From a 2011 LTD PowerSports start to a 2014 full-time No. 40 and a string of rookies and substitutes, the Circle Sport and Hillman operation kept reinventing itself in the Cup Series.
Circle Sport Racing, legally Hillman-Circle Sport, was a NASCAR Cup Series team that began in 2011 as LTD PowerSports. It bought the No. 33 from Richard Childress Racing in 2012, ran the No. 40 full-time from 2014, and shut its Cup operation after 2016.
Circle Sport Racing, legally known for most of its existence as Hillman-Circle Sport LLC, was an American team in the NASCAR Cup Series. It began in 2011 as LTD PowerSports and ran a rotating mix of cars, drivers and sponsors until it shut down after the 2015 season. A later return in 2017 brought the Circle Sport name back under a new partnership.
The operation's history is unusual for a Cup team. Its two main car numbers, the No. 33 and the No. 40, carried different brands. Many drivers passed through in short stints, and the owners were often changing their partners and entries. The result was a team that fought hard for results in a series where its budget and access were limited.
How did LTD PowerSports become a Cup team?
Joe Falk, a former owner of LJ Racing, returned to team ownership in the Cup Series in 2011. He ran the No. 50 for LTD PowerSports with T. J. Bell, starting at the Southern 500 at Darlington. Bell chased Rookie of the Year that season but qualified for only five races, four of them in Falk's car, which missed nine more.
The following year the team fielded the No. 40 and the No. 33 part-time in the Cup Series, along with the No. 27 in the Camping World Truck Series. The No. 40 failed to qualify for the 2012 Daytona 500 with Michael Waltrip, and at Bristol Tony Raines withdrew before practice. Those early setbacks shaped the team's approach over the next few seasons.
A team that bought a Richard Childress entry mid-season, ran a revolving door of drivers and still scored a first top five before its closure.
Why did the team buy the No. 33 in 2012?
Falk moved to buy the No. 33 team from Richard Childress Racing ahead of the April race at Texas. The car had been planned by Childress to run only the first five races of the season, because sponsorship was short. The team transferred to Falk's ownership after the sixth race at Martinsville, and Falk and Mike Hillman formed Circle Sport to field it.
The No. 33 ran Martinsville with Hermie Sadler in a collaboration between Circle Sport and RCR. Its first race under full Circle Sport control came at Texas, where Tony Raines drove an unsponsored Chevrolet. Falk expected to rotate through a long list of names that season, among them Raines, Jeff Green, Leicht, Dillon, the Sadler brothers and C. E. Falk.
Leicht ended up driving the car for most of the rest of the season, aiming for Rookie of the Year honours. Childress ran the No. 33 himself for Austin Dillon at Michigan, and Cole Whitt made some start-and-park appearances. Leicht won the Rookie of the Year award despite competing in just 15 races. His team-best finish came at Watkins Glen, where he placed 26th.
How did the RCR alliance work in 2013?
For 2013 Circle Sport kept its alliance with Richard Childress Racing. Landon Cassill, who had raced for BK Racing, took over the No. 33 for most of the season, while RCR entries with Dillon and Brian Scott also ran the car. For the road courses, the team hired road course specialist Ron Fellows, backed by Canadian Tire.
When the No. 40 entry returned at Indianapolis as a second car, Tony Raines and Cassill rotated between the two cars. The No. 40 gave Circle Sport a way to race in weeks when RCR's drivers were scheduled elsewhere. Cassill's top result that year was 22nd in the spring at Talladega, and Raines's was 29th at the fall Kansas race.
What happened with the No. 33 in 2014?
The No. 33 started 2014 as an RCR entry with Brian Scott and family sponsors. Timmy Hill drove the next two races for Circle Sport. At Bristol, Hill ran last in a race where Matt Kenseth, in second place, slowed for a wreck ahead. Hill did not react to the caution in time and hit Kenseth's rear bumper at high speed. Fox analyst Darrell Waltrip called it a rookie mistake, though he softened his tone later in the broadcast.
Several drivers followed. David Stremme drove the Circle Sport car at Martinsville, Darlington and Richmond. Bobby Labonte drove an RCR car under the Circle Sport banner at Daytona in July, and Alex Kennedy took the wheel for both Pocono races and the road courses.
The Loudon race in July brought its own controversy. Morgan Shepherd, a 72-year-old veteran, drove a Circle Sport car sponsored by Thunder Coal and wrecked Joey Logano, who was running second at the time. Logano pointed out that Shepherd was the slowest car on track. NASCAR defended Shepherd, saying he had maintained a minimum speed relative to the leaders. Shepherd ended as the final car still running, 39th and 27 laps behind.
