TriStar Motorsports

TriStar Motorsports was an American professional stock car racing team that used to compete in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. The team competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series primarily during the early to mid 1990s, suspending racing operations in 1997 and continuing on as Tri-Star Motors, and later Pro Motor Engines, supplying engines to many NASCAR teams prior to returning to competition in 2010.

Founded by Mark Smith. On July 22, 2017, Mark Smith died of cancer. His son Bryan took over ownership of TriStar Motorsports.

Cup Series

Winston Cup 1989–2000

TriStar made its debut in 1989 at Talladega Superspeedway. Driver Ron Esau finished 38th after wrecking the No. 18 Pontiac. Brad Teague made the team's second start at Charlotte Motor Speedway with Mello Yello but finished 31st after suffering engine failure. Barn Animals sponsored Hut Stricklin's No. 68 entry at the 1990 Daytona 500, and fielded the No. 18 for him at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he finished 33rd and 37th, respectively. TriStar switched back to the No. 68 at Talladega Superspeedway, with sponsorship from, Interstate Batteries, where Stanley Smith would finish 37th after an early wreck. The team finished their first race at Michigan with Mike Chase finishing 24th. They ran the No. 68 with Country Time Lemonade sponsorship and Bobby Hamilton driving in two races, with a best finish of 28th.

In 1991, TriStar ran full-time with Hamilton and Country Time again sponsoring their Oldsmobile. Hamilton had four top-ten finishes and finished 22nd in points, winning Rookie of the Year honors. They began 1992 with no top-ten finishes, and later switched to Ford Thunderbirds, allowing Hamilton to get two top-ten finishes and finish 25th in points. After failing to finish higher than 15th eight races into the 1993 season, Hamilton was released. Greg Sacks drove for the rest of the season, with Dorsey Schroeder filling in at the road course races, and Loy Allen driving at Phoenix International Raceway.

Allen was named the full-time driver for the 1994 season, in addition to TriStar switching to the No. 19 and getting Hooters sponsorship. Allen won the pole for the Daytona 500, becoming the first rookie driver to do so. He also qualified on the pole at Atlanta and Michigan, but failed to qualify for twelve races that season and finished 39th in points. Allen and Hooters left Tri-Star at the end of the year, and Phil Parsons took over the driving duties for the first five races of the 1995 season with Ultra Custom Wheels sponsorship. After the first five races, the team cut back and did not run any races until the Winston Select 500, when Allen returned to the team with Healthsource sponsoring the car. In their first race back together, Allen and TriStar qualified second and finished tenth, Allen's career-best finish. TriStar ran a limited schedule for the rest of 1995, with Ron Fellows driving the No. 68 at Watkins Glen, and Allen driving the No. 19 during the rest of the season.

Healthsource signed for a full season of sponsorship in 1996, but Allen suffered a severe neck injury at the second race of the season at North Carolina Speedway, causing him to miss the next ten races. Dick Trickle filled in the interim, placing eighth at the Food City 500. Upon Allen's return, Tri-Star again moved to a part-time schedule, getting a best finish of 21st. Healthsource left the team at the end of the season, and Child Support Recovery took its place. After two races into the 1997 season, Allen was released and Gary Bradberry replaced him. After failing to qualify for the Miller 400, Child Support Recovery was dropped by the team due to lack of funding and racing operations were suspended again.

In 1999, they leased their shop to SBIII Motorsports and built engines for them. Following the team's closure near the end of the season, TriStar reacquired its equipment and fielded the No. 48 FansTeam Ford for Stanton Barrett at the 2000 Daytona 500, but did not qualify.

