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TriStar Motorsports

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TriStar Motorsports
Owner(s)Bryan Smith
BaseMooresville, North Carolina
SeriesNASCAR Cup Series
ManufacturerChevrolet, Ford
Opened1989
Closed2019
Career
DebutNASCAR Cup Series:
1989 Winston 500 (Talladega)
Xfinity Series:
2010 DRIVE4COPD 300 (Daytona)
Latest raceNASCAR Cup Series:
2018 Ford EcoBoost 400 (Homestead)
Xfinity Series:
2017 Ford EcoBoost 300 (Homestead)
Races competedTotal: 884
NASCAR Cup Series: 197
Xfinity Series: 687
Drivers' ChampionshipsTotal: 0
NASCAR Cup Series: 0
Xfinity Series: 0
Race victoriesTotal: 0
NASCAR Cup Series: 0
Xfinity Series: 0
Pole positionsTotal: 3
NASCAR Cup Series: 3
Xfinity Series: 0

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 operations in 1997 and continuing on as Tri-Star Motors, and later Pro Motor Engines, supplying engines to many NASCAR teams prior to returning to competition in 2010.

On July 22, 2017, Mark Smith died after a battle with cancer. His son Bryan took over ownership of TriStar Motorsports.[1]

Cup Series

[edit]

Winston Cup 1989–2000

[edit]

TriStar made its debut in 1989 at Talladega Superspeedway. Driver Ron Esau finished 38th after wrecking the No. 18 Pontiac. Brad Teague made the team's second start at Charlotte Motor Speedway with Mello Yello but finished 31st after suffering engine failure. Barn Animals sponsored Hut Stricklin's No. 68 entry at the 1990 Daytona 500, and fielded the No. 18 for him at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he finished 33rd and 37th, respectively. TriStar switched back to the No. 68 at Talladega Superspeedway, with sponsorship from, Interstate Batteries, where Stanley Smith would finish 37th after an early wreck. The team finished their first race at Michigan with Mike Chase finishing 24th. They ran the No. 68 with Country Time Lemonade sponsorship and Bobby Hamilton driving in two races, with a best finish of 28th.

In 1991, TriStar ran full-time with Hamilton and Country Time again sponsoring their Oldsmobile. Hamilton had four top-ten finishes and finished 22nd in points, winning Rookie of the Year honors. They began 1992 with no top-ten finishes, and later switched to Ford Thunderbirds, allowing Hamilton to get two top-ten finishes and finish 25th in points. After failing to finish higher than 15th eight races into the 1993 season, Hamilton was released. Greg Sacks drove for the rest of the season, with Dorsey Schroeder filling in at the road course races, and Loy Allen driving at Phoenix International Raceway.

Allen was named the full-time driver for the 1994 season, in addition to TriStar switching to the No. 19 and getting Hooters sponsorship. Allen won the pole for the Daytona 500, becoming the first rookie driver to do so. He also qualified on the pole at Atlanta and Michigan, but failed to qualify for twelve races that season and finished 39th in points. Allen and Hooters left Tri-Star at the end of the year, and Phil Parsons took over the driving duties for the first five races of the 1995 season with Ultra Custom Wheels sponsorship. After the first five races, the team cut back and did not run any races until the Winston Select 500, when Allen returned to the team with Healthsource sponsoring the car. In their first race back together, Allen and TriStar qualified second and finished tenth, Allen's career-best finish. TriStar ran a limited schedule for the rest of 1995, with Ron Fellows driving the No. 68 at Watkins Glen, and Allen driving the No. 19 during the rest of the season.

Healthsource signed for a full season of sponsorship in 1996, but Allen suffered a severe neck injury at the second race of the season at North Carolina Speedway, causing him to miss the next ten races. Dick Trickle filled in the interim, placing eighth at the Food City 500. Upon Allen's return, Tri-Star again moved to a part-time schedule, getting a best finish of 21st. Healthsource left the team at the end of the season, and Child Support Recovery took its place. After two races into the 1997 season, Allen was released and Gary Bradberry replaced him. After failing to qualify for the Miller 400, Child Support Recovery was dropped by the team due to lack of funding and racing operations were suspended again.

In 1999, they leased their shop to SBIII Motorsports and built engines for them. Following the team's closure near the end of the season, TriStar reacquired its equipment and fielded the No. 48 FansTeam Ford for Stanton Barrett at the 2000 Daytona 500, but did not qualify.

Car No. 19/68 results

[edit]
NASCAR Winston Cup Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 NWCC Pts
1989 Ron Esau 18 Pontiac DAY CAR ATL RCH DAR BRI NWS MAR TAL
38
CLT DOV SON POC MCH DAY POC TAL GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR N/A -
Brad Teague CLT
31
NWS CAR PHO ATL
1990 Hut Stricklin 68 Chevy DAY
33
RCH CAR N/A -
18 Pontiac ATL
37
DAR BRI NWS MAR TAL CLT DOV SON POC MCH DAY POC
Stanley Smith 68 TAL
37
GLN
Mike Chase MCH
24
BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS
Bobby Hamilton CLT
28
CAR PHO ATL
40
1991 Olds DAY
10
RCH
28
CAR
21
ATL
33
DAR
20
BRI
31
MAR
DNQ
TAL
12
CLT
27
DOV
11
SON
22
POC
35
MCH
22
DAY
28
POC
11
TAL
34
GLN
29
MCH
19
BRI
13
DAR
10
RCH
12
DOV
8
MAR
17
NWS
18
CLT
29
CAR
6
PHO
13
ATL
18
23rd 2915
Pontiac NWS
21
1992 Olds DAY
32
CAR
18
RCH
31
ATL
24
DAR
23
BRI
26
NWS
27
MAR
13
TAL
20
CLT
21
DOV
18
SON
34
POC
17
MCH
31
POC
22
GLN
22
BRI
21
27th 2787
Chevy DAY
33
TAL
24
Ford MCH
15
DAR
21
RCH
32
DOV
10
MAR
28
NWS
31
CLT
15
CAR
19
PHO
8
ATL
12
1993 DAY
27
CAR
15
RCH
22
ATL
26
DAR
23
BRI
35
NWS
29
MAR
33
26th 2830
Greg Sacks TAL
33
CLT
17
DOV
38
POC
18
MCH
22
DAY
15
NHA
32
POC
32
TAL
6
MCH
12
BRI
19
DAR
25
RCH
31
DOV
20
MAR
28
NWS
DNQ
CLT
32
CAR
32
ATL
24
Dorsey Schroeder SON
33
GLN
38
Loy Allen Jr. PHO
26
1994 19 DAY
22
CAR
40
RCH
DNQ
ATL
22
DAR
DNQ
BRI
DNQ
NWS
DNQ
MAR
DNQ
TAL
40
SON
DNQ
CLT
11
DOV
15
POC
31
MCH
24
DAY
40
NHA
DNQ
POC
18
TAL
37
IND
DNQ
GLN
DNQ
MCH
22
BRI
DNQ
DAR
21
RCH
31
DOV
22
MAR
DNQ
NWS
DNQ
CLT
27
CAR
42
PHO
41
ATL
42
N/A 1468
1995 Phil Parsons DAY
41
CAR
DNQ
RCH ATL
42
DAR
DNQ
BRI NWS MAR N/A -
Loy Allen Jr. TAL
10
SON CLT
36
DOV
DNQ
POC MCH DAY
31
NHA POC TAL
39
IND
DNQ
GLN MCH
DNQ
BRI DAR
34
RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT
27
CAR
DNQ
PHO ATL
24
1996 DAY
36
CAR
36
POC
23
MCH
28
DAY
30
NHA
DNQ
POC TAL
28
IND GLN DAR
41
RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT
34
CAR PHO ATL
39
37th 1461
Dick Trickle RCH
DNQ
ATL
14
DAR
35
BRI
8
NWS
22
MAR
DNQ
TAL
19
SON
29
CLT
20
DOV
28
Mike Wallace MCH
29
BRI
1997 Loy Allen Jr. DAY
26
CAR
43
47th 641
Gary Bradberry RCH
38
ATL
40
DAR
38
TEX
DNQ
BRI
37
MAR
DNQ
SON
43
TAL
DNQ
CLT
31
DOV
35
POC
33
MCH
DNQ
CAL DAY NHA POC IND GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH NHA DOV MAR CLT TAL CAR PHO ATL
2000 Stanton Barrett 48 DAY
DNQ
CAR LVS ATL DAR BRI TEX MAR TAL CAL RCH CLT DOV MCH POC SON DAY NHA POC IND GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH NHA DOV MAR CLT TAL CAR PHO HOM ATL NA -

