JD Motorsports is set on returning to the NASCAR Xfinity Series grid after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
According to a statement from team owner Johnny Davis, the Xfinity team is going through a reorganization period at its shop in South Carolina. The team has every intention of competing in NASCAR's second-tier series again, but Davis noted that rising expenses and "lagging purses" have made it increasingly difficult to field entries.
"We're here working toward racing," Davis said. "Racing has been a part of my life since I heard the first race engine. It's what we want to do, and we want to do it well. We want strong cars and a strong program we can sustain."
The team fielded cars in 18 of the first 19 races this Xfinity season. Garrett Smithley made 15 starts for JD Motorsports while Dawson Cram made 13.
Armani Williams, Ty Dillon, Thomas Annunziata, and Patrick Gallagher rounded out the lineup. Smithley's 16th-place finish at Daytona was the team's best this season.
Davis has been a full-time team owner since the 2002 season. He has worked with a wide variety of drivers, such as Jeffrey Earnhardt, Ryan Vargas, Landon Cassill, Ryan Preece, and Jeremy Clements.
Ross Chastain is one of the most noteworthy drivers to work with JD Motorsports. He ran full-time in Xfinity for the team from 2015-17. The majority of his starts in 2018 were also in JD Motorsports entries. Chastain's pair of fourth-place finishes at Iowa Speedway in 2017-18 are still the best finishes in team history.
"It has been a particular point of pride in our shop that drivers have started here and gone on to do very well," Davis added in a team release. "We give people a launching pad."
While the Xfinity team plans on making its return to the grid, its owner points now reside at a different shop. Alpha Prime Racing announced on July 15 that it had acquired the owner points for the No. 4 JD Motorsports entry. APR moved these points to its part-time No. 45 entry ahead of the race weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.