Live Fast Motorsports is making a significant change for the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season. The team will move over to the Chevrolet family for the first time.
Live Fast Motorsports — the team co-owned by Matt Tifft, Joe Falk, and BJ McLeod — and Richard Childress Racing announced the news on December 1. They confirmed that the No. 78 Ford Mustang will now be a Chevrolet Camaro for the 2023 Cup Series season. Live Fast Motorsports will receive engines from ECR as part of this change.
“Our team is excited to make this transition to Chevrolet,” McLeod said in a press release. “Chevrolet Camaros have proven great success on the track and Live Fast Motorsports is looking forward to becoming a part of this advance.”
This announcement takes place as the meat of the offseason begins. Live Fast Motorsports will have just over two months to get vehicles ready before heading to Los Angeles for the Busch Light Clash at the LA Memorial Coliseum.
The Cup Series Team Has Utilized Multiple Drivers
McLeod has been the main driver for Live Fast Motorsports during the team’s two-year existence. He has delivered two top-10 finishes, both in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway.
There have been other drivers that have stepped in and controlled the No. 78 Ford Mustang in both 2021 and 2022. These guests primarily took over for events at road courses. For example, Andy Lally drove at Circuit of the Americas while Josh Williams drove at both Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Charlotte Roval.
The expectation is that there will be more guest drivers during the 2023 Cup Series season. Though they will control a Chevrolet Camaro instead of a Ford Mustang while adapting to the change within the organization.
“We’re looking forward to racing for Chevrolet, the winningest manufacturer in NASCAR,” Tifft added in the press release. “We’ll also be getting engine support from ECR engines, and we know our program will benefit from their technologies and power under the hood.”
ECR Engines Have Driven Teams to Success
ECR Engines, which is part of the Richard Childress Racing facility, has partnerships across multiple racing series. The engines power the Cadillac DPi-V.R Prototype vehicles in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship series. It also provides engines to multiple Chevrolet teams in NASCAR.
ECR Engines have helped multiple Cup Series drivers secure wins in recent seasons, including some Crown Jewels. The list of examples includes Austin Dillon’s victory in the 2022 Coke Zero Sugar 400, his 2018 Daytona 500 win, and all three of Tyler Reddick’s wins during his final season in the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro.
Live Fast Motorsports will now be the latest team to use ECR Engines while pursuing stronger performances on the race track. The team will put them on display during the Busch Light Clash at the LA Memorial Coliseum on February 5 and then during the season-opening Daytona 500 on February 19. The schedule will then continue throughout the 2023 season as McLeod and other drivers control the No. 78 Chevrolet Camaro.
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Live Fast Motorsports Announces Manufacturer Change for 2023