Cup Series return 2010–2018

[edit]

Car No. 35 history

[edit]

TriStar attempted to qualify for the race at Watkins Glen in 2010 with driver Tony Ave in the No. 35 Chevrolet Impala purchased from Front Row Motorsports, however, after showing signs of mechanical issues during qualifying, which included smoke and fluid trailing from behind the car, the team did not qualify. It was the only Cup race Tri-Star attempted that year.

Car No. 35 results

[edit]
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 NSCC Pts
2010 Tony Ave 35 Chevy DAY CAL LVS ATL BRI MAR PHO TEX TAL RCH DAR DOV CLT POC MCH SON NHA DAY CHI IND POC GLN
DNQ
MCH BRI ATL RCH NHA DOV KAN CAL CLT MAR TAL TEX PHO HOM N/A -

Car No. 19/91 history

[edit]

Mark Smith returned to the Cup Series in 2012 by partnering with former HP Racing co-owner Randy Humphrey. As Humphrey Smith Racing, the team fielded Jason Leffler, Chris Cook, Jeff Green, and Mike Bliss in the No. 19 Toyota Camry. The team started fielding the No. 91 for Reed Sorenson and Jason Leffler starting at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as well. The team ran a mix of Ford, Toyota, and Chevrolet recycled from other teams for the No. 91 team, both cars are Start and parks. The No. 19 team and Bliss had returned for the 2013 season, running a Toyota. They attempted the full Daytona 500 with G-Oil as the sponsor, but failed to make the race. The car was driven by Jason Leffler in the Party in the Poconos 400, three days before he was killed in a sprint car accident at Bridgeport Speedway in New Jersey.[2] Following his death, the team, like others in the racing community, ran "LEFTURN" logos above the driver doors in honor of Leffler.

Mike Bliss at Richmond in 2013

The team also employed Alex Kennedy for the road courses. Kennedy crashed at Sonoma, parked at Pocono, but finished 29th at Watkins Glen. Scott Riggs attempted Michigan with them but didn’t qualify. Smith shut the team down before the Chase.

In 2014, Humphrey left TriStar and started his own Cup operation, the No. 77 Ford Fusion driven by Dave Blaney.[3] Smith did not field an entry in the Sprint Cup Series in 2014, and the No. 19 was claimed by Joe Gibbs Racing for its new entry in 2015 for Carl Edwards.

Car No. 19 results

[edit]
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 NSCC Pts
2012 Mike Bliss 19 Toyota DAY PHO LVS BRI CAL
40
MAR
DNQ
TEX
40
KAN
42
RCH
42
TAL DAR
DNQ
CLT
DNQ
DOV
36
POC
38
MCH
39
KEN
42
DAY NHA
DNQ
IND
43
POC
39
BRI
43
ATL
DNQ
RCH
40
CHI
42
DOV
DNQ
TAL CLT
39
KAN
36
MAR
DNQ
TEX
41
PHO
41
HOM
43
45th 72
Chris Cook SON
42
GLN
41
Jason Leffler Ford MCH
43
Jeff Green Toyota NHA
DNQ
2013 Mike Bliss DAY
DNQ
PHO
42
LVS
DNQ
BRI
43
CAL
43
MAR
DNQ
TEX
41
KAN
41
RCH
43
TAL DAR
43
CLT
DNQ
DOV
41
MCH
41
KEN
41
DAY NHA
43
IND
DNQ
BRI
DNQ
ATL RCH
DNQ
CHI NHA DOV KAN CLT TAL MAR TEX PHO HOM 45th 44
Jason Leffler POC
43
Alex Kennedy SON
40
POC
42
GLN
29
Scott Riggs MCH
DNQ

Car No. 91 results

[edit]
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 NSCC Pts
2012 Reed Sorenson 91 Ford DAY PHO LVS BRI CAL MAR TEX KAN RCH TAL DAR CLT DOV POC MCH SON KEN DAY NHA IND
DNQ
51st 20
Toyota POC
42
GLN MCH
42
ATL
42
DOV
43
TAL CLT
41
KAN
41
TEX
43
Chevy BRI
DNQ
RCH
43
CHI
DNQ
NHA
42
MAR
43
Jason Leffler PHO
43
Toyota HOM
DNQ

Car No. 72 history

[edit]
Cole Whitt driving the No. 72 at Sonoma Raceway in 2018

In 2017, TriStar announced that they would field one full-time team, the No. 72 Chevrolet SS for Whitt.[4] The team took lease of the No. 35 charter from Front Row Motorsports to secure a spot every race.[5] Whitt ended up finishing the 2017 season with a best of 12th, and brought the car home 33rd in driver & owner standings.

For 2018, TriStar again took lease of a charter from Front Row Motorsports. Whitt requested a limited schedule of only ten races in order to focus on family. Corey LaJoie drove the No. 72 in the 26 races in which Whitt did not run in 2018, finishing 34th in driver standings with a best finish of 16th. Whitt later retired from stock car competition and LaJoie departed for the No. 32 team, leaving TriStar without a driver for 2019. The team was unable to acquire a charter for 2019 and has not attempted a race since Homestead-Miami.

