Live Fast Motorsports Overview
Live Fast Motorsports is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series. Founded in 2020 and based in Mooresville, North Carolina, the team is owned by B. J. McLeod and Joe Falk, with Jessica McLeod serving as chief executive officer. The organization fields the No. 78 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and operates in a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing.
The team was launched as a Cup Series operation by McLeod, who also drives the car in selected events, and runs alongside co-driver Katherine Legge and part-time driver Daniel Dye. Despite being a relatively young organization, Live Fast Motorsports has competed in numerous NASCAR national series events and focuses much of its schedule on superspeedway races and marquee Cup Series events, including the Coca-Cola 600 and the Daytona 500.
Founding and Organizational Origins
Live Fast Motorsports traces its origins to B. J. McLeod’s earlier racing operation, B. J. McLeod Motorsports, which had competed in NASCAR’s lower national series. On May 13, 2020, McLeod announced that his team would expand into the NASCAR Cup Series on a part-time basis, with him behind the wheel of the No. 78 car. The team’s identity and ambitions were built on McLeod’s years of experience as an owner-driver in the Truck Series and Xfinity Series.
A major turning point came on October 23, 2020, when McLeod partnered with former Cup Series driver Matt Tifft and businessman Joe Falk to purchase the charter formerly held by Go Fas Racing. The acquisition of that charter secured a guaranteed starting spot in selected Cup Series races and gave the new team a foundation for long-term operations. On November 20, 2020, the organization formally announced its name, Live Fast Motorsports, and confirmed that it would continue using the No. 78 car number. At the time, the team’s primary manufacturer in the lower series was Chevrolet, although the Cup program initially campaigned Fords.
The early operational structure centered on a small, owner-driven shop supported by a limited crew. Jessica McLeod was installed as chief executive officer, helping guide the business side of the team, while McLeod himself focused on driving duties and sponsorship relationships. Although Tifft later stepped away from the team in November 2023 to pursue other opportunities, his early involvement helped shape the team’s initial Cup Series vision.
Growth Into NASCAR Cup Series Competition
Live Fast Motorsports made its NASCAR Cup Series debut at the 2021 Daytona 500, where B. J. McLeod finished 23rd. The team recorded its first top-10 result later that same year with a ninth-place finish at the Daytona night race, an early sign that the new organization could contend on superspeedways. Throughout the 2021 season, McLeod shared driving duties with a rotating group of drivers, including Scott Heckert at the Daytona road course, Sonoma, and the Charlotte Roval, dirt racer Shane Golobic at Bristol, British sports car specialist Kyle Tilley at Circuit of the Americas, Road America, and Watkins Glen, and Andy Lally at the Indianapolis road course after Tilley was sidelined by a shoulder injury. The No. 78 finished 32nd in the 2021 Cup Series owner points standings.
The 2022 season brought continued development and several important crew changes. McLeod opened the year with a 27th-place finish at the 2022 Daytona 500, while Lally ran at COTA and Josh Williams handled the Bristol dirt race. After McLeod lost a wheel during the Talladega race, crew chief Lee Leslie was suspended for four races, and team engineer Christopher Stanley was promoted to crew chief beginning at Dover. McLeod’s career-best Cup Series result to that point came with a seventh-place finish at the rain-delayed Daytona summer race, and the team concluded the season 36th in owner points.
On December 1, 2022, Live Fast Motorsports announced that it would switch from Ford to Chevrolet for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, formalizing a manufacturer partnership that had long been part of McLeod’s lower-series program. The team finished 36th in owner points for a second consecutive year. On September 16, 2023, the team sold its charter to Spire Motorsports for $40 million, a transaction that reshaped the team’s competitive footprint but did not end its Cup Series ambitions.
Live Fast Motorsports Competitive Journey
Live Fast Motorsports has run a part-time Cup Series schedule since its 2021 debut, gradually building experience and refining its technical partnership with Richard Childress Racing. Across more than 130 Cup Series starts, the team has notched several top-10 finishes, primarily on superspeedways, while continuing to develop its driver lineup and operational base in Mooresville.
Early Seasons and Development (2021-2022)
The team’s first two Cup Series seasons were defined by experimentation and the steady growth of B. J. McLeod’s program. The 2021 campaign introduced a rotating cast of drivers, giving the organization valuable data on how the No. 78 Chevrolet performed at road courses, short tracks, and superspeedways. The 2022 season brought greater internal stability, including the promotion of engineer Christopher Stanley to crew chief mid-season, and culminated in McLeod’s career-best seventh-place run at Daytona’s summer race.
