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In September, the Live Fast Motorsports team finally announced the difficult decision to sell their charter to Spire Motorsports. Though the exact details were not revealed, estimates valued the sale at around $40 million. While the influx of cash will keep Live Fast Motorsports afloat, the sale of the charter signals a new direction for the organization.
Matt Tifft has decided to step away from ownership duties, with plans to potentially get back in the driver’s seat himself. Live Fast Motorsports will continue competing, but only on a part-time basis focused on superspeedways and road courses. It seems the dream of becoming a competitive full-time Cup Series team has been deferred.
Despite the disappointment, BJ McLeod has no regrets about his foray into team ownership. Launching Live Fast Motorsports fulfilled a lifelong goal, even if the venture proved short-lived. McLeod remains upbeat about NASCAR’s future and expects to remain an integral part of the sport for years to come.
The advent of Live Motorsports
Live Fast Motorsports burst onto the NASCAR Cup Series scene just two years ago in 2021. The fledgling team was the brainchild of veteran driver BJ McLeod, who partnered with businessman Joe Folk and young driver Matt Tifft to form the new team. With McLeod’s experience and Tifft’s potential, the team approached its inaugural season with cautious optimism.
The early days showed promise, with Live Fast Motorsports proving scrappy and diligent in their maiden voyage in NASCAR’s top series. Though the small team lacked the funds and infrastructure of the sport’s powerhouses, they leaned on experience to stay relatively competitive.
By the season’s end, Live Fast Motorsports had finished 36th in the owner’s championship. It became clear that their original vision was no longer viable in NASCAR’s new reality.
“With the realization of how fast the sport was moving and that the organization wasn’t meeting its goals,” drastic changes would be needed to survive, McLeod later admitted.
The world of NASCAR has undergone rapid transformation over the past few years, forcing teams to adapt quickly or risk being left behind. This was the harsh lesson learned by upstart team Live Fast Motorsports, who, despite goals and ambitions, found themselves overwhelmed by the pace of change in the sport.
