MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Rick Ware Racing will field a Super Late Model in select races for driver B.J. McLeod beginning this Saturday with the Hart to Heart Super Late Model 60 at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway.
The pairing reunites McLeod with RWR, as the Wauchula, Florida, native made four NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series starts for the team in 2015 before competing in 41 NASCAR Cup Series races with the organization between 2017 and 2020.
“B.J. is a racer’s racer who knows how to win in a Super Late Model,” said team owner Rick Ware. “He’s built his career from the ground up and has earned a lot of respect throughout the sport. We’ve worked together before, and I’ve always appreciated his approach to racing.”
Before racing in NASCAR’s O’Reilly Series and elite Cup Series, McLeod was a standout Super Late Model driver, especially in his home state.
At age 13, McLeod won his first career Super Late Model race at Orlando Speedworld, which at the time made him the country’s youngest Super Late Model winner.
In 2006, McLeod won the inaugural championship of the Bright House Challenge Series, a Florida-based Super Late Model racing series. He won four times in seven starts and never finished outside of the top-10.
In racing RWR’s signature No. 51 Chevrolet Saturday night at New Smyrna, McLeod returns to the same half-mile oval where he won the 2010 World Series of Asphalt Super Late Model championship.
“Super Late Model racing is where I got my start, and it’s something I’ve always enjoyed. I spent a lot of years racing these cars and had a lot of success, especially at New Smyrna,” McLeod said. “To have the opportunity to come back and race there with Rick is pretty special. Rick and I have known each other a long time, and we’ve always had a good relationship. We both want to win races, and that’s what we plan to do.”
