B.J. McLeod, Matt Tifft form Live Fast Motorsports, McLeod to run full 2021 NASCAR Cup schedule

When B.J. McLeod decided that his race team was going to run in the NASCAR Cup Series this year, he sought the blessing of former Furniture Row Racing owner Barney Visser and general manager Joe Garone to use the No. 78 for his car.

McLeod, a driver-owner who has primarily competed in the Xfinity Series the last several years, owns three Xfinity entries — one of which is numbered 78. He got permission from NASCAR and the former FRR leaders, who won the 2017 championship, to use it on a part-time basis in Cup this year, too.

Now McLeod and former driver Matt Tifft have paired to form Live Fast Motorsports, which will make its debut in the 2021 Daytona 500. Live Fast will also use No. 78 and the single-car team will be an affiliate of the Ford-powered juggernaut Stewart-Haas Racing.

Live Fast will use Joe Falk’s charter, which has been used by GoFas Racing since 2018. The team will compete in all 36 races with McLeod behind the wheel. GFR, meanwhile, will scale down to a part-time team.

McLeod has wanted to be a Cup team owner for years, and now he has secured his place in the field as the driver and co-owner. Tifft, who has been sidelined from racing since suffering a seizure at the October Martinsville weekend in 2019, is putting all his focus on operating Live Fast. The 24-year-old is not healthy enough to race, and although he would like to again in the future, it is not at the forefront of his mind.

McLeod’s Xfinity team uses Chevrolets and does not have any technical relationship with Live Fast. He still plans to field three cars in the 2021 Xfinity season, though.

The No. 78 car ran as an open entry in Cup this season. It ran under the B.J. McLeod Motorsports banner and was in 15 races — 13 with the team owner in the cockpit.