“With the right partner, I sign tomorrow”: Veteran BJ McLeod announces his strong desire to return to NASCAR team ownership

BJ McLeod, a familiar name in the NASCAR Cup Series garage, has made it clear that he wants to return as a team owner soon. The veteran driver, who sold his team’s full-time charter in 2023 and has since been running a limited schedule, says all that's missing is the right business partner.

McLeod first entered Cup ownership on October 23, 2020, when he and partners Matt Tifft and Joe Falk purchased a charter and launched Live Fast Motorsports. The team ran full-time in 2021 and 2022 before selling its valuable slot to Spire Motorsports for a reported $40 million in September 2023.

Since then, McLeod has kept his operation alive on a part-time basis, most recently running superspeedway-focused schedules in 2024 and 2025, though without a guaranteed entry. Speaking to Davey Segal on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, McLeod said the path back is clear:

"Only a charter is very smart right now. I believe that without a doubt - the right partner (and) I'm back in right now. If I could run, if we could compete, and even me not as a driver, like if we're going to develop one of the up-and-coming Xfinity guys or maybe take somebody that is switching rides or losing a ride in Cup that has experience, even just from a business standpoint, with the right partner, I sign tomorrow. Like I would jump right back in it."

BJ McLeod's urgency reflects the current cutthroat nature of Cup charters, where guaranteed entry is now worth tens of millions of dollars. While he has kept Live Fast active, results without a locked-in spot have been difficult. He admits that returning without proper backing would be pointless:

"If I ever go back, I don't want to say I'm underfunded… you cannot be underfunded and run 36th every week. Okay, like it's not money. You have to have the money, but it's the people. And I know that I have the people and the relationships to make that happen. And the experience of operating a charter and a race team in the Cup Series, year after year, that I am a good person to be a partner with. I just haven't found the one."

In 2025, LFM failed to qualify for the Daytona 500, though it has since managed 10 races between BJ McLeod and Katherine Legge (78). Their best run came at Atlanta, where McLeod finished 16th in the EchoPark Automotive 400.

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"I have reached out to two different individuals": BJ McLeod on his full-time comeback

BJ McLeod during Media Day for the NASCAR Daytona 500. Source: Getty

The biggest obstacle for BJ McLeod is charter availability. With just 36 total, each locked into long-term agreements, buying back into the system is difficult and expensive. Recent changes have shuffled the deck: Stewart-Haas Racing's four charters were split between Front Row Motorsports, 23XI Racing, Trackhouse and Haas Factory Team, while Rick Ware Racing leased one to RFK Racing.

At the same time, an antitrust lawsuit involving 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports could eventually free up as many as six charters, a scenario McLeod is watching closely. When asked if he's pursued opportunities, he told Davey Sehgal:

"This is the first time I’ve said it publicly actually. I have reached out to two different individuals just to try to get a feel for where they're headed and what they're thinking that could possibly be partners to put us in a position to run well. If a charter became available right now, you want to buy one, where do you even buy one? Right? Like we don’t know." (1:43 onwards)

For now, BJ McLeod is keeping Live Fast Motorsports alive through part-time runs, but he is clearly laying groundwork for more. Whether the opening comes from a partner, a charter shakeup or the rumored redistribution of slots, he has made his intent clear.