B. J. McLeod Bio
Burton Darwin “B. J.” McLeod Jr. (born November 17, 1983) is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. McLeod co-owns Live Fast Motorsports along with Joe Falk, a NASCAR Cup Series team that fields the No. 78 Chevrolet ZL1, which he drives part-time. McLeod has also competed in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and the ARCA Menards Series.
Early Life and Background
Burton Darwin McLeod Jr. was born on November 17, 1983, in Wauchula, Florida. Raised in the southeastern United States, he grew up surrounded by short tracks and grassroots racing culture. He began his racing career as a go-kart and super late model driver in the Southeast, learning the craft on the regional short-track circuit that has produced many of NASCAR’s competitors.
As a teenager, McLeod was often the youngest driver in several of the divisions he entered, including the Hooters Pro Cup. In 2000, he competed in two Pro Cup races at Hickory Motor Speedway and USA International Speedway, posting a best finish of 31st. The following year, he ran an American Speed Association National Tour event at Fairgrounds Speedway for Herzog Motorsports, finishing fifteenth. After a test session with Herzog, McLeod had an agreement in place to run a limited NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series schedule for the team in 2002, but the deal never materialized.
Path to NASCAR
McLeod built his reputation in Florida short-track racing. In 2004, he won the Red Eye 100, an early career highlight that signaled his arrival as a regional talent. Two years later, he captured the inaugural Bright House Challenge Series championship in 2006, one of the most significant accomplishments of his developmental years. He later added the 2010 World Series of Asphalt Super Late Model championship to his resume.
Through these grassroots accomplishments, McLeod gradually earned opportunities at the national level. His team, B. J. McLeod Motorsports, also developed other young drivers, including Matt Tifft and Scott Heckert, running late model and K&N Pro Series East events. These early steps laid the foundation for his eventual move into NASCAR’s national touring series beginning in 2010.
B. J. McLeod Career
Early Career (2010-2014)
McLeod began racing in NASCAR’s top three series in 2010, making his Camping World Truck Series debut at Martinsville Speedway in the No. 9 for Germain Racing, where he qualified 23rd and finished 17th. Over the next several seasons, he split time between his own team, SS-Green Light Racing, and RSS Racing, piecing together partial schedules in the Truck Series while building his own organization.
In 2012, McLeod again ran a partial Truck schedule, this time with RSS, Glenden Enterprises, and Hillman Racing. For 2013, he focused on his own team and made only one start, the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The following year, he served as a part-time start-and-park driver for SS-Green Light, and he also made his lone ARCA Menards Series start at Pocono Raceway in 2014 for Venturini Motorsports, substituting for the injured John Wes Townley and finishing 27th.
NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Breakthrough (2015-2019)
McLeod made his Xfinity Series debut in 2015 at Iowa Speedway with Rick Ware Racing, retiring after 68 laps due to brake troubles and being credited with a 36th-place finish. He bounced between RWR, SS-Green Light Racing, Young’s Motorsports, MBM Motorsports, and King Autosport that season, gaining valuable seat time.
In 2016, McLeod committed to a full-time Xfinity schedule for the first time in a NASCAR national series, running the full year with his own B. J. McLeod Motorsports No. 78 car and scoring three top-20 finishes. His best Xfinity Series points result is 20th, achieved in both 2016 and 2019. In 2017, he rotated between the Nos. 78 and 8 entries while occasionally giving rides to pay drivers as he focused on strengthening the team.
Cup Series Debut and Growth (2015-2020)
McLeod made his NASCAR Cup Series debut in the 2015 Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, driving the No. 33 Chevrolet SS for Circle Sport. He returned to Cup in 2017 with Rick Ware Racing at Kentucky Speedway in the No. 51, then joined Ware for his Daytona 500 debut in 2019. During that Daytona 500, McLeod and teammate Cody Ware crashed entering pit road, but he continued and finished 19th, a strong result given the race’s heavy attrition.
He returned to RWR for the 2020 Daytona 500 in the No. 52 and later expanded B. J. McLeod Motorsports to the Cup level, running the No. 78 in several events beginning with The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington Raceway. The team completed 15 races that season, with McLeod sometimes driving the Spire Motorsports No. 77 when his own car was not entered.
