MBM Motorsports has faced several challenges in recent years, particularly in the NASCAR Cup Series, where they haven’t competed full-time since 2020. Their presence in the news has often been for unfortunate reasons rather than success on the track. In 2023, the team opted out of the Cup Series for the first time since debuting in 2017 and also announced plans to reduce their Xfinity Series program after running full-time in that series since 2015.
This scaling back of their Xfinity efforts came just two years after they made a similar move in the Cup Series. In 2024, MBM returned to both series on a part-time basis, with the goal of competing in the 2025 Daytona 500. However, their plans hit a roadblock when Mike Wallace, their chosen driver for the No. 66 Ford, was not approved to race, and his replacement, Chandler Smith, failed to qualify. This marked the team’s fifth consecutive Daytona 500 DNQ. Now racing under the name Garage 66 in the Cup Series, MBM had also missed qualifying attempts in both 2021 and 2022.
Following Wallace’s disqualification, a previously conducted interview with team owner Carl Long from 2021 resurfaced, shedding light on MBM’s struggles to secure a Cup Series charter. With only 36 available, charters are highly sought after and difficult to acquire. Long had spent years trying to obtain one for his No. 66 car but was never successful.
In 2020, MBM ran a full-time Cup entry with Timmy Hill, but the following season, they had to cut back due to the financial disadvantages of running an open (non-chartered) entry. Long had attempted multiple times to buy a charter, but prices skyrocketed, making it increasingly difficult. He recalled that in 2020, charters were available for around $2.5 million, but by 2021, they had increased to $15 million, with some offers being turned down even at that price. By the end of 2023, the cost had more than doubled, peaking at $40 million in 2024 before slightly declining due to Stewart-Haas Racing’s closure.
Long had predicted that charter demand would rise with the introduction of the Next Gen car, as new teams sought to enter the Cup Series or expand their operations. He also shared his frustration over being repeatedly denied, despite having financial backers willing to invest. He even presented a blank check to sellers in 2020, yet still could not secure a deal. He believed this was partly due to perceptions of MBM as an underfunded team that wouldn’t be able to afford a charter, despite having investors ready to support a purchase.
Now, four years later, MBM still does not have a charter, and they are rarely mentioned when new ones become available. However, this has not stopped them from competing in select events. They are set to make their 2025 Cup Series debut at Martinsville Speedway, with veteran driver Casey Mears, who last raced in 2019, piloting the No. 66 Ford in the Cook Out 400. With fewer than 40 cars entered, Mears is guaranteed a starting spot in the race.
