JP Motorsports was an American professional
stock car racing
Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...
team that competed in the
NASCAR Xfinity Series
The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...
, and was owned by Jerry and Phyllis Hattaway. The team planned to compete in 2019, but never announced any drivers for the year.
JPM was formed in early 2018 from the assets of
TriStar Motorsports
TriStar Motorsports was an American professional stock car racing team that used to compete in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. The team competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series primarily during the early to mid 1990s, suspending racing oper ...
' Xfinity Series program.
The Hattaways, before forming their own team, and previously has alliances with
Derrike Cope Racing
Derrike Cope Racing with JP Motorsports (formerly known as Creation-Cope Racing, CFK Motorsports, Stratus Racing Group, Cope/Keller Racing and Derrike Cope, Inc, and Quest Motor Racing) was an American professional stock car racing team that com ...
and
MBM Motorsports
Motorsports Business Management LLC, operating as MBM Motorsports (and sometimes known as Carl Long Motorsports), is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series. M ...
.
Xfinity Series
Team history
The team first became involved in NASCAR when they became partners in
Derrike Cope Racing
Derrike Cope Racing with JP Motorsports (formerly known as Creation-Cope Racing, CFK Motorsports, Stratus Racing Group, Cope/Keller Racing and Derrike Cope, Inc, and Quest Motor Racing) was an American professional stock car racing team that com ...
at the beginning of 2016. The partnership dissolved by the end of the season with Cope closing his team. The team then partnered with
MBM Motorsports
Motorsports Business Management LLC, operating as MBM Motorsports (and sometimes known as Carl Long Motorsports), is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series. M ...
for Iowa's summer race in 2017 with
Bobby Dale Earnhardt
Bobby Dale Earnhardt (born September 1, 1987) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 66 Toyota Camry for MBM Motorsports.
Racing career
Earnhardt raced in the ...
as the driver, though he failed to qualify.
The team's maiden independent voyage was for a full season in 2018; although the team made it through the year it was not without its low spots. Team owner Jerry Hattaway was knocked out by ex-employee Mike Hayden in a
Dover International Speedway
Dover Motor Speedway (formerly Dover Downs International Speedway and later Dover International Speedway) is a race track in Dover, Delaware. The track has hosted at least one NASCAR Cup Series race each year since 1969, including two per yea ...
garage in spring; Hayden had just quit his job, unhappy about unpaid wages and a chaotic work environment. He also later commented that Hattaway threatened some employees and got in fights with other employees and at times had pending legal consequences because of them, although Hattaway denied the report.
Along with unpaid wages, unpaid bills to parts and engine companies added up throughout the season, leading the team's original parts supplier to stop doing business with the team, and disagreements about payment ensued after
TriStar Motorsports
TriStar Motorsports was an American professional stock car racing team that used to compete in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. The team competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series primarily during the early to mid 1990s, suspending racing oper ...
rented JPM a hauler for 2018. One of the team's drivers,
Brandon Hightower, eventually sued the team after his departure, although that case was later dropped.
In October, Hattaway admitted that the team struggled, having little funding, 12 employees and very little in terms of planning. After the 2018 season, both of the team's drivers at the end of the year departed.
Josh Bilicki
Joshua M. Bilicki (born June 3, 1995) is an American professional stock car racing driver who competes part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 78 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Live Fast Motorsports. He has also previously competed in the N ...
went to
RSS Racing
RSS Racing (also known as Ryan Shane Sieg Racing) is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the ARCA Menards Series. The team is owned by Rod Sieg and Pamela Sieg. The main spons ...
and
Bayley Currey
Bayley Alexander Currey (born October 29, 1996) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 41 Chevrolet Silverado for Niece Motorsports. He has also competed in ...
went to
Rick Ware Racing
Rick Ware Racing (RWR) is an American motorsports team which currently competes in the NASCAR Cup Series, WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and the NTT IndyCar Series.
History
The organizational roots of RWR date back to Ware & Sons Racing with ...
