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NASCAR: JD Motorsports worked hard battling adversity at Charlotte

By Mark Kristl

BRISTOL, TN - APRIL 13: Ross Chastain, driver of the #4 Florida Watermelon Association Chevrolet, talks with Vinnie Miller, driver of the #01 Flex Glue Chevrolet, during practice for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 13, 2018 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images)
BRISTOL, TN - APRIL 13: Ross Chastain, driver of the #4 Florida Watermelon Association Chevrolet, talks with Vinnie Miller, driver of the #01 Flex Glue Chevrolet, during practice for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Fitzgerald Glider Kits 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 13, 2018 in Bristol, Tennessee. (Photo by Jerry Markland/Getty Images) /
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Many NASCAR Xfinity Series teams benefit from Cup Series affiliations. Even without one, JD Motorsports finished with two lead lap finishes at Charlotte.

JD Motorsports are a unique NASCAR Xfinity Series team. They are based out of Gaffney, South Carolina rather than Charlotte, North Carolina, and they compete without a Cup Series team affiliation.

What this means is that the organization are not a farm team for a Cup Series organization like the Joe Gibbs Racing Xfinity Series team are for the Joe Gibbs Racing Cup Series team. Additionally, the team do not receive any support from a Cup Series team like JR Motorsports receive from Hendrick Motorsports.

As a result, JD Motorsports operate on a smaller budget. The Alsco 300 at Charlotte this past weekend added a new challenge as the team battled through adversity, they worked hard and it paid off, as two of their four entries finished on the lead lap.

In previous seasons, JD Motorsports fielded three entries, but the 2018 season brought the addition of a fourth. Ross Chastain and Garrett Smithley returned to #4 Chevrolet and #0 Chevrolet, respectively.

Vinnie Miller is running for Rookie of the Year in the #01 Chevrolet. Although he is not a full-time driver, Joe Nemechek has run the majority of the races in #15 Chevrolet. Entering the race at Charlotte, Chastain was the last driver inside the playoff cut line.

Smithley and Miller entered in 20th and 26th place in the championship standings, respectively, and both were excited for Alsco 300. For Miller, this was his first race at Charlotte. According to JD Motorsports, Smithley had this to say about the race.

"“I love racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This track feels like home to me because of all of the laps I have from driving the Petty Experience cars there, and I finished in the top-15 in my first race there in 2016.”"

Three of the four JD Motorsports entries listed sponsors for the race, and Nemechek’s #15 Chevrolet listed jdmotorsports.com as the sponsor. The weekend didn’t begin well for Miller. The rookie driver blew a tire, hit the wall and ruined his primary car in practice.

Furthermore, JD Motorsports struggled in qualifying, with only Chastain qualifying inside the top 20.

The Alsco 300 initially presented further adversities for JD Motorsports. Many Xfinity Series drivers battled loose race cars. Unfortunately for Smithley, he was unable to save his car with 11 laps to go in stage two, as he spun and brought out a caution.

On lap 108, Miller spun, bringing out another caution.

Adding to the adversity faced by JD Motorsports, Chastain’s #4 Chevrolet began to lose power. He visited the garage. While the team fixed the problem, he lost several laps in the process.

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Rain delayed Alsco 300 for about an hour. Once it resumed, JD Motorsports’ luck changed. With 10 laps left, Smithley recovered and sat in 15th place. Meanwhile, Nemechek spent most of the race around 20th.

When the checkered flag flew, Smithley and Nemechek both finished on the lead lap in 14th and 18th place, respectively. Chastain’s mechanical problems only cost him six laps thanks to JD Motorsports’ hard work. He finished in 26th. Lastly, after an eventful weekend, Miller came home in 28th.

Next: Is targeting young drivers wrong for underfunded teams?

Ross Chastain’s mechanical issues dropped him to the first position below the playoff cut line two points behind Michael Annett. JD Motorsports can be proud that Chastain is only a single-digit point total behind a driver who drivers for a team affiliated with a NASCAR Cup Series team. Garrett Smithley’s impressive finish jumped him up three positions to 17th in points. Vinnie Miller stayed in 26th place despite his challenges. Next up for JD Motorsports and the Xfinity Series is a trip to Pocono Raceway. The Pocono Green 250 takes place on Saturday, June 2, and it is set to be broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 at 1:00 p.m. ET on that date.

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