Report: JD Motorsports lays off 'large portion' of staff after filing for bankruptcy

NASCAR Xfinity Series team JD Motorsports has apparently laid off a large number of employees and filed for bankruptcy. A new report suggests that JD Motorsports could be on the way out of racing.

Toby Christie of TobyChristie.com and Racing America reported that a “large portion” of employees have been laid off this morning. Last week at Pocono, the team withdrew the No. 6 car from the race, but did race the No. 4.

Right now, it does not appear that JD Motorsports will compete at Indianapolis. Although a late entry is possible.

“According to the sources,” Christie writes in his report, “JD Motorsports team owner, Johnny Davis officially laid off staff members on Monday as they entered the shop. One source has said that Davis claims that he intends to field a car for this weekend’s NASCAR Xfinity Series event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, but the source is unsure how after the moves that were made on Monday morning.”

BREAKING: According to sources, #NASCAR Xfinity team JD Motorsports laid off a large portion of its employees this morning. The team, which withdrew its No. 6 entry at Pocono, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy back in April. Full story: https://t.co/KNkut6SANQ

— Toby Christie (@Toby_Christie) July 15, 2024

Christie went on to note that public records show JD Motorsports filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy back in April. This has been ongoing for some time now and it does not look good for the Xfinity Series organization who first debuted in 1983.

JD Motorsports has fielded a ton of drivers, both notable and the dreamers hoping to make it in the sport. Ross Chastain is a driver who was able to elevate the team’s performance. Last season, Brennan Poole did a lot for that organization to make them fairly competitive.

JD Motorsports has been important to Xfinity Series

People like to joke about the teams that struggle and work to earn top-20 and top-15 finishes week in and week out. But those teams keep the sport thriving. It is how we end up with 36 cars on the grid. You want these teams there to develop talent and keep the Xfinity Series alive.

No, the team has never and would never win a championship. They haven’t even won a race. But here are names of drivers who have recently come up the ranks in their equipment: Ross Chastain, Ryan Preece, Sheldon Creed, Landon Cassill, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Ryan Vargas, Ty Dillon, and Brennan Poole.

It sounds like they are doing what they can to keep JD Motorsports going for a bit longer. However, the writing on the wall does not look good. This past week at Pocono, the team ran the No. 4 car with Thomas Annunziata. He finished P28.

JD Motorsports could be on the way out of the sport. If so, it will be the end of a legacy that they built over decades.