In a September 2019 interview, former TriStar crew chief Frank Kerr confirmed the team has since shut down.[6] The charter leased to the team was returned to Front Row, and sold to Rick Ware Racing for the No. 52 team, while certain equipment and a hauler were liquidated to Tommy Joe Martins' team.[5]

Car No. 72 results

[edit]
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 MENCC Pts Ref
2017 Cole Whitt 72 Ford DAY
18
33rd 322 [7]
Chevy ATL
20
LVS
28
PHO
34
CAL
32
MAR
21
TEX
30
BRI
21
RCH
27
TAL
16
KAN
26
CLT
34
DOV
22
POC
30
MCH
31
SON
21
DAY
39
KEN
34
NHA
38
IND
12
POC
24
GLN
34
MCH
29
BRI
33
DAR
23
RCH
33
CHI
35
NHA
30
DOV
32
CLT
34
TAL
34
KAN
24
MAR
25
TEX
29
PHO
36
HOM
28
2018 ATL
28
LVS
28
CAL
28
MAR
27
TEX
19
RCH
30
TAL
21
POC
30
SON
35
GLN
34
CLT
20
MAR
24
PHO
25
33rd 276 [8]
Corey LaJoie DAY
40
PHO
37
BRI
25
DOV
38
KAN
24
CLT
26
MCH
27
CHI
34
DAY
31
KEN
31
NHA
27
POC
39
MCH
40
BRI
34
DAR
27
IND
27
LVS
16
RCH
32
DOV
30
TAL
32
KAN
34
TEX
40
HOM
34

Xfinity Series

[edit]

After a nine-year hiatus from fielding race teams, TriStar acquired the Nationwide team owned by Front Row Motorsports, and fielded three cars in 2010, the former FRM team No. 34 Chevrolet Impala for Tony Raines, a new team, the No. 35 Chevrolet Impala for Jason Keller and ran the No. 36 Chevrolet Impala on a part-time schedule. The team used their own PME Motors.

Car No. 8 history

[edit]
Blake Koch at Road America in 2015.

In January 2015 the team announced that Blake Koch would run the full season, in a new No. 8 car with crew chief Bruce Cook.[9][10] LeafFilter Gutter Protection was the primary sponsor.[11] Koch opened the season with a 20th-place finish at Daytona.[12] After announcing in June that he would return to TriStar for 2016,[13] he and LeafFilter would move to Kaulig Racing for 2016, taking the No. 8 team's owner points, for the 2016 season, leaving the No. 8 team to be shut down.[13][14][15]

Car No. 8 Results

[edit]
NASCAR Xfinity Series results
Year Driver No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 Owners Pts
2015 Blake Koch 8 Toyota DAY
20
ATL
22
LVS
35
PHO
25
CAL
19
TEX
32
BRI
22
RCH
24
TAL
23
IOW
22
CLT
23
DOV
30
MCH
36
CHI
22
DAY
18
KEN
22
NHA
20
IND
37
IOW
24
GLN
18
MOH
24
BRI
21
ROA
21
DAR
27
RCH
19
CHI
21
KEN
40
DOV
23
CLT
33
KAN
25
TEX
21
PHO
20
HOM
18
24th 646

Car No. 10 history

[edit]

The No. 10 began as the No. 36, which was a third car in 2010 with Tony Ave and Jeff Green behind the wheel, running as a start and park operation. The team used the prize money used to fund the No. 34 and No. 35 teams. For 2012 the team returned and changed number to 10, and Green drove the car as a start and park. However, when Green moved to the No. 14 Toyota Camry after Eric McClure's injury, Tony Raines and Kevin Lepage became the temporary drivers until McClure returned at Road America.

Green ran the majority of the races in 2013 as a start and park again. Cole Whitt moved over from the No. 44 Toyota Camry and ran the full race at Bristol in August, finishing tenth with Gold Bond as the sponsor.[16] Mike Bliss ran the car at Homestead with his usual No. 19 occupied by Dakoda Armstrong.

Jeff Green at Road America in 2014.

In 2014, David Starr ran the car competitively at Daytona season opener in February.[17] For the rest of the year, Blake Koch and Jeff Green ran the majority of the races, again mostly as a start and park. At Daytona in July, Koch had sponsorship from Celsius Negative Calorie Cola, with TriStar bringing five cars to run the full race. During the first round of qualifying, all five TriStar cars were running in a pack when a sudden downpour of rain caused the entire pack to spin out, causing most of the cars including four from TriStar to wreck. Koch, along with the No. 91 Toyota Camry of Benny Gordon missed the race, and the sponsor of the No. 10 moved over to Mike Bliss' No. 19. Bliss ran the No. 10 at Bristol in August as a full race effort while Hermie Sadler ran his usual No. 19 Toyota Camry.

Jeff Green returned in 2015 at Daytona in February. After Scott Lagasse Jr. and the No. 19 team failed to qualify, Lagasse Jr. and sponsor Alert Today Florida moved over to the No. 10 car for the race, finishing 37th after a crash.[12] The No. 10 team has been renumbered as the No. 19, carrying the owner points from the No. 10. The change came after the return of Eric McClure.

The No. 10 was revived for 2016 beginning at Atlanta, with Green and Matt DiBenedetto once again running in a start-and-park capacity.

Car No. 10 results

[edit]
NASCAR Xfinity Series results
Year Driver No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 Owners Pts
2010 Kevin Hamlin 36 Chevy DAY CAL LVS BRI NSH PHO TEX TAL RCH DAR DOV CLT NSH KEN ROA NHA DAY CHI
DNQ
GLN
42
MCH GTY
43
N/A N/A
Johnny Sauter GTY
41
Jeff Green IRP
40
IOW
43
BRI
43
CGV
42
ATL
43
RCH DOV
43
KAN
43
CAL
43
CLT
42
TEX
DNQ
PHO
43
HOM
43
2012 Jeff Green 10 Toyota DAY
43
PHO
43
LVS
40
BRI
42
CAL
43
TEX
43
RCH
43
TAL
39
ROA
43
KEN
42
DAY
43
NHA
43
CHI
43
IND
36
GLN
40
CGV
43
BRI
42
ATL
35
RCH
43
CHI
31
KAN
42
PHO
23
39th 182
Tony Raines DAR
36
Kevin Lepage IOW
41
CLT
43
DOV
39
MCH
42
Mike Bliss IOW
20
TEX
18
HOM
19
Charles Lewandoski KEN
43
DOV
43
CLT
42
2013 Jeff Green DAY
40
PHO
37
LVS
38
BRI
37
CAL
37
TEX
40
RCH
40
TAL
40
DAR
37
CLT
Wth
DOV
35
IOW
40
MCH
36
ROA
40
KEN
40
DAY
Wth
NHA
40
CHI
37
IND
40
IOW
40
GLN
37
CHI
40
KEN
40
DOV
35
KAN
40
CLT
40
PHO
40
40th 191
Chase Miller MOH
39
ATL
38
RCH
39
Cole Whitt BRI
14
Michael McDowell TEX
40
Mike Bliss HOM
37
2014 David Starr DAY
25
CLT
20
36th 270
Blake Koch PHO
39
BRI
40
CAL
39
TEX
40
DAR
40
TAL
40
CLT
Wth
DOV
40
DAY
DNQ
NHA
39
CHI
39
IND
40
IOW
38
GLN
38
MOH
35
CHI
40
KAN
36
TEX
39
Jeff Green LVS
40
RCH
38
IOW
39
ROA
36
KEN
39
ATL
40
KEN
40
PHO
34
Kevin Lepage MCH
39
DOV
31
Mike Bliss BRI
17
RCH
20
Ross Chastain HOM
14
2015 Scott Lagasse Jr. DAY
37
N/A 13
Jeff Green DAY
QL
ATL LVS
40
PHO
40
CAL
40
TEX
38
BRI
39
RCH
40
TAL
QL
Charles Lewandoski TAL
40
IOW CLT DOV MCH CHI DAY KEN NHA IND IOW GLN MOH BRI ROA DAR RCH CHI KEN DOV CLT KAN TEX PHO HOM
2016 Jeff Green DAY ATL
40
LVS
40
PHO
40
TEX
DNQ
TAL
40
GLN
33
MOH
40
ROA
39
TEX
40
49th 41
Matt DiBenedetto CAL
40
BRI
40
RCH
Wth
DOV
38
CLT
40
POC
40
MCH
40
KEN
40
NHA
40
IND
38
BRI
40
DAR
40
RCH
40
CHI
40
DOV
40
CLT
Wth
PHO
40
HOM
40
Tyler Young IOW
39
DAY
Mike Bliss IOW
39
KEN
40
Josh Wise KAN
DNQ

