The end is nigh for JD Motorsports

SPEEDWAY, Ind. — For just the second time since the start of the 2003 season, the entry list for a NASCAR Xfinity Series race doesn’t feature a JD Motorsports car.

And this is likely it for them.

There are 38 cars on the entry list for the Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway but none of them belong to the Johnny Davis-owned organization. It isn’t a coincidence either as reports indicate the team has laid off employees and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Since 2003, JD Motorsports has only skipped the 2003 season opener at Daytona and the August 2006 race at Watkins Glen.

Back in 2003, owner Johnny Davis kicked off their full-time operations after making some attempts in late-2002. The organization also made a handful of starts in the early-1980s, beginning in 1983.

In the 21 years since, the organization has become a staple of the Xfinity Series. They have given drivers like Ross Chastain and Ryan Preece a place to prove themselves and veterans like Mike Wallace and Landon Cassill a team to show their continued prowess.

While they never went to victory lane, Ross Chastain did get them into the playoffs in 2018.

Chastain pointed his way into the playoffs in a JDM car. After 23 regular-season races, he banked a 49-point advantage over JR Motorsports’ Michael Annett – the first driver below the cutline.

Chastain ran two of the final three regular-season races with Chip Ganassi Racing. That opportunity netted him seven playoff points for sweeping the stages and winning at Las Vegas. He earned two more for winning the stages at Darlington.

Chastain finished second with Ganassi to start the playoffs but jumped back to JDM for the rest of it. He finished 11th-16th in all but one of the final six playoff races and finished 10th in points. It was the only time JDM ever had a full-time finish Top-10 in points.

Chastain beat Ryan Reed and Roush-Fenway Racing by 14 points – and Ryan Truex and Kaulig Racing by 24 points. He was also just two points behind then-Joe Gibbs Racing driver Brandon Jones.

Ross Chastain is arguably the biggest part of JDM’s legacy in modern NASCAR. Chastain finished fourth at Iowa Speedway in early-summer 2017 and late-summer 2018. Those were the best finishes modern JDM ever earned on a non-drafting track.

Without JDM, Chastain likely wouldn’t have made his way to the NASCAR Cup Series where he has become one of the most exciting drivers with one of the most emerging teams in recent history.

One of the most daring moves in recent history – the Hail Melon – likely wouldn’t have happened without JDM.

JD Motorsports racked up seven Top-5 finishes and 48 Top-10s in 1650 entries. Johnny Davis did it his way — independently with iconic red liveries that were often a spotter’s nightmare.

With 21 years of consistent starts likely coming to an end, their absence from the grid turns another page on a bygone era of an ever-evolving motorsport.