By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer
JD Motorsports with Gary Keller continues to develop young talent, signing Colby Howard for the bulk of the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.
Howard’s season will begin with the fourth race of the season at Phoenix Raceway. PMG and the Project Hope Foundation will help the 18-year-old in his NASCAR Xfinity Series program. PMG most recently helped Ryan Repko make his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in 2019.
The car number and additional partners for Howard will be announced later. He joins Jesse Little who was previously announced to run the full season for JD Motorsports.
“I am really looking forward to starting this season with JDM,” Howard admitted. “It’s going to be a steep learning curve for sure with all the new tracks on my schedule, but I’m sure we can handle it. My goal is to go out there and learn as much as I possibly can, all while aiming for solid Top 20 runs. This is a big step in my career, and I am excited to show what I am capable of.”
The Simpsonville, S.C. native made his NASCAR National Series debut last year in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series with Young’s Motorsports. His best finish was 21st at Phoenix Raceway. Howard earned a NASCAR Xfinity Series license following his 24th-place finish in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Howard also has four ARCA Menards Series starts. He earned a top-10 finish in all four of those starts with a career-best eighth at Salem Speedway.
At the local racing level, Howard has three runner-up point standing finishes in the track championship at Myrtle Beach Speedway, Montgomery Motor Speedway, and the Southeast Limited Late Model Series.
Howard also has one top-10 finish, ninth-place at Greenville-Pickens Speedway, in three CARS Late Model Stock Tour starts.