Car No. 14 history

[edit]

2010

[edit]
No. 35 driven by Tony Ave at Road America in 2010

What is now the No. 14 Chevrolet Impala debuted in 2010 as the No. 35 Chevrolet Impala. At the time it was a completely new entry, consisting of veteran Jason Keller as the driver and former Rusty Wallace Racing crew chief Bryan Berry atop the pit box. During their first attempt at Daytona, the No. 35 missed the race due to not having a top-35 points position and being unable to qualify on time. The team would go on to miss the races at Daytona, Las Vegas, and Texas, while successfully making the race Stater Brothers 300 in California, starting 21st and finishing 20th during the team's first race. The team would eventually make the top-35, a notable accomplishment for a team that missed 3 races during the season. The No. 35 and Keller got their first top 10 finish in the form of a top 5, finishing 4th at Talladega. At the inaugural event at Road America, the team selected Tony Ave to drive the No. 35, Ave being a road course ace with much success at the track. He qualified the car in 10th place, and was running 5th when he was spun on the last lap of the race, finishing 20th. Ave returned to the seat at the 2010 NAPA 200 in Montreal, leading 1 lap but finishing 36th. He drove at the Watkins Glen too, finishing 15th.

Antonio Pérez drove the car at Gateway International Raceway, finishing 34th. Tony Raines drove the No. 35 at Phoenix International Raceway with sponsorship from BeAStockCarDriver.com. The No. 35 finished 29th in the 2010 owners points.

The team managed to put together some one race sponsorship deals for various races during the season. The No. 35 and Keller managed to get sponsorship from uPillar.com at Darlington, KEL Chemicals at Dover for Kellers 500th career start, and LubePros.com at Chicagoland Speedway. BeAStockCarDriver.com sponsored Keller at Charlotte in October.

The alternate Reynolds Wrap scheme run by McClure at Road America in 2014.

2011

[edit]

The team returned to competition in 2011 as the No. 14, with Eric McClure and his longtime sponsor Hefty coming along with him from Team Rensi Motorsports. Mike Bliss drove the No. 14 unsponsored at Dover when the car fell out of the top-30 in owners points. McClure made all 34 races that year, scoring a best finish of 18th at Chicago en route to a 19th-place points finish. McClure and Hefty returned in 2012, along with the team's manufacturer switch to Toyota Camry.

2012

[edit]

McClure started the season in the No. 14 Toyota Camry. He ran at the end of the first seven races before a crash at Talladega took him out of action. Jeff Green moved from the start-and-park No. 10 to the No. 14 while McClure recovered. McClure returned at Road America, moving Green back to the No. 10.

2013

[edit]

A fully recovered McClure remained in the No. 14. Though he had an illness before the Mid-Ohio race was replaced by Jeff Green.

2014

[edit]

Eric McClure returned for what was believed to be his final season. He ran at 28 races. Longtime partners Hefty and Reynolds Wrap once again sponsored the car. Teammate Jeff Green piloted the No. 14 in 5 races: Dover in May, Michigan in June, Mid-Ohio in August, Richmond in September, and Dover again in September.[18] At Mid-Ohio, Green was running second with 20 laps to go when the throttle of the No. 14 Toyota Camry hung out, sending him head-on into a tire barrier, relegating him to a 29th-place finish.[19]

2015

[edit]

After the season, McClure and Hefty/Reynolds Wrap announced their departure for JGL Racing.[20] Cale Conley drove the No. 14 Toyota Camry for the full 2015 season, running for Rookie of the Year with crew chief Eddie Pardue.[9][21][22] However, Conley was released with three races to go due to lack of sponsorship. Mike Bliss returned to TriStar at Texas, parking the No. 14 after 40 laps.

2016

[edit]

Benny Gordon and VSI Racing ran the No. 14 at Daytona.[23] J. J. Yeley drove the car for six races beginning at Atlanta.[17][24] Jeff Green took over the car when Yeley replaced David Starr in the No. 44. Hermie Sadler would drive at Bristol and Richmond with sponsorship from Virginia Lottery. The No. 14 would serve as a start and park along with the No. 10 unless Gordon, Sadler and DiBenedetto were in the car. DiBenedetto drove 2 races in the No. 14 car at Kansas and Texas with an 11th place finish and a 36th place finish sponsored by Superior Essex.

2017

[edit]
Yeley's No. 14 at Road America in 2017.

On January 26, 2017, it was announced that Yeley returned to TriStar but driving the No. 14 with Superior Essex sponsoring 13 races. Yeley would have a quiet, but a consistent year, only finishing outside the top 20 11 times - 5 were DNFs - with also a strong outing at the 2nd Iowa race, finishing 6th, plus the 11th place finishes he got at the spring Bristol and Talladega races. He finished 14th in points.

The team sold its cars and equipment to the new JP Motorsports team in 2018.

