In 2020, an 18-year-old Dawson Cram worked as a mechanic at JD Motorsports as he tried to find his place in NASCAR. Four years later, he has returned to the team albeit in the driver’s seat as he will pilot the #4 Chevrolet Camaro on a full-time basis starting with the 2024 Xfinity Series season.
“Dawson brings us a bright new perspective and a fire for racing,” said team owner Johnny Davis. “He and his family have been involved in the sport since he was five years old, and we want to help him take his career to the next level. He’ll be a great addition to our team.”
Alongside his work as a JDM mechanic, Cram had also been racing part-time in the Truck Series since 2017. He made his Xfinity driving début in 2021 for Mike Harmon Racing followed by sporadic starts for MHR, Emerling-Gase Motorsports, and MBM Motorsports in 2022. This past season, he rejoined Harmon, then renamed to CHK Racing, for thirteen races though the team struggled to qualify; he also dabbled for SS-Green Light Racing and Alpha Prime Racing. His best finish was a nineteenth in the finale at Phoenix with SSGLR.
2023 also saw a one-off in the Trucks for G2G Racing, finishing thirty-fifth at Darlington. He ran much of the 2021 calendar for his family-owned team.
“I’m very excited to move along in NASCAR with Johnny’s team,” commented Cram. “I’ve seen how they work and how they race every week, and I know they build good cars and fast cars. I know this will be a plus for me and the team.”
The #4 finished thirty-fourth in the 2023 owner’s standings with Bayley Currey, Ty Dillon, Stefan Parsons, Garrett Smithley, Kyle Weatherman, and J.J. Yeley splitting time in it. Weatherman recorded all but one of its six top-twenty finishes, with four coming on road corses including a thirteenth at Watkins Glen. JD also intends to field the #6 again, with which Brennan Poole placed twenty-fourth in the driver’s points but has since departed for Alpha Prime Racing.
