Mike Harmon Racing Overview
Mike Harmon Racing is an American professional stock car racing team that competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Founded in 2005 and based in Denver, North Carolina, the team fields the No. 74 Chevrolet and Toyota entries under the leadership of owner Mike Harmon alongside co-owners Michael Clayton Sr. and Gary Keller. The organization has built a reputation as a small, independent operation that gives seat time to a rotating roster of up-and-coming and veteran drivers. Although the team has yet to record a race victory or a championship across any of its three national series, it has remained active for two decades and continues to enter races on a part-time basis.
The team’s identity is rooted in opportunity and durability. Mike Harmon Racing has historically fielded cars for paying drivers, road-course ringers, and part-time entrants while operating out of a modest shop in the Charlotte-region motorsports corridor. Sponsors such as SAVE22, Realty.com, and Veterans Motorsports Inc. have supported the program, and the team has run cars built by Chevrolet and Toyota across both series.
Founding and Organizational Origins
The organization traces its roots to 2005, when it debuted in the ARCA Menards Series at Pocono Raceway with Art Seeger driving the No. 78 car. Founder Mike Harmon partnered with Donnie Richardson and Eddie Netzloff in the team’s first two years, and the operation was known as Richardson-Netzloff-Harmon Racing during the 2007 season. The early program was built around owner-driver Harmon, who personally competed in many of the team’s entries to keep the operation running while developing a small shop and limited crew structure.
In 2008 the team was renamed Elite 2 Racing as Harmon streamlined ownership and focused resources on a single car number. By 2009 Harmon had become sole owner and rebranded the organization Mike Harmon Racing, a name that stuck for nearly fifteen years. The team expanded into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series that same year, debuting the No. 42 truck, and gradually added partners and supporters as its schedule grew.
Growth Into NASCAR Competition
Mike Harmon Racing first entered the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2007 with the No. 44 entry, attempting twelve races that debut year. Harmon drove eight of those races, with Johnny Borneman III and Jennifer Jo Cobb making additional starts, and the team failed to qualify for half of its attempted events. Despite the modest results, the program gained experience on superspeedways, intermediate tracks, and short ovals, building the foundation needed to expand.
The team’s growth continued through alliances with other independent operations, including partnerships with Rick Ware Racing, Oostlander Racing, and Darrell Basham Racing. By 2011 Harmon had settled on the No. 74 as the team’s flagship number, running primarily start-and-park entries while gradually adding drivers willing to race the car competitively. Truck Series expansion followed in 2009 with the No. 42, and by 2011 the No. 74 truck had become a regular part-time entry. These moves established Mike Harmon Racing as a dependable platform for owner-drivers, ringers, and developmental talent across both national series.
Mike Harmon Racing Competitive Journey
Across more than 480 combined starts in the ARCA Menards Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Mike Harmon Racing has built a long, consistent presence on the grid without securing a victory. The team’s progression has been defined by endurance, frequent driver turnover, and an ability to continue fielding entries season after season from a small Denver, North Carolina base.
Early Seasons and Development (2005–2010)
From 2005 through 2010, Mike Harmon Racing operated as a developmental outlet for its owner and a small group of part-time drivers. The ARCA program opened the door at Pocono in 2005, and the Xfinity program began in 2007 under the Richardson-Netzloff-Harmon banner. The team cycled through numbers including the No. 38, No. 44, No. 48, No. 78, and No. 84 during this period, with Harmon himself behind the wheel for most of the starts. Highlights were modest, including a top-ten Xfinity finish at Pocono in 2007, but the experience laid the groundwork for the next phase of growth.
The team’s Truck Series debut arrived in 2009 with the No. 42 at Memphis, where Harmon failed to qualify at Talladega but completed several additional starts. By the end of 2010 the team had developed a working shop, identified its preferred manufacturers in Chevrolet, and built a reputation as a flexible independent prepared to enter races with a variety of drivers and limited resources.
Breakthrough in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (2011–2020)
The 2011 season marked the debut of the No. 74, the number that would come to define the team. Harmon ran fourteen races in the entry, often parking the car early, with J. J. Yeley adding two starts. Over the following decade the No. 74 hosted dozens of drivers, including Kevin Lepage, Rick Crawford, David Green, Scott Riggs, Juan Carlos Blum, Danny Efland, Carl Long, and Kevin O’Connell. In 2013 the team began racing rather than simply starting and parking, and O’Connell scored a 22nd-place lead-lap finish at Road America, while Harmon recorded a 17th-place result at Daytona.
The team’s most competitive stretch came in the early 2020s. In 2020 the No. 47 was added as a second car, driven primarily by Joe Nemechek and Kyle Weatherman, and the team posted its highest owner-points finish of 30th. A high-profile setback occurred in August 2020 when the No. 47’s hauler, race car, and pit equipment were stolen from a Cracker Barrel parking lot in Kingsland, Georgia, with losses estimated at roughly US$400,000; the items had not been recovered by 2022 despite a US$10,000 reward. In 2021 Bayley Currey became the first MHR driver to deliver a top-ten Xfinity finish, crossing seventh at Phoenix Raceway in the No. 74, before being replaced mid-season by Jesse Iwuji.