Car No. 19/68 results NASCAR Winston Cup Series results Year Team 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 Pts 1989 Ron Esau 18 Pontiac DAY CAR ATL RCH DAR BRI NWS MAR TAL CLT DOV SON POC MCH DAY POC TAL GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR N/A - Brad Teague CLT31 NWS CAR PHO ATL 1990 Hut Stricklin 68 Chevy DAY33 RCH CAR N/A - 18 Pontiac ATL37 DAR BRI NWS MAR TAL CLT DOV SON POC MCH DAY POC Stanley Smith 68 TAL37 GLN Mike Chase MCH24 BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS Bobby Hamilton CLT28 CAR PHO ATL40 1991 Olds DAY10 RCH28 CAR21 ATL33 DAR20 BRI31 MARDNQ TAL12 CLT27 DOV11 SON22 POC35 MCH22 DAY28 POC11 TAL34 GLN29 MCH19 BRI13 DAR10 RCH12 DOV8 MAR17 NWS18 CLT29 CAR6 PHO13 ATL18 23rd 2915 Pontiac NWS21 1992 Olds DAY32 CAR18 RCH31 ATL24 DAR23 BRI26 NWS27 MAR13 TAL20 CLT21 DOV18 SON34 POC17 MCH31 POC22 GLN22 BRI21 27th 2787 Chevy DAY33 TAL24 Ford MCH15 DAR21 RCH32 DOV10 MAR28 NWS31 CLT15 CAR19 PHO8 ATL12 1993 DAY27 CAR15 RCH22 ATL26 DAR23 BRI35 NWS29 MAR33 26th 2830 Greg Sacks TAL33 CLT17 DOV38 POC18 MCH22 DAY15 NHA32 POC32 TAL6 MCH12 BRI19 DAR25 RCH31 DOV20 MAR28 NWSDNQ CLT32 CAR32 ATL24 Dorsey Schroeder SON33 GLN38 Loy Allen Jr. PHO26 1994 19 DAY22 CAR40 RCHDNQ ATL22 DARDNQ BRIDNQ NWSDNQ MARDNQ TAL40 SONDNQ CLT11 DOV15 POC31 MCH24 DAY40 NHADNQ POC18 TAL37 INDDNQ GLNDNQ MCH22 BRIDNQ DAR21 RCH31 DOV22 MARDNQ NWSDNQ CLT27 CAR42 PHO41 ATL42 39th 1468 1995 Phil Parsons DAY41 CARDNQ RCH ATL42 DARDNQ BRI NWS MAR 43rd 591 Loy Allen Jr. TAL10 SON CLT36 DOVDNQ POC MCH DAY31 NHA POC TAL39 INDDNQ GLN MCHDNQ BRI DAR34 RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT27 CARDNQ PHO ATL24 1996 DAY36 CAR36 POC23 MCH28 DAY30 NHADNQ POC TAL28 IND GLN DAR41 RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT34 CAR PHO ATL39 40th 1461 Dick Trickle RCHDNQ ATL14 DAR35 BRI8 NWS22 MARDNQ TAL19 SON29 CLT20 DOV28 Mike Wallace MCH29 BRI 1997 Loy Allen Jr. DAY26 CAR43 47th 641 Gary Bradberry RCH38 ATL40 DAR38 TEXDNQ BRI37 MARDNQ SON43 TALDNQ CLT31 DOV35 POC33 MCHDNQ CAL DAY NHA POC IND GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH NHA DOV MAR CLT TAL CAR PHO ATL 2000 Stanton Barrett 48 DAYDNQ CAR LVS ATL DAR BRI TEX MAR TAL CAL RCH CLT DOV MCH POC SON DAY NHA POC IND GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH NHA DOV MAR CLT TAL CAR PHO HOM ATL NA -

Cup Series return 2010–2018

Car No. 35 history TriStar attempted to qualify for the race at Watkins Glen in 2010 with driver Tony Ave in the No. 35 Chevrolet Impala purchased from Front Row Motorsports, however, after showing signs of mechanical issues during qualifying, which included smoke and fluid trailing from behind the car, the team did not qualify. It was the only Cup race Tri-Star attempted that year.

Car No. 35 results NASCAR Sprint Cup Series results Year Team 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 35 36 Pts 2010 Tony Ave 35 Chevy DAY CAL LVS ATL BRI MAR PHO TEX TAL RCH DAR DOV CLT POC MCH SON NHA DAY CHI IND POC GLN MCH BRI ATL RCH NHA DOV KAN CAL CLT MAR TAL TEX PHO HOM N/A -

Car No. 19/91 history Mark Smith returned to the Cup Series in 2012 by partnering with former HP Racing co-owner Randy Humphrey. As Humphrey Smith Racing, the team fielded Jason Leffler, Chris Cook, Jeff Green, and Mike Bliss in the No. 19 Toyota Camry. The team started fielding the No. 91 for Reed Sorenson and Jason Leffler starting at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as well. The team ran a mix of Ford, Toyota, and Chevrolet recycled from other teams for the No. 91 team, both cars are Start and parks. The No. 19 team and Bliss had returned for the 2013 season, running a Toyota. They attempted the full Daytona 500 with G-Oil as the sponsor, but failed to make the race. The car was driven by Jason Leffler in the Party in the Poconos 400, three days before he was killed in a sprint car accident at Bridgeport Speedway in New Jersey. Following his death, the team, like others in the racing community, ran "LEFTURN" logos above the driver doors in honor of Leffler.

The team also employed Alex Kennedy for the road courses. Kennedy crashed at Sonoma, parked at Pocono, but finished 29th at Watkins Glen. Scott Riggs attempted Michigan with them but didn’t qualify. Smith shut the team down before the Chase.

