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B.J. McLeod Motorsports is one of the most interesting teams in the Xfinity Series heading into 2024, and that is because of the business done with his Cup Series race team. As a part of a very complicated deal with Spire and Trackhouse, B.J. McLeod’s race team, Live Fast Motorsports, sold their charter, meaning B.J. McLeod got an influx of cash. What does that mean for his race team, including which drivers can race for him in 2024?
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Now, it’s worth noting that B.J. McLeod isn’t just taking all of this money and running with it. He co-owns the team alongside Matt Tifft and another partner. Therefore, McLeod is not getting all of the $40 million that the charter was sold for. It is also worth noting that Live Fast is not shutting down as a race team, rather, it is going to run next year, albeit in a part-time capacity.
So, not all of the money is going to go to B.J. McLeod Motorsports. Although, some of it might. So, don’t expect B.J. McLeod Motorsports to become a three-car team or anything like that. It’s possible that none of that money will go to the Xfinity team because Live Fast still exists. However, the extra cash may allow McLeod to invest something more into his Xfinity Series team.
What he may be able to do is potentially hire another driver, invest in more crew, and maybe even get a few upgrades in his shop. It will probably not be the titanic chance that people think it could be, but it probably will not hurt. However, the obvious question becomes, who will drive the car in 2024?
Anthony Alfredo
Anthony Alfredo has been fine overall for B.J. McLeod Motorsports this season. He is sitting 20th in points including 11 top-20 finishes. Obviously, not spectacular, but not necessarily terrible by any means. The question is whether or not Alfredo wants to stay with the team.
Even though he has done pretty well for the team, this is statistically his worst season in the series. As a result, it is possible that Alfredo may be looking somewhere else for 2024. Then again, maybe he wants some continuity, something he has not had much of during his NASCAR career.
Josh Bilicki
For this, you have to look at relationships. Josh Bilicki has driven for Live Fast on road courses this year, and he is a solid road course racer. He has two top-25 road course finishes in Cup along with a top-10 finish in Xfinity this year.
If McLeod wants a road course ringer for his team, Bilicki may be the driver he wants. Again, these two guys have a working relationship already, and that may be enough to give Bilicki at least a part-time chance in the Xfinity Series.
Garrett Smithley
Garrett Smithley ran one race for B.J. McLeod this season along with a few races for JD Motorsports. Smithley has a lot of experience both in Cup and Xfinity. His first start came in 2015, so he has some veteran experience on his side.
On top of that, the relationship with McLeod makes him an interesting driver to discuss. Again, it comes down to funding as Smithley has struggled to get a full-season ride over the last few years, and he has run only 13 races this season. Maybe this team could be the next stop for him.
B.J. McLeod
Of course, the team owner is going to be a candidate to drive in 2024. Given the fact that he may get his Cup schedule reduced in 2024, he has two options. Either he focuses on ownership without driving as much, or he tries to supplement that with racing in the Xfinity Series in 2024.
It all depends on what he wants to do and what is financially feasible for McLeod and his race team. At the end of the day, he still races nearly full-time, so, he loves doing it. Maybe he will continue in a lower series.
Will the charter being sold change the game for B.J. McLeod, or will it ultimately lead to scarcely a difference? We will have to see, and deciding the right driver goes a long way to that.