Breakthrough in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (2011–Present)
The Truck Series program grew steadily after the No. 74 truck debuted in 2011. Harmon ran the majority of the team’s starts through the mid-2010s, supplemented by drivers including Wheeler Boys, Rick Crawford, Brian Weber, Scott Riggs, and Tim Andrews. In 2014 Wendell Chavous and Jordan Anderson added seat time, and Anderson returned in 2015 for nineteen starts, becoming one of the team’s most frequent Truck Series drivers. Later seasons featured entries for Paige Decker, Tim Viens, Cassie Gannis, Joe Hudson, and B. J. McLeod, with the team leaning on Bolen Motorsports owner points for the No. 66 in 2016 and a brief alliance with Brandonbilt Motorsports.
After several quiet years, the Truck program was reactivated in 2025 with Dawson Cram and Caleb Costner announced as drivers of the No. 74 Toyota at Pocono Raceway and Richmond Raceway, respectively. Cram finished 32nd in his first race back at Pocono, signaling a renewed commitment to the series.
Modern Program and Current Direction (2021–Present)
The modern era of Mike Harmon Racing has been shaped by an expanded ownership group and a wider pool of sponsors and partners. In 2023 former JD Motorsports co-owner Gary Keller and Michael Clayton Sr. joined Mike Harmon as co-owners, providing additional resources as the team rebranded around its core No. 74 entry. Sponsorship from SAVE22, Realty.com, and Veterans Motorsports Inc. has supported the program, and a 2017 partnership with Veterans Motorsports even led the team to hire veterans as crew members.
In the Xfinity Series the team has fielded drivers including Kyle Weatherman, Brennan Poole, Ryan Vargas, Stanton Barrett, Jade Buford, Carson Ware, and Dawson Cram, with Cram and Ware listed as the current No. 74 drivers. In the Truck Series Cram, Boston Oliver, and Caleb Costner have been announced for 2025 starts in the No. 74 Toyota. The team has also navigated NASCAR discipline, including a 2021 testing violation that initially cost the organization 75 owner and driver points before a successful appeal in early 2022 rescinded the suspension and fine.
Philosophy and Competitive Strengths
Mike Harmon Racing positions itself as an opportunity-driven independent built around flexibility and affordability. The team excels at placing owner-drivers, road-course specialists, and developmental talent into national series events, often accepting lower expectations in exchange for seat time. Its strength lies in adaptability, the ability to run start-and-park entries when needed, and a willingness to race competitively when funding allows.
Key Milestones and Major Moments
Key milestones include the team’s ARCA debut at Pocono in 2005, the 2007 Xfinity Series launch, the 2009 Truck Series expansion, the introduction of the iconic No. 74 in 2011, Bayley Currey’s seventh-place finish at Phoenix in 2021, the 30th-place owner-points result in 2020, the 2023 ownership expansion, and the return of the Truck Series program at Pocono in 2025. Notable incidents include the 2020 theft of the No. 47 hauler and equipment and the 2021 testing-violation penalty that was ultimately overturned on appeal.
Mike Harmon Racing Achievements and Results
Mike Harmon Racing has compiled more than 480 combined starts across the ARCA Menards Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series without recording a victory, pole position, or Drivers’ Championship. The organization’s verified record includes 353 Xfinity starts, 83 Truck starts, and 45 ARCA starts, with the No. 74 serving as the team’s most enduring and recognizable number. While silverware has eluded the program, the team’s longevity and ability to keep cars on the grid remain notable achievements in a sport dominated by well-funded operations.
NASCAR Xfinity Series Achievements
Across 353 Xfinity Series starts, Mike Harmon Racing has earned zero victories and zero pole positions. The team’s highest owner-points finish was 30th in 2020, while its best on-track result came from Bayley Currey’s seventh-place finish at Phoenix Raceway in 2021. Other milestones include Weatherman’s 24th-place run in driver standings during the 2021 season and the introduction of a second full-time car that same year.
Conference Achievements
As an independent single-car operation, Mike Harmon Racing has not claimed conference-level titles or notable conference-wide honors. The team’s conference results are best reflected in its owner-points standings, where finishes inside the top 35 have been rare but achievable during full or near-full schedules.
Divisional Achievements
Mike Harmon Racing has not recorded divisional championships or divisional titles. The team’s divisional impact is best measured by its consistent presence in owner-points standings and its role in developing drivers capable of moving to larger teams, including Jordan Anderson and Kyle Weatherman.
Series Achievements
Across the ARCA Menards Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Mike Harmon Racing has accumulated 45 ARCA starts, 353 Xfinity starts, and 83 Truck starts. The team’s debut in ARCA at Pocono in 2005, in the Xfinity Series at Nashville in 2007, and in the Truck Series at Memphis in 2009 each mark key entry points in its series-by-series development.