Josh Bilicki
Josh Bilicki | |||||||
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Bilicki at Road America in 2016 | |||||||
Born |
Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin | June 3, 1995||||||
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
3 races run over 2 years | |||||||
Car no., team | No. 51 (Rick Ware Racing) | ||||||
2017 position | 65th | ||||||
Best finish | 65th (2017) | ||||||
First race | 2017 Toyota/Save Mart 350 (Sonoma) | ||||||
Last race | 2018 Go Bowling at The Glen (Watkins Glen) | ||||||
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NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
36 races run over 3 years | |||||||
Car no., team | No. 45 (JP Motorsports) | ||||||
2017 position | 44th | ||||||
Best finish | 44th (2017) | ||||||
First race | 2016 Road America 180 (Road America) | ||||||
Last race | 2018 Bar Harbor 200 (Dover) | ||||||
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Statistics current as of October 6, 2018. |
Josh Bilicki (born June 3, 1995) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry for JP Motorsports, and part-time in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 51 Ford Fusion for Rick Ware Racing.
Racing career
Early years
Starting with kid-karts at age four, Bilicki quickly moved through the ranks and into the next classes.[1] After several years in kid-karts and the Yamaha 100cc engine class, he moved to 80cc Shifter Karts. Bilicki showed his dominance quickly by winning many regional and national races, including the 2008 Road America SKUSA Super-Nationals, which brought competition from across the globe. Several times he even competed against and beat faster 125cc Shifter Karts. In 2011, Bilicki made the jump to 125cc Shifter Karts, and in 2012 Bilicki was recognized and brought on board the Andrew Chase Racing-PCR team, competing in the Midwest Shifter Kart Series in a brand new PCR Shifter Kart.[2]
Sports cars
After racing Shifter Karts at a top level for nearly five years, Bilicki made the transition to sportscars at age fifteen in 2011, beginning with Spec Miata and the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). Within his first year of sportscar racing, he proved himself once again by earning two pole positions, four top-five finishing positions, and three podiums. After earning his national racing license in 2012, Bilicki began racing the SCCA Majors Tour and has qualified for the famed SCCA National Championship Runoffs every attempt tried. 2012 also marked his debut in an Area Sportsman Stock Car at a local circle track, Jefferson Speedway.
After several successful years of racing Spec Miata nationally, 2015 marked Bilicki's first year of professional sportscar racing in the IMSA Continental Tire Sportscar Challenge. He also raced a Spec Miata in the SCCA U.S. Majors Tour.
NASCAR
Bilicki debuted in the Xfinity Series with Obaika Racing at Road America in 2016. In a blog post, he said that he got his ride by contacting teams that had "TBA" on the entry list the week of the race, and he got a call back from Obaika, offering him a spot.[3] Unfortunately, a crash in qualifying and a dead battery during the race derailed his weekend at his home track, and he finished 38th.[4] Bilicki returned to Obaika Racing, albeit this time in the No. 97, for the Ticket Galaxy 200, his first oval start since 2012.[5] Starting last in the 40-car field, he avoided trouble and worked his way up to 28th position. He continued his stint with Obaika for the Ford EcoBoost 300, staying in the 97 car alongside Ryan Ellis in Obaika's other entry, the No. 77.[6] Bilicki started 37th and finished 34th.
Bilicki returned to the No. 77 in 2017, along with other races planned with Obaika.[7] In April, Bilicki announced he would make his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut in June's Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway, driving the No. 51 for Rick Ware Racing.[8] After starting 33rd, he finished 36th.[9] Bilicki also drove an Xfinity Series race at Michigan International Speedway for MBM Motorsports[10], finishing 27th. He ran another race for Rick Ware Racing in Cup, but it was not the second road course race as planned. Instead, Bilicki made his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series oval debut at New Hampshire.[11] Later in the season, he signed a deal to run all three of the Xfinity road courses for B. J. McLeod Motorsports, running the organization's No. 8 entry.[12] After pit road speeding penalties at Watkins Glen and a crash at Mid-Ohio, Bilicki ran down Elliott Sadler in the final green flag run to finish twelfth at his home track, Road America.[13] He continued his relationship with McLeod a couple weeks later, driving the team's flagship No. 78 at Chicagoland Speedway.[14]
On February 5, 2018, it was announced that Bilicki would attempt the full Xfinity season for startup team JP Motorsports, bringing with him previous sponsor Prevagen to the No. 45.[15] He didn’t qualify for the season opener at Daytona International Speedway, nor at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Personal life
Bilicki works as a driving coach and instructor when he is not behind the wheel. He is close friends with fellow NASCAR driver Camden Murphy.
