 | |
| Owner | Scott Borchetta |
|---|---|
| Base | Welcome, North Carolina[1] |
| Series | NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series |
| Race drivers | 48.Nick Sanchez |
| Manufacturer | Chevrolet |
| Opened | 2021 |
| Career | |
| Debut | 2021Beef. It's What's for Dinner 300 (Daytona) |
| Latest race | 2025NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race (Phoenix) |
| Races competed | 165 |
| Drivers' Championships | 0 |
| Race victories | 2 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
Big Machine Racing is an American professionalstock car racing team that fields the No. 48Chevrolet Camaro SS full-time in theNASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, driven byNick Sanchez. Since 2022, the team has had an alliance withRichard Childress Racing and has a shop on the RCR campus alongsideKaulig Racing inWelcome, North Carolina.
The team was founded in 2021 by founder ofBig Machine Records and American record executiveScott Borchetta, who at one point was a race car driver prior to founding Big Machine Records in 2005.[2]
When theJayski's Silly Season Site 2022 Xfinity Series team/driver chart was released, it was revealed that BMR may form an alliance with a larger NASCAR Xfinity Series team.[3] On October 7, 2021, it was announced that the team would have an alliance withRichard Childress Racing in 2022 and they would move shops fromMooresville, North Carolina to one on the RCR campus inWelcome, North Carolina.[1]
On February 2, 2023, the team announced that it would run a second car for the2023 Daytona 300.Jade Buford was announced as the driver for the No. 5 car.[4]
| Year | Driver | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | NXSC | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Jade Buford | 5 | Chevy | DAY 25 | CAL | LVS | PHO | ATL | COA | RCH | MAR | TAL 36 | DOV | DAR | CLT | PIR | SON | NSH | CSC | ATL | NHA | POC | ROA | MCH | IRC | GLN | DAY | DAR | KAN | BRI | TEX | ROV | LVS | HOM | MAR | PHO | 48th | 13 |
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On January 19, 2021,Big Machine Records founder and ownerScott Borchetta announced that he and the company were starting a full-time Xfinity Series team, Big Machine Racing, which would field the No. 48 Chevrolet. The team bought cars and equipment fromRSS Racing/Reaume Brothers Racing's No. 93 car in 2020.Jade Buford was announced as the driver of the team's No. 48 car in 2021, running full-time and for Rookie of the Year.[5] Buford drove in the Xfinity Series road course races in 2020 forSS-Green Light Racing with Big Machine Records as his sponsor. Patrick Donahue, who also moved over from SS-Green Light Racing (where he had been the crew chief ofJoe Graf Jr.'s No. 08 car), was announced as the crew chief for Buford and the BMR No. 48 car.[6] Due to only having competed on road courses in a stock car before the start of the season, Buford was not approved by NASCAR to race atDaytona to start the season, so his first race came at the Daytona Road Course the following week.[7] On February 1, it was announced thatOn Point Motorsports Truck Series driverDanny Bohn would make his Xfinity Series debut at Daytona substituting for Buford. (Despite it being his first start in the series, Bohn was approved due to him previously having driven in a superspeedway race in NASCAR.)[8]
Jade Buford started the year as the full-time driver of the No. 48,[1] before being replaced byKaz Grala prior to thespring Talladega race.[9] Bufford made one further start atPortland.[10]Tyler Reddick,Austin Dillon,Ty Dillon,Ricky Stenhouse Jr,Ross Chastain,Nick Sanchez,Parker Kligerman, andMarco Andretti also made starts for the team throughout the season.[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]
On May 21, 2022, Cup Series driverTyler Reddick earned the team's first victory atTexas.[19]
On October 30, 2022, Big Machine announced that they would field the No. 48 car forParker Kligerman in2023. FollowingKansas, Kligerman was able to qualify for the playoffs. After a controversial finish to end the Round of 12, Kligerman was eliminated at the conclusion of theCharlotte Roval race.[20]
On August 24, 2023, Kligerman announced he will return for2024.[21] Following theMichigan race, the No. 48 was levied an L1 penalty after pre-race inspection discovered illegal modifications on the rear spoiler; as a result, the team was docked twenty owner and driver points, and crew chief Patrick Donahue was finedUS$25,000.[22] On September 11, Kligerman announced on his podcast that he will not return to BMR and would retire from full-time racing at the end of the 2024 season.[23]
On September 18, 2024, it was announced thatNick Sanchez would drive the No. 48 and compete for Rookie of the Year honors following two years in the Truck Series.[24] He started the season with a 35th-place DNF atDaytona. After staying consistent throughout the season, he earned his first career victory atAtlanta.[25]
Patrick Donahue, crew chief for the new Big Machine Racing team confirmed on @SiriusXMNASCAR with Moody that driver @buforjm is not approved for @DAYTONA oval and is looking for driver for No. 48 Chevrolet. Buford approved for Daytona RC and rest of '21 #NASCAR Xfinity season.