Unlikable Motorsports

#51 Car History
Noah Gragson has piloted the #51 car since the beginning of Okaycar in 2019. The car has always been sponsored by popular rideshare app Lyft, as they signed a lifetime contract with the team following Gragson's runner-up points finish in 2021.

2019-2020: Beginnings
Gragson started off 2019 by dominating the inaugural running of the Rolex 500, but falling short by running out of gas within the final 10 laps. He would finish 14th. He would earn the team's first ever podium the next week at Fontana, with a runner-up finish behind Matt Kenseth. Interestingly, immediately after crossing the finish line 2nd in this race, the engine expired. Gragson would go on to win his first career race at Pocono, and won again later in the season at Homestead, putting him in position to become Okaycar's first champion. He would come up short at Phoenix, finishing the season 3rd in points. Gragson would redeem himself from his misfortune in the 2019 Rolex 500 by coming up victorious in the wreck-filled 2020 Rolex 500, and leading the pro series points for the first and only time in his career. He would go on to collect two top 10s in the two races following his Rolex 500 victory, but this season would prove less successful for the #51 team, as he would finish 15th in points with his only win and podium of the season coming in the Rolex 500.

2021: Runner-up season
Gragson opened the season with a podium finish in the 2021 Rolex 500, however the beginning of the season was very rough following this and had a 20.0 average finish over the next 5 races. He would quickly rebound with a win in Okaycar's inaugural event at Texas, and with multiple strong performances over the next few weeks would find himself in a tight battle with Zelda Mosler for the title. He would ultimately come up 14 points short of his first championship.

2022-2024: Down years
Following Gragson's runner-up campaign in 2021, Rudy Fugle was brought on as crew chief of the #51 team to aid Gragson in achieving his full potential and winning a championship. Gragson would go on to win his second Texas race in a row in 2022, however despite being in mathematical contention for the title going into the season finale, he would finish 11th in points. In 2023, Gragson would sport a commemorative scheme dedicated to the one newly-retired competitor Roscoe Pepper had driven for much of his career. Despite scoring three 2nd place finishes during this season at Iowa, Watkins Glen, and the inaugural race at Canandaigua, this would be Gragson's worst career season to date, finishing 22nd in points and scoring only 4 top 10s all season. He would slightly rebound in 2024, finishing 18th in points and collecting 7 top 10s, including a second straight podium finish at Watkins Glen.

2025-2026: Return to prominence
Gragson continued to rebound in 2025, performing better overall and, at Watkins Glen, winning his first race in over 3 and a half years. He would return to competing for a championship in the final race, however he would endure some bad luck and finish the season 11th in points. Gragson would end up starting 2026 with three podium finishes in the first 5 races, and he wouldn't slow down. He'd go on to become the first driver in okaycar history to finish four races in a row in the same position, scoring 8th in four straight events. He would continue this level of consistency, and come the closest he's ever come to his first championship to date, coming up 7 points short of champion Daniil Kvyat.

2027: Record season
Despite a slow start to the 2027 season, Gragson would win the inaugural Okaycar race at Dover and collect a podium finish at Mosport soon after. He would go on to start what would become the hottest streak of his career with a win at Richmond, in a tight battle with fellow veteran driver Jesse Little. Controversy struck the team at Kansas when Gragson was involved in accidents with both Petronas Cabbage Racing drivers, Brittney Zamora and Christian Eckes, taking them both out of the race. Despite the race being dominated by Myatt Snider, Gragson would steal the win during a late-race pit cycle, earning consecutive wins for the first time in his career. He would follow this up by winning the pole at Watkins Glen, and running in the top 3 for much of the race with Zelda Mosler and teammate Zech Strumsky. However, he faded fast within the last few laps and came home in 9th. Going into the final race at Phoenix he would be in championship contention for the third straight season. In a mesmerizing duel with driver Dae-Yong Choe, he would collect his record fourth win of the season, and third win of the final four races. He would finish the season 3rd in points, one point behind Brittney Zamora and 14 points behind champion John Wes Townley.

#75 Car History
Fifty Seven hopped into the other pro series ride in 2028, making himself the first UMS pro series rookie since Zech Strumsky took over the ride in 2023.

2019: Chad Finley
Driver Chad Finley piloted the ride in UMS' inaugural campaign alongside Noah Gragson, driving a #33 Camry sponsored by Switch. This season would not prove to be a successful one for Finley, as he collected just two top 5s all season long and finished 18th in points. Finley would be released after just one season.