.
Car No. 45 history
![45JoshBilicki2018Johnsonville180](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/45JoshBilicki2018Johnsonville180.jpg)
On February 5, 2018, it was announced that
Josh Bilicki
Joshua M. Bilicki (born June 3, 1995) is an American professional stock car racing driver who competes part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 78 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Live Fast Motorsports. He has also previously competed in the N ...
would drive a second full time car, the No. 45, for JP with sponsorship coming from previous Bilicki partner
Prevagen
Aequorin is a calcium-activated photoprotein isolated from the hydrozoan ''Aequorea victoria''. Its bioluminescence was studied decades before the protein was isolated from the animal by Osamu Shimomura in 1962. In the animal, the protein occurs ...
. The deal with Bilicki came after the team acquired an old
Joe Gibbs Racing
Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is an American professional stock car racing organization owned and operated by former Washington Redskins (today the Washington Commanders) coach Joe Gibbs, which first started racing on the NASCAR circuit in 1991. His s ...
car to complement its original stable of
TriStar Motorsports
TriStar Motorsports was an American professional stock car racing team that used to compete in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. The team competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series primarily during the early to mid 1990s, suspending racing oper ...
cars. The team failed to qualify for the
PowerShares QQQ 300
The Daytona 300, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Beef. It's What's for Dinner. 300, is the first race of the NASCAR Xfinity Series season, held at Daytona International Speedway. It is held the day before the Daytona 500, and is c ...
and the
Rinnai 250
The RAPTOR King of Tough 250 is a NASCAR Xfinity Series stock car race held at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia, a few miles south of Atlanta. This race had been Atlanta's lone Busch/Nationwide/Xfinity Series date until 2021 when a sec ...
, but has run every race since, save for the season finale at
Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Bayley Currey
Bayley Alexander Currey (born October 29, 1996) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 41 Chevrolet Silverado for Niece Motorsports. He has also competed in ...
replaced Bilicki in the No. 45 entry at
Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas. The reconfigured track measures with banked 20° in turns 1 and 2 and banked 24° ...
, moving over from the 55.
Car No. 45 Results
Car No. 55 history
![55JamesFrench2018Johnsonville180](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/55JamesFrench2018Johnsonville180.jpg)
In 2018, JP Motorsports announced that
Stephen Leicht
Stephen Russell Leicht (born January 9, 1987) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He has over 150 feature event wins in quarter midgets and go-karts, and was the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year. He last competed ...
would drive the No. 55 car for the full 2018 season, with Jason Houghtaling as his crew chief.
Jennifer Jo Cobb
Jennifer Jo Cobb (born June 12, 1973) is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. She competes part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 10 Chevrolet Silverado for her own team, Jennifer Jo Cobb Raci ...
replaced Leicht in the No. 55 at Talladega. After Leicht returned to run at Dover, the team and driver parted ways.
Brandon Hightower stepped in as driver starting at
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway (previously known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009) is a motorsport complex located in Concord, North Carolina, outside Charlotte. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including th ...
. Hightower later left the team after Kentucky following a dispute about asset ownership;
Bayley Currey
Bayley Alexander Currey (born October 29, 1996) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 41 Chevrolet Silverado for Niece Motorsports. He has also competed in ...
stepped in as a last-minute replacement at Loudon. Sports car driver
Dylan Murcott drove the car at
Mid-Ohio
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a road course auto racing facility located in Troy Township, Morrow County, Ohio, United States, just outside the village of Lexington. Mid-Ohio has also colloquially become a term for the entire north-central regio ...
but was relegated to last after a first-lap crash. Currey then became the team's oval driver, with Wisconsin native
James French taking over the seat at
Road America
Road America is a motorsport road course located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, United States on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series, WeatherTech SportsCar Champ ...
.
Car No. 55 results
References
External links
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{{Toyota in NASCAR
Auto racing teams in the United States
Defunct NASCAR teams
2018 establishments in California