Car No. 14 results

[edit]
NASCAR Xfinity Series results
Year Driver No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 Owners Pts
2010 Jason Keller 35 Chevy DAY
DNQ
CAL
20
LVS
DNQ
BRI
27
NSH
38
PHO
22
TEX
DNQ
TAL
4
RCH
14
DAR
21
DOV
33
CLT
19
NSH
20
KEN
23
NHA
15
DAY
20
CHI
30
GTY
34
IRP
32
IOW
26
MCH
23
BRI
12
ATL
18
RCH
23
DOV
27
KAN
27
CAL
16
CLT
32
TEX
29
HOM
27
29th N/A
Tony Ave ROA
20
GLN
15
CGV
36
Antonio Pérez GTY
34
Tony Raines PHO
19
2011 Eric McClure 14 DAY
33
PHO
25
LVS
20
BRI
25
CAL
21
TEX
31
TAL
26
NSH
32
RCH
32
DAR
36
IOW
23
CLT
28
CHI
18
MCH
29
ROA
27
DAY
37
KEN
27
NHA
20
NSH
23
IRP
21
IOW
26
GLN
35
CGV
36
BRI
27
ATL
28
RCH
30
CHI
25
DOV
24
KAN
31
CLT
31
TEX
24
PHO
19
HOM
29
27th 582
Mike Bliss DOV
15
2012 Eric McClure Toyota DAY
22
PHO
28
LVS
25
BRI
27
CAL
26
TEX
24
RCH
31
TAL
27
ROA
21
KEN
26
DAY
18
NHA
22
CHI
24
IND
24
IOW
31
GLN
26
CGV
19
BRI
27
ATL
21
RCH
26
CHI
25
KEN
22
DOV
26
CLT
22
KAN
15
TEX
21
PHO
20
HOM
27
24th 662
Jeff Green DAR
19
IOW
32
CLT
32
DOV
17
MCH
17
2013 Eric McClure DAY
8
PHO
29
LVS
40
BRI
21
CAL
27
TEX
30
RCH
26
TAL
23
DAR
26
CLT
30
DOV
24
IOW
18
MCH
28
ROA
27
KEN
23
DAY
24
NHA
31
CHI
28
IND
31
IOW
23
GLN
28
CHI
25
KEN
24
DOV
26
KAN
27
CLT
33
PHO
27
24th 608
Jeff Green MOH
24
BRI
16
ATL
29
RCH
22
TEX
27
HOM
20
2014 Eric McClure DAY
35
PHO
23
LVS
27
BRI
27
CAL
25
TEX
24
DAR
21
RCH
29
TAL
17
IOW
24
CLT
29
ROA
20
KEN
24
DAY
22
NHA
26
CHI
25
IND
36
IOW
23
GLN
24
BRI
20
ATL
24
CHI
26
KEN
31
KAN
19
CLT
32
TEX
26
PHO
26
HOM
26
25th 615
Jeff Green DOV
18
MCH
23
MOH
29
RCH
30
DOV
26
2015 Cale Conley DAY
30
ATL
35
LVS
25
PHO
22
CAL
16
TEX
34
BRI
19
RCH
25
TAL
24
IOW
19
CLT
34
DOV
33
MCH
26
CHI
20
DAY
32
KEN
29
NHA
21
IND
21
IOW
23
GLN
21
MOH
20
BRI
18
ROA
37
DAR
19
RCH
22
CHI
33
KEN
16
DOV
29
CLT
26
KAN
30
26th 586
Mike Bliss TEX
36
PHO
35
HOM
37
2016 Benny Gordon DAY
35
TAL
14
DAY
23
30th 390
J. J. Yeley ATL
19
LVS
21
PHO
20
CAL
27
TEX
38
BRI
38
Jeff Green RCH
37
DOV
33
CLT
34
POC
34
MCH
33
IOW
33
KEN
33
NHA
35
IND
36
IOW
31
DAR
30
CHI
31
KEN
32
DOV
32
CLT
37
Tomy Drissi GLN
36
ROA
26
Mike Bliss MOH
26
Hermie Sadler BRI
34
RCH
28
Matt DiBenedetto KAN
11
TEX
36
Cole Whitt PHO
16
HOM
18
2017 J. J. Yeley DAY
25
ATL
36
LVS
22
PHO
16
CAL
16
TEX
22
BRI
11
RCH
39
TAL
11
CLT
22
DOV
15
POC
19
MCH
38
IOW
13
DAY
13
KEN
25
NHA
15
IND
15
IOW
6
GLN
39
MOH
13
BRI
16
ROA
17
DAR
19
RCH
20
CHI
21
KEN
19
DOV
17
CLT
19
KAN
20
TEX
18
PHO
20
HOM
22
20th 588

Car No. 19 history

[edit]

2010

[edit]
No. 34 driven by Tony Raines in 2010

What is now the No. 19 team was previously the No. 34 team from the 2010 season. TriStar acquired the team from Front Row Motorsports following the 2009 season. It remained mostly intact, with Scott Eggleston returning as crew chief and Tony Raines returning as the driver of the Long John Silvers entry, and with the previous years owners points transferring over which locked the team into the first 5 races of the season. During the first race for the new team at Daytona, Raines and the No. 34 Chevrolet Impala lead 3 laps and finished 14th despite being involved in 2 incidents. Alongside his teammate, Raines and the crew scored the seasons first top-10 in the Aaron's 312 at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama, finishing 7th after running in the top-5 for various parts of the race. Raines got his second top 10 of the season at Gateway, finishing tenth. Charles Lewandoski started and parked the No. 34 at Phoenix International Raceway in November, with Raines in the No. 35 for that race. Dave Fuge became crew chief of the team in the second half of the season. The No. 34 finished 23rd in final owners points, with Raines finishing 17th in driver standings in 2010.

The team managed to put together some one race sponsorship deals for various races for during the season. The No. 34 and Raines was funded by Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino at California, doorstopnation.com at Daytona & Talladega, Continental Fire & Safety at Dover, and Boss Industries/The Walter Payton Foundation at Chicagoland. Front Row Motorsports' owner Bob Jenkins pulled the Long John Silver's sponsorship from the team following the race at Bristol Motor Speedway in August, with BeAStockCarDriver.com sponsoring Raines for the final 4 races of the season. Raines was replaced by Nationwide Series veteran Mike Bliss.

2011–2012

[edit]
Mike Bliss at Road America in 2011.

The team returned in 2011 as the No. 19, and Mike Bliss signed on to drive the car for the 2011 season. Crew Chief Dave Fuge remained with the team but was replaced early in the season by Wes Ward. Fuge now is part owner of Derrike Cope's CFK Motorsports. Ward also left the team early on and was replaced by TRG interim crew chief Paul Clapprood. The team scored 19 top-20 finishes with a best finish of 9th at the second Dover race. With limited sponsorship Bliss and the No. 19 team finished the season 12th in points. For 2012, Bliss was replaced by Tayler Malsam as he brought sponsorship from Green Earth Technologies and G-Oil as well as the team's manufacturer change to Toyota Camry. Venezuelan Alex Popow drove the car at Watkins Glen. Malsam was 13th in points when he and TriStar parted ways after Kentucky, leaving Bliss to return to the No. 19. Also, Hal Martin competed in three races in 2012.

2013

[edit]

Mike Bliss took over the No. 19 Toyota Camry once again for the full season. G-Oil and Tweaker Energy Shot sponsored the car. Dakoda Armstrong ran the car at Homestead with sponsor WinField, while Bliss ran the No. 10. Bliss would just miss the top 10 in points.

2014

[edit]
Mike Bliss at Road America in 2014.

