CUP: Catastrophic mechanical failure ends B.J. McLeod’s first Daytona 500 start in three years
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
McLeod with his full complement of sponsors for Sunday (PHOTO: Joel Bray)
B.J. McLeod picked up the 16th last-place finish of his NASCAR Cup Series career in Sunday’s 68th Annual Daytona 500 at the Daytona International Speedway when his #78 Stone’s Auto Repair / RepairableVehicles.com / Superior Logistics Chevrolet crashed after 4 of 200 laps.
The finish, which came in McLeod’s 150th series start, was his first of the season and first in a Cup Series race since July 21, 2024 at Indianapolis, 51 races ago. In the Cup Series’ last-place rankings, it was the 37th for the #78, the 701st from a crash, and the 881st for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 52nd for the #78, the 1,444th from a crash, and the 2,025th for Chevrolet.
When he was last featured on this site, McLeod had just recently sold his Charter for the single-car Live Fast Motorsports team and scaled back to running only the superspeedways. His last-place finish was one of two races he made for fellow “open” team owner Carl Long, when the #66 Coble Enterprises Ford had engine trouble early in the Brickyard 400. Through both 2024 and 2025, McLeod led a few laps and earned a top-twenty finish each season, taking 19th under the lights of Daytona in 2024 and 16th last summer in Atlanta. In between, he picked up sponsorship promoting the new Pigeon Fore Racing Coaster.
In each of the last two seasons, McLeod came up just short of racing his way into the Daytona 500 field, taking 14th and 17th in his Duel races. It nearly happened again. Last week, McLeod arrived in Daytona with a flat black #78 Chevrolet. His was the only Cup Series entry without a primary sponsor, carrying only a small logo from Superior Logistics Services on the rear decklid and another for Champion Container Corporation on the lower quarter-panel. Of the 43 drivers who participated in practice, he ranked just 41st with a speed of 49.656 seconds (181.247mph). The 20th of the 45 entrants to take time in Wednesday’s qualifying session, he ranked only 42nd with a lap of 50.011 seconds (179.960mph), well short of locking himself in on speed.
McLeod’s car as it first appeared in Daytona. (PHOTO: Joel Bray)
McLeod’s qualifying speed put him next-to-last on the 22-car grid for Race 2 of the America 250 Florida Duel, where his only path to making the Daytona 500 was to beat fellow “open” drivers J.J. Yeley in the #44 Built To Work / Barnett Southern Chevrolet and Anthony Alfredo in Beard Motorsports’ #62 Dude Wipes Chevrolet. McLeod ran near the back for most of Thursday’s race and came home 19th. He beat Yeley, who lost three laps with late-race brake issues, but was a half-lap behind Alfredo, who raced his way in with an 18th-place showing. McLeod was the first to congratulate Alfredo on pit road. Then, in post-race inspection, Alfredo was disqualified for a loose cooling hose. Just like that, McLeod was in Sunday’s race, taking the 38th starting spot. Alfredo joined Yeley, Corey LaJoie, and Chandler Smith on the early ride home.
According to Toby Christie’s article for Sports Illustrated, McLeod’s team by way of Leonard Motorsports Marketing received more than 150 phone calls from prospective sponsors after the team made the race. Joining the team were longtime Jeremy Clements Racing sponsor RepairableVehicles.com, which had their logos added to the quarter-panels and TV panel, plus Stone’s Auto Repair of St. Albans, Vermont, which adorned the hood. Two more decals were added to the c-pillar, plus another small logo on the doors for Tennessee Shine Co. The redecorated car turned 11 laps in Friday’s second practice session, but was slowest of the 37 to take time with a best of 49.566 seconds (181.576mph). He also turned 11 laps in Happy Hour on Saturday, where this time he ranked 9th of 19 drivers with a best of 47.150 seconds (190.880mph).
Securing the 41st and final starting spot – after 31st-place Jimmie Johnson earned the Open Exemption Provisional secured his #84 Carvana Toyota a spot in the field – was Chris Buescher, whose #17 Body Guard Ford was one of four drivers sent to the back in backup cars following wrecks in Thursday’s Duel Race 1. Joining him in the back were 15th-place Daniel Suarez in the #7 Freeway Insurance Chevrolet, 37th-place Ross Chastain in the #1 Busch Light Chevrolet, and 39th-place William Byron in the #24 Raptor Chevrolet. No other drivers were sent to the rear, so Buescher retained the 41st spot, 3.812 seconds back of the lead at the start, two-tenths behind 40th-place Byron.
