By Aaron Bearden, Motorsports Editor
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — When Jordan Anderson first emerged from his No. 3 Jordan Anderson Racing Toyota, he was filled with disbelief.
Not just that he had managed a top 10 at Daytona International Speedway, but that he was there to compete in the race at all.
“The second week of January I had $190 in my bank account,” Anderson said afterward, recounting the tumultuous offseason that led to him forming his own Truck Series team.
“I didn’t know if this was going to happen. A couple people stepped up to get us here – get us motors and get us trucks. Me and my family gave everything we had to be here, to make this team come to reality. We did the unveiling on January 31st at the (NASCAR) Hall of Fame.”
Anderson survived a gauntlet of multi-truck crashes and his own last-lap spin to claim a ninth-place finish in Friday’s NextEra Energy Resources 250 – his first top 10 in a NASCAR national series after a combined 71 starts.
“I can’t believe it. Daytona,” Anderson said. “This place is so special for so many reasons. I first came here in 2015 trying to make a career in the sport, and worked so hard the past several years.
“I’m absolutely blessed. I’ve got a lot of awesome people around me that have sacrificed a lot, that have given so much to make this team a reality. This was just a dream that we had back in October, November of last year.”
The run came at a critical time for Anderson, following the latest chapter in a career that’s been filled with determination amid challenging circumstances.
The Forest Acres, S.C. native had hopped around the NASCAR garage since his 2014 national series debut – competing in partial seasons for a handful of different owners. Along the way the 27-year-old had made connections, garnering sponsorships and equipment from groups like Bommarito Auto Group, Jacob Companies and Lucas Oil as he attempted to build his name.
When times got tough, Anderson turned to the NASCAR fanbase. After a difficult crash at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Anderson launched a “Fueled by Fans” initiative that allowed those interested to donate to his team for the opportunity to see Anderson on-track in a vehicle with their name on it.
The run helped save both the team and his career.
“If we didn’t have the fans’ help to get our truck going after our Atlanta crash last year, none of this would be here,” Anderson said. “It’s so cool to have 3-400 people that were part of that Fueled by Fans program that supported (us). We got that top 10 because of them.”
That program helped carry Anderson through the 2017 season, but he needed something more for 2018. His old opportunities appeared to be a lost cause, so in their place the journeyman elected to make his own team, operating out of the Niece Motorsports race shop.
With financial backing Anderson was able to put together a small fleet of trucks for the season. But the South Carolinian had only one superspeedway machine, meaning he needed to be cautious in the attrition-filled Daytona run.
“We knew coming into the night that we needed to survive the first two segments, so we laid back,” Anderson said. “We actually lost the draft in the second segment. We just knew that we needed to survive and be there for the last segment.”
It was only when most of the mayhem had passed and his truck was still in one piece that Anderson elected to strive for a strong finish.
“We had a couple really close calls, and I think we restarted 13th or 14th there with like 20 to go,” he said. “I’m like, ‘Let’s go for it. Let’s see what we can do.'”
Once he stopped racing conservatively, Anderson proved capable of marching through the depleted Truck Series field. He took the white flag in fifth, and coming off of Turn 4 he appeared to be in position to claim his first top five.
Then there was contact.
With the field devoid of lead-lap trucks a top 10 was essentially sown up for Anderson at that stage. But a torn up race truck could have caused serious financial impairment that outweighed the gain from the result.
Anderson spun through a section of the infield grass, but didn’t tear up his splitter. He corrected and spun back up to the racing surface, but was able to control his truck and keep it off of the wall.
In the end the spin costed him a few positions, but the truck ended the night in one piece.
“I thought we were going to have a top five for a few seconds,” Anderson said. “We got hit in the right rear and all that dirt racing I got a couple years ago came to work.
“I hope Daytona’s not mad that I messed the grass up for the (Daytona) 500 on Sunday.”
His strong night confirmed, Anderson pulled his No. 3 onto pit road. He climbed out of his truck to a small crowd, each eager to congratulate him on a successful race with a hug or a handshake.
After taking the time to acknowledge each of them, Anderson looked around himself and smiled.
In the midst of a career defined by adversity and struggle, he finally had cause for optimism and celebration.
“This makes it all worth it,” Anderson said.
“I love the sport. I love the opportunity to be here. Hopefully this was one for the underdogs tonight.”
Great job Jordan…Love to watch you race and will be he for you always
I have never been more excited for a driver to come home inside the top ten because there’s not another driver I follow that has worked so hard to make it happen.
I’ve been an Anderson fan for 3 years. This was extremely gratifying.