GAFFNEY, S.C. – History will come alive this weekend at Darlington Raceway.
JD Motorsports with Gary Keller announced Tuesday that, in the spirit of Darlington’s “throwback” weekend, all three team cars will have retro car numbers representing South Carolina racing history in the VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200.
Landon Cassill’s No. 01 Flex Seal Chevrolet will be paying homage to South Carolina native Butch Lindley. A native of Greenville, Lindley made a name for himself in what is now the NASCAR Xfinity Series in the early 1980s. Out of 41 career starts, Lindley had 22 top tens, 19 top fives, and six wins. Five of those wins were in a No. 01 car. Lindley is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame.
Team owner Johnny Davis said, “I remember us racing against Lindley in the 80s, and I distinctly remember how hard he was to beat despite being a part-time driver. Being a part-time team ourselves at the time, he was an inspiration and pushed us to race harder.”
Ross Chastain’s No. 4, with sponsorship from the South Carolina Education Lottery, will be celebrating JD Motorsport’s team history by running the same numbers the Johnny Davis-owned No. 4 ran in the team’s first races in the early 1980s with Joe Henry Thurman as the driver.
“The No. 4 car number means so much to me as an owner, and I have so many good memories associated with that number. That was the beginning of everything that JD Motorsports is today,” said Davis.
JD Motorsport’s third car, the No. 0 with Harrison Rhodes, will be a tribute to one of Gaffney, S.C.’s hometown heroes, Charlie Blanton. Blanton raced a wide variety of local and national races in the 1970s, and the car that sticks out the most in Davis’s memory is Blanton’s No. 0 car.
“My family is closely connected to the Blanton family, so Charlie was who we always rooted for. His racing beginnings are a lot like mine. I remember him building his racecars in a barn just down the road from here,” said Davis. “He was one of my heroes growing up and a big reason why I’m doing what I am today.”
Darlington practice is scheduled at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. (ET) Friday. Qualifying is set for 11:45 p.m. Saturday, with the race to follow at 3:30 p.m.