On the break, Buescher stayed in Byron’s tire tracks as they pulled to the high lane through Turns 1 and 2. This pulled Buescher to the right of Suarez, who started to drop back into last place. But before he could, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.’s #47 Chef Boyardee Chevrolet dropped from 16th on the grid, stranded in the high lane, and took last from both Suarez and Buescher. At the stripe to begin Lap 2, Stenhouse as 2.494 seconds back of the lead in 41st with Suarez in 40th, Buescher up to 40th. Stenhouse remained last on Lap 3, now with Johnson in 40th and A.J. Allmendinger’s #16 Celsius Chevrolet holding 39th. Stenhouse again held last on Lap 4, now 2.906 seconds back of the lead and two-tenths back of Johnson. Both were again holding the high lane as they entered the backstretch.
McLeod spins after the mechanical failure entering Turns 3 and 4. (SCREENSHOT: FOX)
Meanwhile, McLeod was running in the high lane in the 23rd position, 1.344 seconds back of the lead, when his car felt unstable going into Turn 3. Replays showed something glowing in the right-rear, then chunks of debris coming off the hub before the right-rear tire blew, abruptly steering his car to the left. The car glanced off the right-side door of Tyler Reddick’s #45 Chumba Casino Toyota, then was hit in the left-rear by the closing Justin Allgaier in the #40 Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet and William Byron’s #24. McLeod then spun to a stop on the apron of Turn 4, where his car wouldn’t re-fire. The right-rear tire was flat, the wheel pointed awkwardly, indicating at least one broken toe link. “Something broke, I’ve got no brakes,” said the driver. “None at all.”
Already in last and now off the lead lap, McLeod pointed the right way toward pit entrance, where a tow truck brought him down pit road. That truck then made a u-turn as he was directed back to the “Damaged Vehicle Policy” zone, whose entrance was back near where he first stopped. The crew rushed to that zone, bringing tires, a jack, and an impact wrench. The car was dropped off on Lap 9, when he was now three laps down. “This thing’s killed,” said the team on Lap 10. “The half-shaft’s out of it.” McLeod climbed out of the car, ad on Lap 11, the team said they were done for the day. Radio traffic indicated a burned right-rear hub from a possible burst wheel bearing or half-shaft failure that also damaged the transaxle. The resulting debris severed the brake lines and cut down the right-rear tire, causing too much damage to be repaired.
Much of the Bottom Five was filled by a wreck on Lap 124 caused by Allgaier’s #40 pulling up in front of a fast-closing Denny Hamlin in the #11 Natonal Debt Relief Toyota, triggering a multi-car pileup. Allgaier’s own car was hooked into the outside wall, then later collected 39th-place Todd Gilliland in the #34 Love’s Travel Stops Ford. Allgaier’s car was towed to the garage, where it came unhooked before it was brought the rest of the way. Alex Bowman, who suffered nose damage in the crash, finished 40th in the #48 Ally Chevrolet. Completing the Bottom Five was Austin Dillon, whose #3 Bass Pro Shops / Winchester Chevrolet returned to the track without the front bodywork after a tangle with Chase Briscoe. Briscoe ended up completing 51 more laps than Dillon and finished one spot ahead.
Herbst and Smith charge into Top 10 and determine race’s outcome
In the race’s final few seconds, Zane Smith charged to 2nd in the #38 Speedy Cash Ford, pushing Chase Elliott’s #9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet to a late lead. But the pair were then caught by the 23XI Racing duo of Tyler Reddick in the #45 Chumba Casino Toyota and Riley Herbst in the #35 Monster Energy Zero Sugar Toyota. Herbst bumped Reddick to the win, then wrecked while battling Brad Keselowksi’s #6 Castrol Ford for the 3rd spot. Smith ended up finishing 6th for his best run since Bristol last fall with Herbst in 8th, his new career-best finish and best run since 2023.
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This marked only the second time the #78 finished last in the Daytona 500, and the first since February 23, 2014, when Martin Truex, Jr.’s #78 Furniture Row / Denver Mattress Chevrolet lost the engine after 30 laps.
*This was the earliest exit from the Daytona 500 since February 14, 2021, when Derrike Cope’s #15 Chevrolet fell out with crash damage after 3 laps.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
41) #78-B.J. McLeod / 4 laps / crash
40) #48-Alex Bowman / 123 laps / crash
39) #34-Todd Gilliland / 123 laps / crash / led 1 lap
38) #40-Justin Allgaier / 123 laps / crash / led 3 laps
37) #3-Austin Dillon / 137 laps / crash
2026 LASTCAR CUP SERIES OWNER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Live Fast Motorsports (1)
2026 LASTCAR CUP SERIES MANUFACTURER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (1)
2026 LASTCAR CUP SERIES DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