In 2014, Humphrey left TriStar and started his own Cup operation, the No. 77 Ford Fusion driven by Dave Blaney. Smith did not field an entry in the Sprint Cup Series in 2014, and the No. 19 was claimed by Joe Gibbs Racing for its new entry in 2015 for Carl Edwards.

Car No. 19 results NASCAR Sprint Cup Series results Year Team 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 35 36 Pts 2012 Mike Bliss 19 Toyota DAY PHO LVS BRI CAL40 MARDNQ TEX40 KAN42 RCH42 TAL DARDNQ CLTDNQ DOV36 POC38 MCH39 KEN42 DAY NHADNQ IND43 POC39 BRI43 ATLDNQ RCH40 CHI42 DOVDNQ TAL CLT39 KAN36 MARDNQ TEX41 PHO41 HOM43 45th 72 Chris Cook SON42 GLN41 Jason Leffler Ford MCH43 Jeff Green Toyota NHADNQ 2013 Mike Bliss DAYDNQ PHO42 LVSDNQ BRI43 CAL43 MARDNQ TEX41 KAN41 RCH43 TALWth DAR43 CLTDNQ DOV41 MCH41 KEN41 DAY NHA43 INDDNQ BRIDNQ ATL RCHDNQ CHIWth NHA DOV KAN CLT TAL MAR TEX PHO HOM 45th 44 Jason Leffler POC43 Alex Kennedy SON40 POC42 GLN29 Scott Riggs MCHDNQ

Car No. 91 results NASCAR Sprint Cup Series results Year Team 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 35 36 Pts 2012 Reed Sorenson 91 Ford DAY PHO LVS BRI CAL MAR TEX KAN RCH TAL DAR CLT DOV POC MCH SON KEN DAY NHA INDDNQ 51st 20 Toyota POC42 GLN MCH42 ATL42 DOV43 TAL CLT41 KAN41 TEX43 Chevy BRIDNQ RCH43 CHIDNQ NHA42 MAR43 Jason Leffler PHO43 Toyota HOMDNQ

Car No. 72 history

In 2017, TriStar announced that they would field one full-time team, the No. 72 Chevrolet SS for Whitt. The team took lease of the No. 35 charter from Front Row Motorsports to secure a spot every race. Whitt ended up finishing the 2017 season with a best of 12th, and brought the car home 33rd in driver & owner standings.

For 2018, TriStar again took lease of a charter from Front Row Motorsports. Whitt requested a limited schedule of only ten races in order to focus on family. Corey LaJoie drove the No. 72 in the 26 races in which Whitt did not run in 2018, finishing 34th in driver standings with a best finish of 16th. Whitt later retired from stock car competition and LaJoie departed for the No. 32 team, leaving TriStar without a driver for 2019. The team was unable to acquire a charter for 2019 and has not attempted a race since Homestead-Miami.

In a September 2019 interview, former TriStar crew chief Frank Kerr confirmed the team has since shut down. The charter leased to the team was returned to Front Row, and sold to Rick Ware Racing for the No. 52 team, while certain equipment and a hauler were liquidated to Tommy Joe Martins' team.

Car No. 72 results Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series results Year Team 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 35 36 Pts Ref 2017 Cole Whitt 72 Ford DAY18 33rd 322 Chevy ATL20 LVS28 PHO34 CAL32 MAR21 TEX30 BRI21 RCH27 TAL16 KAN26 CLT34 DOV22 POC30 MCH31 SON21 DAY39 KEN34 NHA38 IND12 POC24 GLN34 MCH29 BRI33 DAR23 RCH33 CHI35 NHA30 DOV32 CLT34 TAL34 KAN24 MAR25 TEX29 PHO36 HOM282018 ATL28 LVS28 CAL28 MAR27 TEX19 RCH30 TAL21 POC30 SON35 GLN34 CLT20 MAR24 PHO2533rd276 Corey LaJoie DAY40 PHO37 BRI25 DOV38 KAN24 CLT26 MCH27 CHI34 DAY31 KEN31 NHA27 POC39 MCH40 BRI34 DAR27 IND27 LVS16 RCH32 DOV30 TAL32 KAN34 TEX40 HOM34

Xfinity Series

After a nine-year hiatus from fielding race teams, TriStar acquired the Nationwide team owned by Front Row Motorsports, and fielded three cars in 2010, the former FRM team No. 34 Chevrolet Impala for Tony Raines, a new team, the No. 35 Chevrolet Impala for Jason Keller and ran the No. 36 Chevrolet Impala on a part-time schedule. The team used their own PME Motors.

Car No. 8 history