With Archie St. Hilaire‘s Go Fas Racing team scaling back to a part-time NASCAR Cup Series schedule in 2021, he has sold his ownership stake in his charter. On Friday, drivers B.J. McLeod and Matt Tifft announced they have purchased St. Hilaire’s share of the charter, which is also held by Joe Falk of Circle Sport. The news was initially reported on Thursday in conjunction with GFR’s announcement but was not made official until a day later.
“We’re thrilled to announce that we have obtained Archie St. Hilaire’s ownership interest of Circle Sport Racing’s charter,” read a joint statement from McLeod and Tifft. “B.J. McLeod and Matt Tifft will operate the charter alongside Joe Falk, who brings years of experience and expertise within the industry.
“NASCAR’s new business model that will come to fruition in 2022 with the NextGen car makes our vision possible. We are committed to being a staple in the sport for many years to come.
“There are more details to release and we’ll announce all aspects of them in the near future. Thanks for your support and looking forward to starting this new venture in 2021”.
McLeod is no stranger to team ownership. In addition to contesting much of the Xfinity Series schedule with JD Motorsports, he runs B.J. McLeod Motorsports, a three-car operation in the series that began Cup racing in May. He sits twenty-first in Xfinity points and has also run nearly half of the 2020 Cup schedule for BJMM and allies Rick Ware Racing and Spire Motorsports. Garrett Smithley has also spent time in the #78 Cup car, running two races to McLeod’s thirteen.
In fifty-seven career Cup starts since 2015, his best finish is nineteenth in the 2019 Daytona 500.
BJMM’s three Xfinity cars have been shared between a variety of drivers, with Matt Mills and Vinnie Miller making up much of the starts in the #5 and #78, respectively. The two cars respectively sit twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth in the owners’ standings, while the third vehicle, the #99, is thirty-sixth.
Tifft’s rookie season at the top level was cut short in 2019 when he suffered a seizure prior to the thirty-third race at Martinsville. Unable to commit to a full 2020 slate due for health reasons, he departed Front Row Motorsports at season’s end, concluding his lone year of Cup racing with a thirty-first-place points finish and a best run of ninth at the Daytona July race.
Before the Cup Series, Tifft spent two years in the Xfinity Series with Joe Gibbs Racing and Richard Childress Racing, scoring top-ten finishes in the standings both times. He was mentored by McLeod for much of his early career, including making his NASCAR national series début in 2014 with McLeod in the Truck Series (in partnership with Christopher Long).
The charter allows the Falk/McLeod/Tifft triumvirate to run the full schedule, though specifics such as a driver, number, and manufacturer were not immediately revealed. Falk’s Circle Sport team raced at the Cup level from 2012 to 2015 before forming alliances with teams like Leavine Family Racing and The Motorsports Group.