Mike Bliss was once again in the car full-time, with Tweaker Energy Shot sponsoring several races. Hermie Sadler ran the No. 19 Toyota Camry at Bristol in August and Richmond in September, with the Virginia State Lottery sponsoring, while Bliss moved to the No. 10.[25]

2015

[edit]

Mike Bliss returned to the No. 19 Toyota Camry in 2015.[9] [21] Scott Lagasse Jr. attempted the season opener at Daytona with sponsor Alert Today Florida,[26] but failed to qualify and moved over to the No. 10 car for the race. Bliss then drove the car through Talladega, before being released by Charles Lewandoski for Iowa, where the No. 19 car had assumed the Start and Park role of the former No. 10 after the addition of McClure. For Charlotte, Jeff Green was tabbed as the driver for the No. 19 car, and remained there for the remainder of the season.

2016

[edit]

The No. 19 was used by Joe Gibbs Racing in 2016.[27]

Car No. 19 results

[edit]
NASCAR Xfinity Series results
Year Driver No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 Owners Pts
2010 Tony Raines 34 Chevy DAY
14
CAL
25
LVS
22
BRI
22
NSH
32
PHO
14
TEX
22
TAL
7
RCH
24
DAR
18
DOV
17
CLT
25
NSH
23
KEN
19
ROA
36
NHA
18
DAY
24
CHI
23
GTY
10
IRP
18
IOW
29
GLN
28
MCH
24
BRI
26
CGV
34
ATL
20
RCH
18
DOV
24
KAN
25
CAL
19
CLT
20
GTY
29
TEX
25
HOM
23
23rd N/A
Charles Lewandoski PHO
40
2011 Mike Bliss 19 DAY
13
PHO
20
LVS
17
BRI
26
CAL
19
TEX
19
TAL
35
NSH
31
RCH
18
DAR
30
IOW
18
CLT
18
CHI
22
MCH
23
ROA
15
DAY
20
KEN
24
NHA
14
NSH
24
IRP
11
IOW
18
GLN
22
CGV
15
BRI
18
ATL
15
RCH
12
CHI
15
DOV
9
KAN
22
CLT
20
TEX
23
PHO
31
HOM
17
20th 817
Eric McClure DOV
25
2012 Tayler Malsam Toyota DAY
6
PHO
20
LVS
16
BRI
18
CAL
16
TEX
25
RCH
25
TAL
24
DAR
31
IOW
29
CLT
20
DOV
16
MCH
21
ROA
30
KEN
23
DAY
15
NHA
20
CHI
25
IND
29
IOW
22
CGV
14
BRI
12
ATL
18
RCH
19
CHI
18
KEN
23
20th 746
Alex Popow GLN
38
Mike Bliss DOV
11
CLT
36
KAN
13
PHO
13
Hal Martin TEX
30
HOM
30
2013 Mike Bliss DAY
23
PHO
14
LVS
17
BRI
13
CAL
18
TEX
20
RCH
13
TAL
14
DAR
19
CLT
19
DOV
18
IOW
10
MCH
21
ROA
33
KEN
19
DAY
14
NHA
17
CHI
19
IND
36
IOW
18
GLN
27
MOH
17
BRI
17
ATL
22
RCH
18
CHI
23
KEN
26
DOV
10
KAN
13
CLT
15
TEX
23
PHO
17
18th 827
Dakoda Armstrong HOM
24
2014 Mike Bliss DAY
20
PHO
17
LVS
14
BRI
26
CAL
18
TEX
32
DAR
16
RCH
16
TAL
12
IOW
31
CLT
20
DOV
22
MCH
18
ROA
10
KEN
34
DAY
38
NHA
32
CHI
19
IND
22
IOW
16
GLN
14
MOH
11
ATL
17
CHI
20
KEN
24
DOV
29
KAN
14
CLT
18
TEX
18
PHO
16
HOM
23
20th 765
Hermie Sadler BRI
24
RCH
27
2015 Scott Lagasse Jr. DAY
DNQ
40th 135
Mike Bliss ATL
25
LVS
39
PHO
20
CAL
26
TEX
24
BRI
20
RCH
23
TAL
34
Charles Lewandoski IOW
39
Jeff Green CLT
40
DOV
40
MCH
39
CHI
40
DAY
DNQ
KEN
40
NHA
40
IND
40
IOW
40
GLN
40
MOH
40
BRI
40
ROA
40
DAR
38
RCH
40
CHI
40
KEN
39
DOV
40
CLT
40
KAN
40
TEX
40
PHO
40
HOM
40

Car No. 24 history

[edit]

After initially leaving TriStar for JGL Racing, after nine 2015 races Eric McClure and longtime sponsor Hefty/Reynolds Wrap announced their return to TriStar beginning at Iowa Speedway in May. The team carried over the No. 24 Toyota Camry from JGL,[28] while assuming the owner points from the No. 19 Toyota Camry. McClure was released again after changes with his Hefty/Reynolds Wrap sponsorship, with the number returning to JGL and the team going inactive.

Car No. 44 history

[edit]
The No. 44 car in 2013, driven by Cole Whitt

The No. 44 car was first run in 2011 by Jeff Green as a Start and park entry at Daytona. Charles Lewandoski drove the car at Phoenix. Green then drove the car for most of the season as a start and park, but was replaced for 3 races by Angela Cope. For 2012, Mike Bliss drove the car with various sponsorship until Dover when he moved back to the No. 19 Toyota Camry and Green took over for the next two races. Hal Martin and John Blankenship finished out the season. Though John Blankenship raced for Tommy Baldwin Racing for Chevrolet Impala for Iowa, Texas, Phoenix and Homestead.

2013

[edit]

In 2013, Hal Martin ran for Rookie of the year with American Custom Yachts as the sponsor, but only ran the first ten races and then two late in the season. Chad Hackenbracht ran seven races with Ingersoll Rand and Tastee Apples sponsoring.[16] Cole Whitt ran the most races for the team,[16] with several strong runs including four top tens and only one finish outside the top twenty. Whitt was sponsored by Takagi Water Heaters and Gold Bond.[16] Whitt left for Swan Racing in the Sprint Cup Series at the end of the season.

2014

[edit]
Carlos Contreras at Road America in 2014.

For 2014, it was announced that Blake Koch would drive for TriStar full-time, splitting time between the No. 44 Toyota Camry and the No. 10 Toyota Camry. David Starr ran the majority of races with the team, with a best finish of 9th at Talladega.[17][21] Various other drivers have run the No. 44, bringing sponsorship with them. These include Hal Martin, Paulie Harraka, Carlos Contreras, ARCA driver Will Kimmel, and Matt Frahm.

