 | |
| Owner(s) | Fred & Greg Biagi (Biagi Brothers)[1] Bill & Lori DenBeste[2] |
|---|---|
| Base | Kannapolis, North Carolina |
| Series | Xfinity Series |
| Opened | 2001 |
| Closed | 2017 (merged withStewart–Haas Racing) 2019 (end of partnership) |
| Career | |
| Debut | 2001Auto Club 300 (Fontana) |
| Latest race | 2019Ford Ecoboost 300 (Homestead) |
| Races competed | 278 |
| Drivers' Championships | 0 |
| Race victories | 14[a] |
| Pole positions | 14 |
Biagi–DenBeste Racing, originallyBiagi Brothers Racing, was an American professionalstock car racing team that last competed in theNASCAR Xfinity Series in partnership withStewart–Haas Racing. The team was based inMooresville, North Carolina.
The team debuted in2001 at theAuto Club 300 as the No. 4 car, qualifying 41st and finishing 31st withMike Wallace driving theirChevrolet. Wallace made eight starts total that season, his best finish a tenth atRichmond International Raceway. Wallace returned in2002, running seventeen races. He finished in the top-twenty seven times, including two fourteenth-place finishes. The team also ran a second car, the No. 07, forTim Fedewa at Talladega, finishing third, the last car on the lead lap (mostly due to a 27-car pileup on lap 15 that took out most of the field, including Wallace).
In2003, Biagi moved up to the Busch Series full-time with Wallace. They opened the season with a fourth-place finish at theKoolerz 300. Despite missing a race whereRick Carelli filled in, Wallace finished thirteenth in points that year, one position shy of matching his career-best. The following season, Biagi switched from Chevrolets to Fords, and at theWinn-Dixie 250, Wallace took the lead on the last lap to score Biagi's first career Busch victory.[3] He led eighteen laps the following week atChicagoland Speedway, but ran out of fuel on the last lap, costing him the victory. After posting three more top-tens, Wallace finished seventeenth in points.
After Wallace departed in2005, Biagi formed a partnership withChip Ganassi Racing and hired Ganassi development driverRyan Hemphill. After he failed to qualify for two consecutive races, Hemphill was briefly replaced byJeff Green, who finished sixth at Richmond. Hemphill returned for three races and had a twelfth-place run atNashville Superspeedway before he was permanently removed from the ride. Green took over for three races, beforeKevin Hamlin took over for the balance of the season. In fourteen starts, his best finish was fourteenth atMemphis Motorsports Park.
For 2006,Mark Green was selected as the team's new driver, and had an eighteenth-place run at Richmond, before he was released in favor ofAuggie Vidovich. In addition to Green and Vidovich, Hamlin,Boris Said, andPaul Tracy have driven the car during the 2006 season.
In2007, BDBR had announced it would switch toToyota and run with sponsorship fromKibbles 'n Bits, but the team shut down in January due to a lack of funding. Its assets and owners points were acquired byBraun Racing,[4] and the team's number, 4, assigned toGinn Racing.
| NASCAR Busch Series results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 34 | NBSC | Pts | ||
| 2002 | Tim Fedewa | 07 | Pontiac | DAY | CAR | LVS | DAR | BRI | TEX | NSH | TAL 3 | CAL | RCH | NHA | NZH | CLT | DOV | NSH | KEN | MLW | DAY | CHI | GTY | PPR | IRP | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | KAN | CLT | MEM | ATL | CAR | PHO | HOM | N/A | 0 | ||
Five years later, the team returned atCharlotte Motor Speedway in May 2012, with a new sponsor inCaroll Shelby Engine Company (owned by new partners Bill and Lori DenBeste), a new manufacturerFord, and a new number 98 car being driven byReed Sorenson. The car was given a black and gold scheme to honor the lateCarroll Shelby and Shelby American's 50th Anniversary.[3][5] Sorenson finished 16th in the team's return, then finished 13th in their next race atKentucky. The team dedicated their third race of the season, at the famedIndianapolis Motor Speedway, to Shelby,[6] though Sorenson would finish 34th after a crash. He would run two more races, with a crash atAtlanta and a 12th place and the second Charlotte race. Sprint Car standout andARCA Racing Series winnerKevin Swindell was signed for two races at the end of the season.[7] He finished a strong 9th at Texas, then placed 21st at the season-finale atHomestead Miami Speedway.
For 2013,Kevin Swindell was signed to run 15 races for the team, beginning atLas Vegas in March.[8] The team partnered with Swindell's long time supporterMike Curb, who became the listed owner of the No. 98 car (as well as the No. 98 car ofPhil Parsons Racing in the Cup Series and the No. 98 truck ofJohnny Sauter andThorSport Racing in the Truck Series). Swindell had two top 10s, though he failed to qualify in their first attempt at Las Vegas.
In 2014, the team returned again with veteranDavid Ragan as well as up-and-comersJeb Burton andCorey LaJoie; all three are the sons of former racers.Drive for Diversity andNASCAR Next memberRyan Gifford was signed to run two races for the team:Iowa in May andKentucky in June.[9] Gifford finished 20th in his only appearance at Iowa. After winning theCoke Zero 400 at Daytona and earning a spot in theChase for the Sprint Cup,Aric Almirola signed on to pilot the 98 during two companion races atChicagoland andDover in September. Cup sponsorSmithfield Foods would come on to sponsor Almirola's efforts.[10] Almirola started 10th and finished 14th in his debut for the team at Chicagoland, then 13th at Dover. After running one race earlier in the year, it was announced thatCorey LaJoie would return to the No. 98 car for four additional races (Kansas,Charlotte,Texas, andHomestead), with backing fromRichard Petty Motorsports primary investorMedallion Financial.
In 2015,Richard Petty Motorsports Sprint Cup drivers Almirola andSam Hornish Jr. split time driving the No. 98, with sponsorship from both RPM's Cup sponsors and Biagi-DenBeste's regular sponsors.[3] Almirola finished 7th in the season opener atDaytona, while Hornish finished 15th the next week atAtlanta.[3] RPM development driverRyan Truex drove four races, starting at Richmond.
In 2016, Almirola drove on a partial schedule starting at Daytona. Almirola won the 2016Subway Firecracker 250 at Daytona to give the team their second ever win.Jeb Burton will drive two races in the No. 98 car starting withIndy,Richmond, andCharlotte withEstes sponsoring.2014-15 Formula E ChampionNelson Piquet Jr. will drive the No. 98 car atMid-Ohio Sports Car Course.[11]
In 2017, it was announced thatAric Almirola would return to Biagi-DenBeste with the addition ofCasey Mears. On May 6, 2017Aric Almirola won the 2017Sparks Energy 300 atTalladega Superspeedway.
On October 23, 2017, it was announced that in 2018 the team would partner withStewart–Haas Racing under the name Stewart–Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste withCole Custer driving the No. 00 full time andKevin Harvick driving the No. 98 part time.[12] It was later announced thatChase Briscoe would drive the No. 98 in at least one race.[13]