Motorsports career results
SCCA National Championship Runoffs
Year | Track | Car | Engine | Class | Finish | Start | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | Road America | Mazda Miata | Mazda | Spec Miata | 16 | 20 | Running |
2013 | Road America | Mazda Miata | Mazda | Spec Miata | 34 | 39 | Running |
2015 | Daytona | Mazda Miata | Mazda | Spec Miata | 55 | 43 | Running |
NASCAR
(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
Monster Energy Cup Series
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | MENCC | Pts | |||
2017 | Rick Ware Racing | 51 | Chevy | DAY | ATL | LVS | PHO | CAL | MAR | TEX | BRI | RCH | TAL | KAN | CLT | DOV | POC | MCH | SON 36 |
DAY | KEN | NHA 36 |
IND | POC | GLN | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | CHI | NHA | DOV | CLT | TAL | KAN | MAR | TEX | PHO | HOM | 65th | 01 | |||
2018 | Ford | DAY | ATL | LVS | PHO | CAL | MAR | TEX | BRI | RCH | TAL | DOV | KAN | CLT | POC | MCH | SON | CHI | DAY | KEN | NHA | POC | GLN 36 |
MCH | BRI | DAR | IND | LVS | RCH | CLT | DOV | TAL | KAN | MAR | TEX | PHO | HOM | -* | 01* |
Xfinity Series
NASCAR Xfinity Series results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | NXSC | Pts | |||
2016 | Obaika Racing | 77 | Chevy | DAY | ATL | LVS | PHO | CAL | TEX | BRI | RCH | TAL | DOV | CLT | POC | MCH | IOW | DAY | KEN | NHA | IND | IOW | GLN | MOH | BRI | ROA 38 |
DAR | RCH | CHI | KEN | DOV | CLT | KAN | TEX | 62nd | 23 | |||||
97 | PHO 28 |
HOM 34 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2017 | 77 | DAY | ATL | LVS DNQ |
PHO | CAL | TEX | BRI | RCH | TAL | CLT | DOV | POC | 44th | 63 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
MBM Motorsports | 40 | Chevy | MCH 27 |
IOW | DAY | KEN | NHA | IND | IOW | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
B. J. McLeod Motorsports | 8 | Chevy | GLN 28 |
MOH 29 |
BRI | ROA 12 |
DAR | RCH | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
78 | CHI 34 |
KEN | DOV 30 |
CLT | KAN | TEX | PHO | HOM | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2018 | JP Motorsports | 45 | Toyota | DAY DNQ |
ATL DNQ |
LVS 28 |
PHO 32 |
CAL 32 |
TEX 24 |
BRI 32 |
RCH 33 |
TAL 28 |
DOV 29 |
CLT 25 |
POC 29 |
MCH 27 |
IOW 36 |
CHI 35 |
DAY 40 |
KEN 28 |
NHA 34 |
IOW 40 |
GLN 32 |
MOH 20 |
BRI 35 |
ROA 30 |
DAR 28 |
IND 38 |
LVS 27 |
RCH 30 |
CLT 24 |
DOV 31 |
KAN | TEX | PHO | HOM | -* | -* |
* Season still in progress
1 Ineligible for series points
References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Josh Bilicki. |
- ↑ "Slinger High School graduate Josh Bilicki races with the nation's best". FOX6Now.com. 2013-07-29. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
- ↑ "10 Questions with Josh Bilicki – SCCA US Majors driver". 2014-08-06. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
- ↑ "Behind the Wheel – Josh Bilicki Blogs About His Xfinity Series Debuet". 2016-09-01. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
- ↑ "Josh Bilicki 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2016-09-14.
- ↑ "NASCAR Xfinity: Josh Bilicki makes series oval debut at Phoenix | Maximum Sports Channels". Maximum Sports Channels. 2016-11-12. Retrieved 2016-12-15.
- ↑ "Drivers announced for Obaika Racing in NASCAR XFINITY Series Race at Homestead-Miami Speedway". Catchfence. Retrieved 2016-12-15.
- ↑ "Kallmann: With debut set, Ty Majeski's NASCAR plans taking shape". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
- ↑ "Josh Bilicki joins Rick Ware Racing Cup program for Sonoma, Watkins Glen". Josh Bilicki. April 14, 2017. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
- ↑ "2017 Toyota / Save Mart 350". Racing-Reference. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
- ↑ "The Podium Finish: Josh Bilicki Strives NASCAR Career". The Podium Finish. 2017-06-17. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
- ↑ "Driver Josh Bilicki 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Results - Racing-Reference.info". racing-reference.info. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
- ↑ Bioscience, Quincy. "Prevagen To Sponsor Josh Bilicki And B.J. McLeod Motorsports For NASCAR XFINITY Series Road Courses". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
- ↑ "Clements wins 1st career NASCAR race at Road America". www.gmtoday.com. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
- ↑ "Prevagen Extends Josh Bilicki Sponsorship; Celebrates Ten Years of Prevagen at NASCAR Chicagoland 300". Retrieved 2017-09-15.
- ↑ "Josh Bilicki joins JP Motorsports". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-02-05.
External links
- Josh Bilicki driver statistics at Racing-Reference