Team owner Johnny Davis of JD Motorsports with Gary Keller has a special fondness for NASCAR history, and his cars entered in Saturday’s Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 at Darlington Raceway will showcase that fact.
Darlington’s Throwback Weekend, an annual celebration at the sport’s oldest superspeedway, will honor the seven decades of NASCAR racing as many teams will have special paint schemes celebrating past cars and drivers.
JD Motorsports will participate by celebrating its history and those of drivers who have been special to the team over the years.
Garrett Smithley’s No. 4 Chevrolet will carry the name of James Hylton, a long-time friend of the team and of team owner Davis. Hylton, a pioneer of sorts and a winner in the Cup Series, died in a highway accident this year.
The No. 0 car of Vinnie Miller will carry the name of Charlie Blanton, a short-track ace from Gaffney, S.C.
JD Motorsports’ No. 15 Chevy, to be driven this week by B.J. McLeod, will honor driver Michael Waltrip, a close friend of the team and a driver of many No. 15 cars over the years.
And Landon Cassill returns to the team this week to drive the No. 01 car, sporting the same colors and number that he carried while driving for the team for several years.
“It’s a big weekend for us,” Davis said. “It’s fun to look back over the years and honor some of the special people who have been associated with the team or who were great friends across the years. It makes us all feel good to play a role in honoring these folks.”
JD Motorsports PR