2020-2022: Austin Cindric era and only pro series championship
Austin Cindric was brought on in the 2020 season to drive the renumbered #22 Camry, with full sponsorship from the Ocean City Brewing Company. He would begin his career with a 9th place finish in the 2020 Rolex 500, while teammate Noah Gragson would win the race. Cindric would put together one of the most consistently good seasons in okaycar history, scoring 11 top 10s, 4 podiums, and an average finish of 8.9. He would proceed to win Unlikable's first and only pro series championship to date, despite not winning a single race all season long. He went into the final race one point behind competitor Joey Gase, and early misfortune for Gase in the season finale would clinch the title for Cindric before the race ended. Cindric and the #22 team had high hopes heading into 2021, hoping to repeat. However, this would prove to be one of the worst sophomore slumps in okaycar history, as he would finish 21st in points, scoring only three top 10s, including two runner-up finishes at Mosport and Phoenix respectively. Ocean City Brewing Company would suffer deep financial trouble in the 2021 offseason, and would end up folding completely, leaving Cindric without a sponsor. Toyota would step up for the former champion for the 2022 season, sticking Toyota Service Centers on the hood. The 2022 season would prove far better for Cindric and the #22 team, as despite a slow start to the season, he would score 2nd at Texas behind teammate Noah Gragson in UMS' only 1-2 finish in team history. He would follow this up with four more top 10s in a row, including scoring his first and only win in a dominating performance at Richmond. He would, again, be one point off the points lead behind familiar competitor Joey Gase heading into the season finale. However, misfortune struck Cindric in this race, as he would wreck multiple times en route to a 4th place points finish. He would proceed to retire after the 2022 campaign, taking his place as the owner of Unlikable Motorsports.

2023-2027: Zech Strumsky era
Following Cindric's promotion to owner of the team, dev series driver Zechariah "Zech" Strumsky was promoted to the pro series, in a renumbered #0 car. His performance in the dev series in 2022 earned him the seat, as he earned back-to-back wins at Texas and Martinsville(the latter under controversial circumstances) and finished the season 6th in points. Strumsky was very much affected by the major learning curve that comes with moving from the dev series to the pro series, as his 2023 season was the worst season for any driver in team history. He would finish 28th in points, scoring just two top 10s all season long and failing to qualify for the opening race at Bowman-Gray. Strumsky and the #0 team welcomed aboard new sponsor QuikTrip for 2024, and they would remain with the team through the duration of Strumsky's tenure. He would improve slightly in 2024, scoring three top 10s and his first career podium, finishing 20th in the points. 2025 would show even more improvement for the #0 team, as Strumsky would finish 12th in points, scoring 5 top 10s and nearly winning at Kansas and in the 2025 Rolex 500. Unfortunately, Strumsky would regress in 2026, finishing 21st in points. However, he would score his second career podium at Mosport, finishing a career-best 2nd. 2027 would be Strumsky's career-best season to date, as he would score his first career win at Road America, leading every lap in a dominating performance. For the first time in his career, he would be in contention for the championship heading into the final race. However, he would come up short, and finish 6th in points. Strumsky had declared a presidential run before the 2027 season started, and due to increased workload from the campaign, he would step down from his pro series ride, returning to the dev series starting in 2028.

2028-present: Fifty Seven era
F

2020: Charlie Kirk
With the introduction of the dev series in 2020, conservative spokesman of Turning Point USA Charlie Kirk took the wheel for Unlikable's inaugural dev stable, driving the #72 Camry. After nearly winning the inaugural dev race at Daytona before running out of fuel on the final lap, this would prove to be a challenging season, as Kirk would finish 10th in points out of 13 cars, scoring just one podium all season long. After the conclusion of the season, Kirk would come down with Charlie Kirk Syndrome, a fatal disease in which one's face shrinks to the point where they are no longer able to breathe. He passed away on April 15th, 2021.

2021-2022: Zech Strumsky era
Amateur rapper and philanthropist Zechariah "Zech" Strumsky was brought on to drive the renumbered #0 car, with sponsorship from Soundcloud and Etsy. While his racing career wouldn't start off very smoothly, he would score his first career podium at Michigan, and come within half a mile of winning his first career race at Iowa before being taken out on the final lap, finishing 8th. He would finish the 2021 season 13th in the standings. Strumsky and the #0 team would lose Soundcloud after a mediocre 2021, but due to the release of his album Lover Boy, the car would not be unsponsored. Following two lackluster performances to start the season, Strumsky would capture his first career win at Texas, in a miraculous run from 6th to 1st on the last restart. The following week at Martinsville, Flying Aces Racing driver Long Arm Larry would dominate, but a late caution put Strumsky in 2nd on the final restart with 6 to go. Strumsky appeared to jump the restart, as Larry didn't accelerate in the restart zone. Strumsky was not penalized, and proceeded to win his second race in a row, becoming only the second driver in dev series history to win back-to-back races. He would later score a podium finish at Watkins Glen, and close out the season with a 4th place outing at Phoenix, finishing 6th in points. This strong year would earn Strumsky a seat in the pro series, following former pro series champion Austin Cindric's promotion to team owner.

