Live Fast Motorsports has a very 2000s rock band vibe to it, and how fitting is it that their driver lives life like a member of one?
On Friday, B.J. McLeod and Matt Tifft announced the identity of their new team, which will field the #78 Ford Mustang for the former full-time for the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season. The team will receive support from Stewart-Haas Racing. Tifft and McLeod acquired a charter from Go Fas Racing‘s Archie St. Hilaire when he announced his team would scale back to a part-time schedule in 2021. The charter is shared with Joe Falk, who has operated teams like Circle Sport and partnered with others like Leavine Family Racing and The Motorsports Group.
“Matt Tifft and B.J. McLeod are thrilled to announce the formation of Live Fast Motorsports,” read a team statement. “The #78 Ford Mustang will compete on a full-time basis in the 2021 season and beyond. B.J. McLeod will pilot the #78 Mustang under the charter that Tifft and McLeod obtained in 2020, alongside Joe Falk. Live Fast Motorsports has entered a strategic partnership with Stewart-Haas Racing to assist the team in competition and navigating the difficulties of developing a successful NASCAR Cup team.
“Live Fast Motorsports is excited to be joining an incredible group of owners, as well as the new teams and ownership coming into the sport. NASCAR’S Next Gen car and model for teams will provide opportunities for new teams to compete at a higher level. Live Fast Motorsports and its partners are ready to take on the challenge to grow and develop as a team. See you in Daytona!”
McLeod owns B.J. McLeod Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, running three cars for a variety of drivers including sporadic starts by the owner himself. The 37-year-old ran much of the 2020 Xfinity schedule for JD Motorsports, finishing twenty-first in the standings with a best finish of eleventh at Bristol 1. BJMM expanded to the Cup level in the spring, fielding the #78 on a limited scale for McLeod and Garrett Smithley; of the team’s fifteen Cup starts (two by Smithley), McLeod holds the highest run of twenty-second at Indianapolis. With Live Fast taking over the Cup side, BJMM will continue operating at the Xfinity level.
Tifft stepped away from the driver’s seat late into his Cup rookie season in 2019 for health reasons, ending his lone top-level campaign with a thirty-first-place points finish. He and McLeod have worked together throughout his career, including being mentored by McLeod and racing for his team in the Camping World Truck Series.
The alliance with SHR continues a trend of working with the Ford powerhouse team for the #78’s charter. In 2020, Go Fas Racing formed a partnership with SHR, and Corey LaJoie would finish the season thirtieth in points before departing the team. With Live Fast using Fords, all three Cup manufacturers will début a new team in 2021: Trackhouse Racing Team will race Chevrolets, while 23XI Racing will be powered by Toyota.
