Drivers' Bios
Jason Leffler
Personal Statistics:
Birthdate: Sept. 16, 1975
Hometown: Long Beach, Calif.
Residence: Mooresville, N.C.
Martial Status: Married, Alison.
Jason Leffler developed a passion for racing at an early age and it is that passion that has fueled his success over the years in many different levels of motorsports, from open-wheel to stock cars. Leffler, a three-time Midget National Champion, will make a run for his first NASCAR Busch Series title in 2007 piloting the No. 38 Great Clips Toyota Camry for Braun Racing.
When he was just 13 years old, Leffler started racing quarter-midgets at local tracks near his home of Long Beach, CA. Realizing both his passion and talent, he quickly advanced to the three-quarter-midgets and upon graduating from high school dedicated himself to his racing career and began racing midgets on a full-time basis. In 1997, in his first full season of competition, Leffler won the United States Auto Club (USAC) Midget National title. Over the next few years, Leffler's career skyrocketed as his success in the open-wheel ranks continued. In 1998, Leffler won his second Midget National title and added another championship trophy to his display case by winning the Silver Crown National Championship in his first full season of competition in the series.
1999 was a big year for Leffler, who went into the record books by becoming the first driver in 37 years to capture three consecutive National Midget titles. Having accomplished such tremendous success in open-wheel racing, Leffler felt ready for a new challenge and decided to test the waters of stock car racing. After being recruited by Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR), Leffler made his debut in the stock car world, competing in his first NASCAR Busch Series race at Indianapolis Raceway Park as well as the Auto Racing Club of America (ARCA) race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he caught the attention of many garage insiders by finishing posting a fifth place finish in his first start in the series.
Soon, Leffler decided to leave his open-wheel career to pursue one in NASCAR. In 2000, he competed in three NASCAR Busch Series races for JGR and the next year entered into his first full season of competition in the series. That first season was certainly something to be proud of - he started from the pole three times and scored two top-five and five top-10 finishes.
Leffler made the jump to the Nextel Cup Series in 2001, running a full season for Chip Ganassi Racing. In his rookie season of motorsports' elite series, Leffler captured his first pole at Kansas Speedway and finished fourth in the Rookie-of-the-Year battle.
A new opportunity presented itself to Leffler in 2002. Joining Ultra Motorsports to compete in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Leffler put down another impressive rookie performance by capturing eight poles, 11 top-five and 15 top-10's, finishing fourth in the championship standings. He saw similar success in his sophomore year in the series, capturing his first NASCAR victory when he won the Craftsman Truck Series race at Dover International Speedway. Despite being in the hunt for the championship that season, the fiercely competitive Leffler took advantage of the chance to return to NASCAR's premier series and compete in a limited number of Busch Series races as well as ten Nextel Cup races for HAAS/ CNC Racing. Leffler remained with HAAS/ CNC Racing through 2004, running the full NASCAR Busch Series schedule and notching his first NASCAR Busch Series victory at Nashville Superspeedway before returning to Joe Gibbs Racing for a brief time in 2005.
Mid-way through the 2005 season, Leffler teamed up with Braun Racing to pilot their entry in the NASCAR Busch Series for the remainder of the season. The partnership has proved to be a successful one. Last season, Leffler drove the No. 38, sponsored by Great Clips, to an impressive three top-five and seven-top 10 finishes, captured two Busch poles (Phoenix and Richmond) and finished 13th in the point standings.
Leffler returns to Braun Racing in 2007 with one goal in mind – to contend for the NASCAR Busch Series title. With the changes his team has undergone in preparation for the 2007 season, partnering with Toyota as well as expanding into a two-car operation, Leffler feels he has the perfect opportunity to accomplish that goal.
Jason Leffler in the Busch Series
Leffler's best season in the Busch Series was 2004, when he finished 12th in the points standings. Running a full season in 2007, he currently sits 20th in points (as of Darlington, May 13th), and has posted one top five and three top ten finishes. Four DNF's bring down his average finish to 24th, but the team is working hard and hopes to contend for the title once the year starts to come to an end.
Jason Leffler in the Cup Series
Leffler has started at least one race in five seasons of the Cup Series, from 2001 to 2005. His best years were those bookending years, where he started 30 races and 19 races, respectively, and posted average finishes of 28th in both seasons.