2023-2024: Father and son
Following Strumsky's promotion to the pro series, road course star Jacques Villeneuve was slated to drive a renumbered #38 car. However, due to a sponsorship dispute, Villeneuve was released from the team. Driver Joe Graf Jr. was tabbed to drive the #38 in 2023, on a one year deal with sponsorship from Dollar Tree. In just his third career start, Graf went from 3rd to 1st on the final lap in a breathtaking run to the finish against drivers Dick Mitch and Jimmy Spencer, collecting his first and only career win. After a few frustrating outings following the victory, Graf would bounce back at Richmond with a 4th place finish. In the penultimate race of the season at Watkins Glen, he was involved in a heartstopping crash where his car struck the butt end of the pit wall. He was killed on impact, suffering a basilar skull fracture. His car would be raced in spirit during the final race at Phoenix, and it would finish the season with a runner-up finish. The scene on pit road was incredibly moving, as his car rolled to a stop on pit road, but no one emerged. Joe Graf Jr. would be posthumously credited with a 5th place points finish in 2023. Following the season, Graf's biological son Joe Graf III emerged and expressed his intentions to run the #38 in honor of his late father. Despite Graf III's young age, he showed enormous potential, even dominating the Mosport event and coming close to winning at Watkins Glen as well. Joe Graf III would finish 11th in points, and would return 4 years later in 2028.

2025: Howie
Following the inaugural season of the Okaycar Strictly Stupid Series in the offseason, Unlikable Motorsports drafted driver Fifty Seven 6th overall in the strictly stupid draft. Fifty Seven was slated to take over the #38 dev series ride, renumbered to #75. However, the Okaycar Fall Brawl also took place during this offseason, and Unlikable prospect driver Howie excelled in this series, winning three races and eventually the championship. This would earn Howie a spot in the dev series, driving the #55 Mustang. Expectations were through the roof for the fall brawl champion, but expectations were not met at all. He would finish 23rd in the points, scoring only 2 top 10s with a best finish of 8th. Howie would be relieved of his dev duties immediately following the conclusion of the season.

2026-2027: Fifty Seven era and first dev series title
With the departure of Howie to the Okaycar truck series, Fifty Seven would get his shot. He would drive the renumbered #75 Mustang, and he stormed out of the gate, scoring a podium finish at Texas and winning at the Daytona short track the following week. He would remain in the fight for the championship all season long, and would come the closest an okaycar driver has EVER come to winning a championship, without winning it. Due to a dominating performance in the season finale by fellow title contender Chris Buescher, Fifty Seven and Buescher would tie for the points lead, with Seven losing the tiebreaker. Seven and Buescher would develop a rivalry due to this that would last into the 2028 season. Following this heartbreaking defeat, Fifty Seven headed into 2027 with redemption on his mind. For the second consecutive year, he would win at the Daytona short track and string together many great runs throughout the season. With two podium finishes to close out the season, and some misfortune by competitors Chad Chud and Spanky Keller, Fifty Seven would clinch his first championship, and Unlikable's first dev series title. Experts have called Fifty Seven's two year run in the dev series as the greatest two year run in series history, tying for the championship in his rookie season and winning it one season later. This would earn him a promotion to the pro series for 2028.

2028: Return of Zech Strumsky
Due to Zech Strumsky's presidential run getting serious in the election year of 2028, he forfeited his pro series ride and returned to the dev series in order to shift his focus towards winning the presidency. Strumsky would win the inaugural race event at AVUS, winning over driver Joe Exotic. Strumsky would finish the season 13th in points, before retiring.

2029: Cheyenne Suitland era
After Joe Graf III's success in his return to the dev series, it was discovered that Graf III's biological sister, Cheyenne Graf Suitland, had been driving late models and bandoleros in New Jersey for a while. After finishing 2nd in a photo finish during a late model race at Bridgeport Speedway between Suitland and former Okaycar competitor Tony Kanaan, Suitland had garnered the attention of Unlikable owner Austin Cindric, who offered the open dev series ride to Suitland, who accepted. Cheyenne Suitland would become Unlikable Motorsports' first female driver in team history. She would not start off the season very well, despite running up front in each of the first three races. She would turn over a new leaf at the Daytona short track, running as high as 2nd and finishing a career-best 8th place, while her younger brother scored his second career victory.

2021: Austin Dillon
Following the addition of two car dev series teams, Austin Dillon was brought on to pilot the #3 Camry, with sponsorship from Salisbury University. Despite an early podium finish at Charlotte, this would be one of the only highlights of Dillon's season, as he'd only collect four top 10s on the season and finish the season 18th in points. Dillon would be released at the conclusion of the season.