Hal Martin returned to TriStar's No. 44 Toyota Camry for both races at Iowa Speedway in 2014. Stuart, FloridaAmerican Custom Yachts returned as a sponsor for the team (not appearing on the hood), as they did in Martin's first 10 races of 2013.[29] Martin finished 26th and 28th in his two races respectively.[30]

Forty-four-year-old NASCAR veteran Carlos Contreras has raced all three road courses for TriStar in the No. 44 Toyota Camry with sponsors 38 Special and Voli and regular TriStar sponsor Ingersoll Rand. He posted a strong 15th place at Road America, a solid 23rd place at Watkins Glen International and finished 21st in his debut at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in August.[30][31]

Twenty-six-year-old ARCA driver Will Kimmel, nephew of ARCA legend Frank Kimmel, will drive five races in the TriStar No. 44 Toyota Camry in 2014. Ingersoll Rand will serve as the primary sponsor for all five races.[32] Kimmel finished 33rd in his debut at Phoenix and 22nd two races later at Bristol.[33] Kimmel returned to the car in the fall races at Richmond, Chicago, and Charlotte.[30][34]

New Hampshire native Matt Frahm was announced as the driver at his hometown New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July for his tenth start in the Nationwide Series. Hudson, New Hampshire–based Gilchrist Metal Fabricating Company funded the car.[35] Frahm finished a solid 25th, but 5 laps down.[30]

NASCAR Drive for Diversity graduate and New Jersey native Paulie Harraka drive the No. 44 Toyota Camry at home track Dover International Speedway in May. The Delaware Office of Highway Safety came on board with their "Click it or Ticket" campaign to raise awareness for traffic safety.[36] Harraka qualified 22nd, and finished a solid 19th after battling back from a pit road incident with Brendan Gaughan.[37] Notably, Harraka was involved in an incident the prior year at the Sonoma Cup race where his No. 52 Ford Fusion collided with the TriStar No. 19 Toyota Camry on pit road before the race even started.

2015

[edit]
David Starr in the No. 44 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 2015

David Starr signed a three-year contract with TriStar and longtime sponsor Zachry Group to run the No. 44 Toyota Camry full-time beginning in 2015.[21] Starr finished a strong 6th place at the season opener at Daytona International Speedway, after avoiding 2 big crashes in the late stages of the race.[12] Starr had a decent season, finishing 16th in points.[17]

2016

[edit]

Starr returned in 2016, with Zachry continuing sponsor him. He finished 18th at the season opener at Daytona, and at Atlanta he finished 39th after blowing an engine in a few laps of the race. At Richmond in April, J. J. Yeley replaced Starr due to illness, finishing 12th. Following Richmond, Yeley officially replaced Starr in the No. 44.[17] Yeley collected three top tens for TriStar, with an 8th place finish at fall Dover race.

2017

[edit]

The car returned in a part-time basis in 2017. Benny Gordon drove at the PowerShares QQQ 300 at Daytona International Speedway with sponsorship from Florida Lottery. He was involved in a single-car crash, and finished 27th.

Car No. 44 results

[edit]
NASCAR Xfinity Series results
Year Driver No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 Owners Pts
2011 Jeff Green 44 Chevy DAY
40
LVS
42
BRI
38
CAL
37
TEX
43
TAL
43
NSH
42
RCH
40
DAR
34
DOV
41
CLT
43
CHI
40
MCH
41
ROA
38
DAY
43
KEN
37
NSH
35
IRP
33
IOW
43
GLN
43
CGV
43
BRI
43
ATL
37
RCH
36
DOV
43
KAN
41
CLT
43
TEX
42
PHO
34
HOM
DNQ
36th 176
Charles Lewandoski PHO
21
Angela Ruch IOW
28
NHA
25
CHI
DNQ
2012 Mike Bliss Toyota DAY
39
PHO
16
LVS
15
BRI
15
CAL
17
TEX
16
RCH
17
TAL
18
DAR
15
IOW
15
CLT
12
DOV
33
MCH
13
ROA
13
KEN
17
DAY
8
NHA
13
CHI
12
IND
11
GLN
14
CGV
13
BRI
13
ATL
22
RCH
15
CHI
13
KEN
18
14th 866
John Blankenship Chevy IOW
23
TEX
26
PHO
25
HOM
36
Jeff Green Toyota DOV
15
CLT
16
Hal Martin KAN
25
2013 DAY
28
PHO
23
LVS
24
BRI
31
CAL
24
TEX
38
RCH
24
TAL
34
DAR
29
CLT
23
RCH
30
KAN
35
20th 732
Cole Whitt DOV
16
IOW
16
MCH
15
ROA
8
KEN
31
DAY
16
IND
17
IOW
20
GLN
8
ATL
20
KEN
9
DOV
16
TEX
20
HOM
9
Chad Hackenbracht NHA
21
CHI
22
MOH
30
BRI
20
CHI
21
CLT
21
PHO
24
2014 Blake Koch DAY
22
LVS
20
RCH
21
MCH
24
KEN
19
ATL
28
KEN
25
DOV
23
PHO
18
HOM
22
23rd 681
Will Kimmel PHO
33
BRI
22
RCH
25
CHI
28
CLT
38
David Starr CAL
24
TEX
15
DAR
35
TAL
9
CLT
24
DAY
25
CHI
22
IND
25
BRI
31
KAN
15
TEX
25
Hal Martin IOW
26
IOW
28
Paulie Harraka DOV
19
Carlos Contreras ROA
15
GLN
23
MOH
21
Matt Frahm NHA
25
2015 David Starr DAY
6
ATL
26
LVS
17
PHO
21
CAL
15
TEX
23
BRI
18
RCH
29
TAL
14
IOW
16
CLT
22
DOV
13
MCH
33
CHI
24
DAY
29
KEN
21
NHA
22
IND
36
IOW
22
GLN
26
MOH
31
BRI
20
ROA
20
DAR
22
RCH
37
CHI
23
KEN
20
DOV
18
CLT
25
KAN
22
TEX
25
PHO
21
HOM
25
22nd 713
2016 DAY
18
ATL
39
LVS
23
PHO
22
CAL
38
TEX
18
BRI
17
18th 735
J. J. Yeley RCH
12
TAL
22
DOV
11
CLT
23
POC
13
MCH
20
IOW
20
DAY
17
KEN
17
NHA
16
IND
19
IOW
14
GLN
15
MOH
35
BRI
27
ROA
10
DAR
14
RCH
20
CHI
14
KEN
14
DOV
8
CLT
27
KAN
10
TEX
17
PHO
17
HOM
13
2017 Benny Gordon DAY
27
ATL LVS PHO CAL TEX BRI RCH TAL CLT DOV POC MCH IOW DAY KEN NHA IND IOW GLN MOH BRI ROA DAR RCH CHI KEN DOV CLT KAN TEX PHO HOM 49th 10

Car No. 91 history

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TriStar occasionally ran a fifth car, usually for the restrictor plate races or as a start and park when the team's usual four cars have full sponsorship, or to help fund the No. 10 team.

2014

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Jeff Green ran the car at Daytona in February and Auto Club in March, finishing last in both. He finished 39th at Darlington in April and 38th at Talladega in May. SupportMilitary.org and Hefty/Reynolds Wrap appeared on the car at various points, though not changing the team's start-and-park status. At Daytona in July, Benny Gordon attempted to qualify in the No. 91 Toyota Camry with BWP bats sponsoring, but did not post a fast enough speed before being taken out in a crash at the end of the first round. Green ran a total of seven races in the car, with Blake Koch running the car at Richmond.

