Jade Buford

Last updated

Jade Buford
Jade buford (51308482004) (cropped).jpg
Buford at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2021
BornJade Marcus Buford
(1988-02-15) February 15, 1988 (age 36)
Houston, Texas
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
45 races run over 3 years
Car no., teamNo. 5 (Big Machine Racing)
2021 position23rd
Best finish23rd (2021)
First race 2020 Pennzoil 150 (Indianapolis)
Last race 2022 Pacific Office Automation 147 (Portland)
WinsTop tens Poles
030
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career
1 race run over 1 year
2022 position104th
Best finish104th (2022)
First race 2022 DoorDash 250 (Sonoma)
Last race 2022 DoorDash 250 (Sonoma)
WinsTop tens Poles
000
Michelin Pilot Challenge career
Debut season 2009
Current team PF Racing
Car number40
Engine Ford 5.2
Co-driver James Pesek, Shane Lewis
Former teams Multimatic Motorsports
Best finish4th in 2013, 2014
Finished last season11th (2019)
Previous series
2019
2019
20162018
British GT Championship
GT4 America Series
Pirelli World Challenge
Last updated on: June 11, 2022.

Jade Marcus Buford (born February 15, 1988) is an American professional racing driver with experience in open-wheel, sports car, and stock car racing. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro for Big Machine Racing.

Contents

Buford has also raced in the Pirelli World Challenge, British GT Championship, GT4 America Series, ARCA Menards Series, and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Racing career

Buford began his racing career when he was 18 years old, competing in Porsches; [1] he was also an intern at the Porsche Driving School at Barber Motorsports Park. [2] He debuted in Grand-Am's KONI Sports Car Challenge in 2009. [1] He raced for RSR Motorsports in the ST class and shared the No. 196 Mini Cooper S with Owen Trinkler. [3] In 2010, he joined Racers Edge Motorsports in the GS class of the renamed Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. [4]

He moved to Multimatic Motorsports in 2012, where he shared the No. 71 Aston Martin Vantage with Tonis Kasemets en route to an 11th-place GS finish. The following year, he partnered with Scott Maxwell in Multimatic's No. 55, during which Buford recorded a series-record seven pole positions. The two remained together for 2014. [2] Buford's co-driver in 2015 was 16-year-old Austin Cindric, who described Buford as "someone to lean on" during the early stages of his racing career. [5] The duo recorded a victory at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. [6]

Buford began competing in the Pirelli World Challenge's GTS class in 2016 with Racers Edge. He swept the Barber Motorsports Park weekend from the pole, [7] [8] followed by a third win at Lime Rock Park after wrecks took out the leaders and a cleanup truck interfered with another. [9]

He ran two Sports Car Challenge races in 2017 with Multimatic. Buford also returned to the Pirelli World Challenge, running in the GTS Pro class with Racers Edge, and won both races at Mosport. [10]

Buford joined PF Racing for the 2018 PWC season. In the GTS SprintX race at Circuit of the Americas, he scored the Mustang GT4's maiden victory when he and Maxwell passed pole sitter Harry Gottsacker during pit stops; Buford explained "some of the cars have outright pace on us, but we just executed the perfect race." [11] Buford recorded a second win that year at Watkins Glen International after beating Ian James to the finish by .208 seconds. [12]

In 2019, Buford ran the full Michelin Pilot Challenge schedule with PF Racing, finishing 11th in the standings. [13] He also began racing in the British GT Championship's Silver Cup for Multimatic alongside fellow American Chad McCumbee. [14]

For the 2020 MPC season, Buford shared PF's No. 40 with James Pesek and Shane Lewis. [15] In June, he dabbled in stock car racing when he joined SS-Green Light Racing to drive their No. 07 NASCAR Xfinity Series car in the Pennzoil 150 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. [13] After starting 17th, Buford finished 14th in the event. [16] Buford would make his second NASCAR start at Road America in the No. 6 for JD Motorsports, [17] replacing the car's usual driver, B. J. McLeod.

Buford in the No. 48 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2021 Jade buford (51308772520).jpg
Buford in the No. 48 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2021

In 2021, Buford joined the newly-formed Big Machine Racing in the No. 48 Chevrolet for the full Xfinity season. [18] His first race with the team came in the second round on the Daytona road course as he was not approved for the season opener on the oval. [19] He went on to finish 23rd in the final points standings after recording sixteen top-twenty finishes with a best result of ninth at Michigan International Speedway. It was also during this year that Buford made select starts in the ARCA Menards Series and ARCA Menards Series East for Fast Track Racing, making his East series debut at Dover International Speedway, where he finished in ninth, and his main series debut at Pocono Raceway where he finished in eighth place.

