at Road America in 2013

In early February 2012 it was announced that JD Motorsports would field the #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 #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] 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 will be driving the No. 4 Chevrolet Camaro and will replacing Jeffrey Earnhardt.

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

External links

• Official website
• Johnny Davis owner statistics at Racing-Reference