Breakthrough in NASCAR Cup Series (2023-Present)
The 2023 season marked a manufacturer shift to Chevrolet and continued learning for the part-time team. After selling its charter to Spire Motorsports late that year, Live Fast Motorsports transitioned into a non-chartered Cup Series operation. McLeod attempted the 2024 Daytona 500 but failed to qualify after finishing fourteenth in Duel 2 of the Bluegreen Vacations Duels, and the No. 78 ran only five races that season, finishing 39th in owner points.
Looking ahead, Live Fast Motorsports announced on December 19, 2024, that it would run all six superspeedway races and the Coca-Cola 600 in 2025. During the 2025 season, McLeod failed to qualify for the Daytona 500, but the team expanded its driver lineup when Katherine Legge was confirmed on March 3 to make her Cup Series debut at Phoenix in the No. 78. In 2026, McLeod secured the team’s fourth Daytona 500 appearance and first since 2023 by advancing through the Daytona Duels after the disqualification of Beard Motorsports driver Anthony Alfredo. On April 20, the team announced that Daniel Dye would run four Cup Series races in the No. 78 car, beginning at Talladega.
Modern Program and Current Direction (2023-Present)
Under the continued ownership of B. J. McLeod and Joe Falk, Live Fast Motorsports has remained a tightly run, owner-driven operation anchored in Mooresville, North Carolina. The technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing provides the team with engineering support, chassis preparation, and Chevrolet resources that help a small program remain competitive on demanding Cup Series circuits.
The team’s modern identity is built on selective scheduling, with a focus on superspeedways and major NASCAR events such as the Daytona 500 and the Coca-Cola 600, where the draft and fuel-mileage strategy can allow a part-time team to fight for strong results. The driver lineup now blends McLeod’s owner-driver experience with the road-course and stock car background of Katherine Legge and the developing talent of Daniel Dye, offering a mix of veteran leadership and emerging potential.
Philosophy and Competitive Strengths
Live Fast Motorsports positions itself as a focused, superspeedway-oriented team that thrives on pack racing and bold strategic calls. Its competitive strengths lie in drafting savvy, efficient pit work under crew chief Christopher Stanley, and the engineering depth provided by its alliance with Richard Childress Racing. The team’s philosophy emphasizes long-term sustainability over short-term spectacle, gradually building performance through carefully selected races.
Key Milestones and Major Moments
Major milestones for Live Fast Motorsports include the team’s Cup Series debut at the 2021 Daytona 500, its first top-10 finish at the Daytona night race later that season, and McLeod’s career-best seventh-place run at the 2022 Daytona summer race. The 2022 manufacturer switch to Chevrolet and the 2023 charter sale to Spire Motorsports for $40 million both reshaped the team’s identity. In 2026, the team secured its first Daytona 500 start since 2023 through the Daytona Duels, while announcing that Daniel Dye would run four Cup Series races beginning at Talladega.
Live Fast Motorsports Achievements and Results
Across more than 130 NASCAR Cup Series starts, Live Fast Motorsports has built a résumé highlighted by competitive superspeedway runs, consistent improvement in owner points, and key organizational milestones, even without a race victory, pole position, or drivers’ championship to date.
NASCAR Cup Series Achievements
Live Fast Motorsports has recorded no Cup Series race victories, pole positions, or drivers’ championships since its 2021 debut. Its most notable results include a ninth-place finish at the 2021 Daytona night race and a career-best seventh-place run for B. J. McLeod at the rain-delayed 2022 Daytona summer race. The team has used the Daytona 500, the Coca-Cola 600, and other marquee events as opportunities to maximize visibility and performance.
Conference Achievements
As a single-car NASCAR Cup Series operation, Live Fast Motorsports does not compete within a formal conference structure. The team’s competitive progression is instead measured season by season through owner points standings, finishing 32nd in 2021, 36th in both 2022 and 2023, and 39th in 2024 while running a reduced schedule.
Divisional Achievements
Live Fast Motorsports likewise does not compete within a traditional divisional format. Its divisional narrative centers on the superspeedway and road-course portions of the Cup Series schedule, where its best finishes have been recorded, including the standout Daytona results of 2021 and 2022.
Series Achievements
Beyond its Cup Series efforts, the team’s lineage is tied to B. J. McLeod Motorsports, which previously competed in the NASCAR Truck Series and Xfinity Series. Those programs built the foundation of experience that allowed McLeod to expand into the Cup Series with Live Fast Motorsports in 2020 and 2021.