At Richmond the No. 33 was renumbered No. 90 to honour Junie Donlavey, the team owner whose cars had raced for decades. The one-off car was painted in the style of Donlavey's Truxmore-sponsored machines, and its decklid carried the names of the 67 drivers who raced for Donlavey. Later in the year Travis Kvapil delivered the No. 33 its first top ten, a sixth at Talladega, on the same day Cassill brought the No. 40 to the team's first top five, a fourth in the GEICO 500 at Talladega.
How did the No. 40 become the team's primary car?
Cassill became the No. 40's lead driver for 2014, with the car now running full-time. He started 2014 with a 12th at the Daytona 500. After failing to qualify for the next two races, he made every start for the rest of the year. The fourth-place run at Talladega was the team's first top five, and teammate Kvapil finished sixth in the No. 33 in the same race.
Several races carried backing from CRC Brakleen, Newtown Building Supplies and Carsforsale.com. The mix of backers reflected the team's need to find money from race to race.
What did the 2015 season bring?
Cassill returned for a third year in the No. 40 in 2015. On 12 February businessman Gordon Smith joined as co-owner, and the car was rebranded Hillman Smith Motorsports. The season opened poorly, and the team was the first to finish last in its first two races after back-to-back engine failures. Cassill's best result of the year was 13th at Daytona.
Cassill left for Front Row Motorsports after the season. In January 2016 Premium Motorsports bought the No. 40 operation, taking its engines, cars and most of its staff, including Mike Hillman. Falk and Hillman ended their partnership at that point. The No. 39 also tried to race in 2015, with Travis Kvapil on the entry list at Texas and Charlotte before withdrawing both times. At the Coca-Cola 600 it posted the 42nd-fastest speed and failed to qualify, and at Dover it ran 37th, one spot short of qualifying on speed.
How did the 2016 closure happen?
The No. 40 had no charter for 2016, yet the team still tried the Daytona 500 with Reed Sorenson and missed the field. The team shut down later that week and auctioned its equipment to Premium Motorsports. Before the doors closed in July 2016, the Hillman Racing partners sued Joe Falk and Circle Sport over control of the No. 33 charter and the profits tied to it. The suit was settled on 30 June.
Mike Hillman Sr. then took a role as crew chief for the No. 46 team. The No. 33 continued until the end of 2017, and the Circle Sport name returned in 2017 after a merger with The Motorsports Group, with Jeffrey Earnhardt driving the No. 33.
What was the team's Camping World Truck Series work?
The team's Truck Series effort in 2012 used the No. 27 Chevrolet Silverado. In January that year it was announced that Ward Burton, a past Daytona 500 winner, was set to run the Daytona truck race, after five years away from competition, with State Water Heaters as sponsor. Burton finished eighth in his only start.
His son Jeb Burton, then 19, took over for the next five races, finishing 13th on debut, 11th at Rockingham and eighth at Charlotte. Cole Whitt drove the No. 27 to 13th at Talladega, and Ryan Truex, a twenty-year-old, became the team's tenth driver of the season, finishing 17th and 11th in two starts. Jason Leffler finished 19th in the finale at Homestead.
In 2013 the team merged with Team 7 Motorsports, which had run the No. 70 truck the year before. Jeff Agnew, a Pro Cup Series champion, drove for the team from Daytona. The team made 17 starts, withdrew twice and recorded 11 top-25 results, with a best of 15th at Kentucky.
What did the team do in K&N and ARCA?
In 2015 the team teamed up with Ranier Racing and MDM to field two cars, the No. 40 and No. 41, in both the K&N Pro Series East and West. The team returned for 2016, but in 2017 the arrangement ended when Ranier and Hillman parted ways and Travis Miller renamed the operation MDM Motorsports.
Many drivers passed through the K&N cars. Corey LaJoie, Spencer Davis, Brian Wong, Travis Miller, Ryan Preece, Austin Dillon, Landon Cassill and Kyle Benjamin all drove for the team. In the ARCA Racing Series in 2016, the team ran two part-time entries numbered 8 and 28. Brandon Jones won at Michigan, and Kyle Benjamin took pole at Iowa. Harrison Burton, Tifft and Michael Self also took ARCA drives for the team.
What were the team's key milestones?
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2011 | LTD PowerSports starts in the No. 50 with T. J. Bell |
| 2012 | Circle Sport buys the No. 33; Leicht wins Rookie of the Year honours |
| 2013 | Second car in the No. 40 with Cassill and Raines |
| 2014 | No. 40 runs full-time; first top five, a fourth at Talladega |
| 2015 | Gordon Smith joins; team renamed Hillman Smith Motorsports |
| 2016 | Premium Motorsports buys the No. 40 operation; team closes |
| 2017 | Circle Sport returns after merging with The Motorsports Group |