2022-2023: Johnny Sauter era
With the departure of Austin Dillon following a mediocre 2021, Johnny Sauter was hired to drive a renumbered #13 car with full sponsorship from German supermarket chain Aldi. Sauter would get off to a strong start with a top 10 and a podium finish in his first two races. He would score two more podiums on the year and finish a solid 7th place in points, one spot behind his teammate, Zech Strumsky. His performance would earn him another season, as Aldi would extend their primary sponsorship for two more seasons, through 2024. Following five lackluster performances to kick off 2023, Sauter would lead the most laps and dominate the race at Mosport before spinning out late, and finishing 11th. This would be the icing on the cake for one of the worst seasons in UMS team history, as Sauter would proceed to finish 24th in points, scoring just one top 10 all season long. Sauter was also subject to many rivalries and fights throughout this season, most notably one with Adore Motorsports Group driver Alvaro Suzuki. He would be released and later banned from the team.

2024: Takuma Sato
Newly-released pro series driver Takuma Sato from the Starr Racing stable would be hired to drive the renumbered #19 Mustang for the 2024 season, with Aldi remaining on the car through their contract. Sato had garnered a reputation as a reckless driver in his tenure with Starr, however in 2024 he would remain relatively clean. After racing the first 6 events without scoring a top 10 finish, Sato would close out the season with 4 straight top 10s, including a dominating performance at Phoenix in which he led all but the last three laps, suffering a heartbreaking defeat to driver Colton Herta. Sato's strong ending to the season propelled him to finish 6th in points, though he would be released following the season.

2025: Zlasty Drickle
Bulgarian driver Zlasty Drickle, from the Petronas Cabbage Racing stable, would get hired to drive a renumbered #35 Mustang with sponsorship from Best Buy for the 2025 season. Drickle's performance coupled with teammate Howie would combine for the worst performance from two drivers in one season in Unlikable team history, as Drickle would finish 21st in points with Howie in 23rd. The highlights of Drickle's season would be two crushing defeats in a row, one at the TS Superdrome and the other at Iowa, as he'd finish 5th and 2nd respectively in those events. Drickle would be traded to BjornSport at season's end.

2026: Sal Vulcano
Zlasty Drickle would be traded to BjornSport for former BjornSport team owner Sal Vulcano for the 2026 season. Sal would drive the renumbered #25 car, and would start the season strong with two top 5s in the first three races. Sal would be the only driver in the dev series this season to collect more than one Dude Wipes Halfway Point, and following two very strong outings in the final two events, Sal would finish the season 6th in points. Following this relatively strong season, Sal would be released and has yet to drive in any okaycar sanctioned event since.

2027: Tyler, the Creator
Professional rapper and musician Tyler, the Creator was brought on to drive a renumbered #12 Mustang for the 2027 season. The number 12 was chosen because the car was decorated for Tyler's album IGOR, and IGOR has 12 tracks, hence the number. Tyler would start strong, nearly winning at Texas and scoring two 7th place finishes immediately afterwards. However, this season would be marred by a horrifying crash at Iowa in which Tyler's car flipped and was impaled by the SAFER barrier. Tyler would be taken directly to a local hospital following this accident and would miss the following race at Evergreen. He was later found in the garage area at Talladega, directing his race team to "wrap the fucking car" referring to teammate Fifty Seven's backup car, so that he could return to racing that weekend. He would finish the season 13th in points, and would've been re-hired for another season, but according to sources he left a note on the front door of the Unlikable Motorsports HQ saying "gone, gone" and he hasn't been seen anywhere since.

2028-2029: Return of Joe Graf III and second dev series title
Joe Graf III, first son of the late Joe Graf Jr., returned to the Okaycar dev series in 2028, with full-time sponsorship from his father's sponsor Dollar Tree. Joe would start the season off very strong, scoring four top 10s and two top 5s in his first four races back, including his first career win at Milwaukee. This would propel him to the points lead early. He would put up less consistent results for the remainder of the season, but a 3rd place finish(and second career podium) at Mosport would give him the boost he needed to remain in championship contention heading into the final race of the season at Phoenix. Joe would contend up front throughout the entire race, including winning the crucial Dude Wipes Halfway Point. An exhilarating and thrilling battle between him and fellow championship contenders Joe Exotic and Dick Mitch Jr. would end with Graf III coming out on top, finishing 3rd ahead of, and winning his first championship. This would be Unlikable's second dev series title, with Graf III winning by one point over Exotic. This would earn Graf III another season in the #38 car, for 2029. Joe Graf III would begin 2029 with possibly the greatest start to a season any driver has ever had, scoring four podium finishes in each of the first four races, including a win at the Daytona Short Track. He would also qualify for his first pro series race in the 2029 Rolex 500, and nearly score another podium in that event, finishing 4th.