Although he was slated to run another full-season with BMR in 2022, [20] Buford only ran the first eight races of the year, where he only finished in the top-twenty once, an eighth place finish at the Circuit of the Americas, before being replaced by Kaz Grala for the follwoing two events at Talladega Superspeedway and Dover International Speedway. [21] He wouldn't make another start for the team that year until Portland International Raceway, where he finished in fourteenth. Buford also made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at Sonoma Raceway, driving the No. 33 Toyota for Reaume Brothers Racing, where he finished in 33rd due to transmission issues. [22]

In 2023, it was announced that Buford would run a second car for Big Machine Racing at Daytona International Speedway, the No. 5 Chevrolet. [23] After qualifying for the race in twelfth, he went on to finish in 25th place. It was later announced that Buford would run the No. 5 at Talladega Superspeedway, where he qualified in fifth but finished in 36th after being involved in a multi-car crash early in the race. [24]

Personal life

Buford is a graduate of Auburn University. [10] An avid rock climber, [25] he participated in the show American Ninja Warrior in 2017 (Daytona Beach) and 2018 (Philadelphia), but was eliminated on the third obstacle in both attempts. [26]

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Xfinity Series

NASCAR Xfinity Series results
YearTeamNo.Make123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233NXSCPtsRef
2020 SS-Green Light Racing 07 Chevy DAY LVS CAL PHO DAR CLT BRI ATL HOM HOM TAL POC IND
14
KEN KEN TEX KAN DAY
16
DOV DOV DAY DAR RCH RCH BRI LVS TAL CLT
8
KAN TEX MAR PHO 39th105 [27]
JD Motorsports 6 Chevy ROA
19
2021 Big Machine Racing 48 Chevy DAY DAY
36
HOM
20
LVS
30
PHO
20
ATL
26
MAR
19
TAL
18
DAR
35
DOV
33
COA
15
CLT
17
MOH
13
TEX
16
NSH
33
POC
19
ROA
34
ATL
17
NHA
18
GLN
21
IND
20
MCH
9
DAY
28
DAR
21
RCH
36
BRI
27
LVS
26
TAL
12
CLT
16
TEX
39
KAN
38
MAR
17
PHO
33
23rd435 [28]
2022 DAY
23
CAL
37
LVS
28
PHO
28
ATL
38
COA
8
RCH
33
MAR
22
TAL DOV DAR TEX CLT PIR
14
NSH ROA ATL NHA POC IND MCH GLN DAY DAR KAN BRI TEX TAL CLT LVS HOM MAR PHO 40th127 [29]
2023 5 DAY
25
CAL LVS PHO ATL COA RCH MAR TAL
36
DOV DAR CLT PIR SON NSH CSC ATL NHA POC ROA MCH IRC GLN DAY DAR KAN BRI TEX ROV LVS HOM MAR PHO 61st13 [30]

Camping World Truck Series

NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series results
YearTeamNo.Make1234567891011121314151617181920212223NCWTCPtsRef
2022 Reaume Brothers Racing 33 Toyota DAY LVS ATL COA MAR BRI DAR KAN TEX CLT GTW SON
33
KNO NSH MOH POC IRP RCH KAN BRI TAL HOM PHO 104th01 [31]

* Season still in progress

ARCA Menards Series

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

ARCA Menards Series results
YearTeamNo.Make1234567891011121314151617181920AMSCPtsRef
2021 Fast Track Racing 11 Toyota DAY PHO TAL KAN TOL CLT MOH POC
8
ELK BLN IOW WIN GLN MCH ISF MLW DSF 60th62 [32]
10 BRI
18
SLM KAN

ARCA Menards Series East

ARCA Menards Series East results
YearTeamNo.Make12345678AMSECPtsRef
2021 Fast Track Racing 11 Ford NSM FIF NSV DOV
9
SNM IOW MLW 27th61 [33]
10 Toyota BRI
18

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References

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  6. "Austin Cindric, son of Team Penske president, sets CTSC mark". Sports Illustrated . July 11, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
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  11. Allaway, Phil (March 25, 2018). "Jade Buford, Scott Maxwell Claim Maiden PWC Win for Mustang GT4". Frontstretch. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
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  19. Rutherford, Kevin (February 1, 2021). "Danny Bohn Making Xfinity Debut at Daytona". Frontstretch. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  20. "Music executive Scott Borchetta's lifelong passion for racing fuels desire to start new team". NASCAR . October 7, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  21. "Kaz Grala Replacing Jade Buford for 2 Races at Big Machine". Frontstretch. April 12, 2022. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
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  25. "Jade Buford Sets the Pace in Both GTS Practice Rounds Friday at CTMP in No. 55 PF Racing Ford Mustang GT4". Motor Racing Press. May 18, 2018. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
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