For the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, Live Fast Motorsports will hope to finally become worthy of their name as they join forces with the reigning manufacturer’s champion. On Thursday, the team announced a partnership with Chevrolet to run the #78 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in 2023 with motors from ECR Engines.
“Our team is excited to make this transition to Chevrolet,” said team owner B.J. McLeod. “Chevrolet Camaros have proven great success on the track and Live Fast Motorsports is looking forward to becoming a part of this advance.”
McLeod, who also runs Xfinity Series team B.J. McLeod Motorsports, formed LFM for 2021 with Matt Tifft and Joe Falk. BJMM already has Chevrolets in stock, though they occasionally also race with Ford and Toyota.
The single-car operation has mostly been a backmarker as the #78 finished thirty-second and thirty-sixth in owner points in its first two seasons with multiple drivers. Nevertheless, they have enjoyed some bright spots with McLeod scoring a pair of top tens at Daytona in both years, while also notching two top twenties at Atlanta and Charlotte in 2022.
The owner has run most of the Cup schedule in the #78 but steps aside for road courses and the Bristol Dirt Race. Others to race for the team include Shane Golobic, Scott Heckert, Andy Lally, Kyle Tilley, and Josh Williams. All but Golobic have also raced in the Xfinity Series for BJMM.
The #78 will continue being a multi-man car in 2023 with McLeod expected to run the bulk of the calendar.
“We’re looking forward to racing for Chevrolet, the winningest manufacturer in NASCAR,” Tifft commented. “We’ll also be getting engine support from ECR Engines, and we know our programme will benefit from their technologies and power under the hood.”
Chevrolet has won the Cup manufacturer’s championship forty-two times, twenty-five more than second-placed Ford. Although a Ford won the 2022 driver’s title, Chevrolet racers scored twenty victories across nine drivers (Alex Bowman, William Byron, Ross Chastain, Austin Dillon, Chase Elliott, Erik Jones, Kyle Larson, Tyler Reddick, and Daniel Suárez) and four teams (Hendrick Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing, Petty GMS Motorsports, and Trackhouse Racing Team).
ECR Engines is run by RCR and also supplies motors to Petty GMS, Trackhouse, and Kaulig Racing. Part-time outfits Beard Motorsports and The Money Team Racing utilise ECR engines as well.