Car No. 91 results

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NASCAR Nationwide Series results
Year Driver No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 Owners Pts
2012 Jeff Green 91 Toyota DAY PHO LVS BRI CAL TEX RCH TAL DAR IOW CLT DOV MCH ROA KEN DAY NHA CHI IND IOW
43
GLN CGV BRI ATL RCH CHI KEN DOV CLT KAN TEX
37
HOM
40
65th 13
Tony Raines PHO
43
2013 Chase Miller DAY PHO LVS BRI CAL TEX RCH TAL DAR CLT DOV IOW MCH ROA KEN DAY NHA CHI IND IOW GLN MOH BRI
39
ATL RCH CHI KEN DOV KAN CLT TEX PHO 64th 9
Michael McDowell HOM
40
2014 Jeff Green DAY
40
PHO LVS BRI CAL
40
TEX DAR
39
RCH TAL
38
IOW CLT DOV MCH ROA KEN BRI
40
ATL CLT
35
TEX PHO HOM
40
54th 38
Benny Gordon DAY
DNQ
NHA CHI IND IOW GLN MOH
Blake Koch RCH
38
CHI KEN DOV KAN

Pro Motor Engines

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In addition to his racing operations, owner Bryan Smith operates Pro Motor Engines (PME Engines), an independent engine builder in NASCAR as well as ARCA and SCCA. Building and leasing primarily Chevrolet engines as well as the Toyota engines used by TriStar and others, PME-powered teams have won three Camping World Truck Series championships (2002, 2003, and 2009). Engine builders Dennis Borem and Darrell Hoffman also earned three consecutive MAHLE Clevite Engine Builder of the Year awards from 2007 to 2009, beating engine builders from Team Penske, DEI, Hendrick Motorsports, Toyota Racing Development, Roush-Yates, and other top-tier teams.[38][39][40]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Remembering Mark Smith". TriStar Motorsports. July 24, 2017. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
  2. ^ "Jason Leffler - 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Results". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
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  4. ^ "TRISTAR MOTORSPORTS RETURNS TO PREMIER SERIES WITH WHITT". NASCAR. February 2, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
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  8. ^ "Cole Whitt – 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  9. ^ a b c "BLISS TO RETURN TO TRISTAR MOTORSPORTS". nascar.com. NASCAR. January 9, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2015.
  10. ^ Turner, Jared (January 7, 2015). "Blake Koch returning as Xfinity Series driver for TriStar Motorsports". Fox Sports. Fox Sports. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  11. ^ Bonkowski, Jerry (February 5, 2015). "LeafFilter to sponsor Blake Koch for 2015 Xfinity season". MotorSportsTalk. NBC Sports. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  12. ^ a b c "NASCAR XFINITY Series Race Number 1: Unofficial Race Results for the 34th Annual Alert Today Florida 300" (PDF). Jayski.com. Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida: NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications. February 21, 2015. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  13. ^ a b Knight, Chris (January 20, 2016). "Blake Koch Prepares For XFINITY Championship Bid With New Team". Catchfence.com. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  14. ^ Team release (January 20, 2016). "KAULIG RACING INC. TO JOIN NASCAR XFINITY SERIES IN 2016". nascar.com. Mooresville, North Carolina.
  15. ^ "KAULIG RACING™ INC. TO JOIN NASCAR XFINITY SERIES IN 2016". Kaulig Racing. January 20, 2016. Archived from the original on October 12, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2016.
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  19. ^ Press Release (August 16, 2014). "Jeff Green Posts 29th-place Finish at Mid-Ohio". catchfence.com. Mansfield, OH: Catchfence.
  20. ^ Knight, Chris (January 5, 2015). "Eric McClure Joins JGL Racing For 2015". Catchfence.com. Catchfence. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  21. ^ a b c d Estrada, Chris (February 3, 2015). "NASCAR: David Starr signs 3-year deal for Xfinity ride with TriStar". MotorSportsTalk. NBC Sports. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  22. ^ "TriStar Motorsports adds Cale Conley to the Driver Lineup for the 2015 NASCAR XFINITY Series Season". TriStar Motorsports. December 11, 2014. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  23. ^ Rutherford, Kevin (February 17, 2016). "BENNY GORDON LANDS DAYTONA XFINITY RIDE". frontstretch.com. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  24. ^ "Yeley Joins TriStar Motorsports". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. February 24, 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  25. ^ "Hermie Sadler Joins TriStar Motorsports for his NASCAR Nationwide Series Return « Official Website of TriStar Motorsports". Archived from the original on 2014-08-11. Retrieved 2014-08-07.
  26. ^ Press Release (February 17, 2015). "Scott Lagasse Jr. 2015 NXS Alert Today Florida 300 Race Preview". catchfene.com. catchfence.com. Retrieved 22 February 2015.
  27. ^ Spencer, Lee (January 8, 2016). "Joe Gibbs Racing reveals 2016 Xfinity crew chief lineup". motorsport.com. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  28. ^ Staff Report (May 8, 2015). "DOUBLY BLESSED FRIDAY FOR ERIC MCCLURE". nascar.com. NASCAR. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  29. ^ "Hal Martin Is Back Behind The Wheel This Weekend At Iowa Speedway". paddocktalk.com. PaddockTalk. July 28, 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  30. ^ a b c d e "Car number 44 in 2014: NASCAR Nationwide Series Results". racing-reference.info. racing-reference.info. 2014. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  31. ^ "Carlos Contreras, Pre-Race Report Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course". tristarmotorsportsnc.com. TriStar Motorsports, U-Design, WordPress. August 13, 2014. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  32. ^ Staff Report (January 21, 2014). "WILL KIMMEL TO DRIVE FOR TRISTAR MOTORSPORTS". NASCAR.com. NASCAR. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  33. ^ "Will Kimmel: 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series Results". racing-reference.info/. Racing Reference. 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  34. ^ Oberto, Dino (August 1, 2014). "Where there's a 'Will,' there's a way Next generation of Kimmel racers talks family legacy". standardspeaker.com. Long Pond, PA (Pocono Raceway): Standard Speaker. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  35. ^ "TriStar Motorsports adds New Hampshire Native Matt Frahm to New Hampshire Motor Speedway Driver Lineup". tristarmotorsportsnc.com. Mooresville, North Carolina: TriStar Motorsports, U-Design, WordPress. July 7, 2014. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  36. ^ "Paulie Harraka will Pilot the No. 44 Buckle Up Toyota Camry at Dover International Speedway for TriStar Motorsports". tristarmotorsportsnc.com. Mooresville, North Carolina: TriStar Motorsports, U-Design, WordPress. May 16, 2014. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  37. ^ Press Release (June 2, 2014). "TriStar Motorsports (Mike Bliss / Jeff Green / Paulie Harraka) 2014 NNS Buckle Up 200 Post Race Reports". catchfence.com. Dover, Delaware (Dover International Speedway): Catchfence. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  38. ^ ":: 2010 Customers/Info :: Contact :: Directions Pro Motor Engines". pme-engines.com. Pro Motor Engines. 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  39. ^ Green Earth Technologies, Inc. (February 21, 2012). "Pro Motor Engines and Tristar Choose G-OIL® for 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series Campaign". PR Newswire. Celebration, Florida: PR Newswire. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  40. ^ "The history of the MAHLE Engine Builder Showdown". Mahle.com. Mahle GmbH. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
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