Live Fast Motorsports Era (2021-Present)
On October 23, 2020, McLeod and Matt Tifft purchased Archie St. Hilare’s half of Go Fas Racing’s charter and formed Live Fast Motorsports. The team used the charter full-time from 2021 until selling it to Spire Motorsports at the end of the 2023 season, after which Live Fast scaled back to a part-time schedule. McLeod’s best Cup points finish remains 45th, set in 2022.
His biggest Cup moment came during the 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, where he survived the chaos to initially finish 10th. After Chris Buescher was disqualified from second place, McLeod was elevated to ninth, his first top-ten in any of NASCAR’s top three national divisions. On May 16, 2025, Spire Motorsports announced that McLeod would drive the No. 07 truck at Charlotte with sponsorship from the Pigeon Forge Racing Coaster, giving him arguably his first opportunity in NASCAR national-series competitive equipment.
Driving Style and Strengths
McLeod is widely known as a crafty plate racer, with most of his strong Cup and Xfinity results coming on superspeedways such as Daytona and Talladega. His ability to avoid trouble and capitalize on late-race attrition has been the foundation of his top finishes. As a team owner-driver, he has also developed strong strategic awareness, balancing business decisions with on-track opportunities.
Notable Races and Milestones
McLeod’s signature tracks are Daytona and Talladega, where he has recorded his only Cup top-ten, his highest Cup finishes, and several of his best Xfinity and Truck runs. He led laps at Talladega in 2024 and scored a 19th-place finish in the 2024 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, his best result of that season. He also earned a top-15, lead-lap Truck finish at Kansas Speedway in 2016 driving for SSGLR.
B. J. McLeod Career Wins
McLeod has not recorded a win in any of NASCAR’s three national series, the Cup Series, O’Reilly Auto Parts (Xfinity) Series, or Craftsman Truck Series. His career highlights instead center on regional and short-track victories, including the 2004 Red Eye 100 and the 2006 Bright House Challenge Series championship, as well as the 2010 World Series of Asphalt Super Late Model title.
Cup Series Highlights
McLeod has made numerous Cup starts across multiple teams, with two career top-tens and a best points finish of 45th in 2022. His first Cup top-ten came in the 2021 Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, where a post-race disqualification moved him from 10th to ninth.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond his national-series efforts, McLeod captured the 2004 Red Eye 100, the inaugural 2006 Bright House Challenge Series championship, and the 2010 World Series of Asphalt Super Late Model championship. He also fielded developmental entries for drivers like Matt Tifft and Scott Heckert through B. J. McLeod Motorsports.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR Cup Series | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ARCA Menards Series | 0 | 0 | 0 |
B. J. McLeod Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Publicly available verified details about McLeod’s parents and extended family are limited. He has built his racing legacy primarily through his own work, founding B. J. McLeod Motorsports and later co-founding Live Fast Motorsports with Joe Falk and Matt Tifft.
Personal Life
McLeod is married to Jessica McLeod. He continues to balance his driving duties with his role as a team owner at Live Fast Motorsports and B. J. McLeod Motorsports.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season has been a transitional year for McLeod. He failed to qualify for the 2025 Daytona 500, and on March 3, Live Fast Motorsports announced that Katherine Legge would drive the No. 78 in her Cup Series debut at Phoenix. Later, on May 16, Spire Motorsports revealed that McLeod would drive the No. 07 truck in the Craftsman Truck Series race at Charlotte, backed by sponsorship from the Pigeon Forge Racing Coaster, an opportunity widely viewed as his first in competitive national-series equipment.
For 2025, Live Fast Motorsports confirmed it would contest all six superspeedway races and the Coca-Cola 600, a schedule that plays to McLeod’s plate-racing strengths. His Truck Series effort at Charlotte added another layer to a busy year, with his first competitive lap in a top-tier national ride in years. Results from his 2025 Truck start and his superspeedway-focused Cup schedule will shape the team’s outlook for 2026.
McLeod currently sits 48th in the 2025 Cup Series standings through the events covered by available data, and 56th in the Truck Series. With continued focus on plate races and a fresh competitive ride at Spire, McLeod enters the back half of 2025 looking to build momentum for both his driving career and his team-owner endeavors.
