Brian Weber enters first NASCAR Xfinity race since 2003

The last time Brian Weber raced in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, it was the Busch Series, the playoff system was a year away from being introduced to the Cup Series, and Jimmie Johnson was just a hotshot Cup sophomore whose trajectory to legendary status had yet to be experienced.

Twenty years later, Weber hopes to make his return in Saturday’s race at Phoenix Raceway. He will drive the #66 Ford Mustang for MBM Motorsports.

Weber first competed in the Xfinity Series in 1988 at IRP, where he drove his own Buick to a finish of thirty-first; should he make the Phoenix race, he will be the last active driver to have raced for the manufacturer, which exited NASCAR in 1995 though factory support ended four years prior. Over a decade later, he made nineteen starts in 2001 and 2002 mainly for his own operation with a best finish of twenty-fifth on three occasions (Bristol and Nazareth in 2002, Gateway in 2003).

He returned to NASCAR’s top three divisions in 2010 when he entered two races with Daisy Ramirez Motorsports, a team for whom MBM owner Carl Long also raced. His last national series event was a twenty-sixth at Phoenix in 2012 for Mike Harmon Racing.

While Weber did not made a NASCAR start in the ten years since, he continued to race in modified cars in the Southern Modified Auto Racing Tour and Carolina Crate Modified Series. He is also an entrepreneur who recently launched Last Option Bed, an inflatable bed line for airline travellers which will sponsor his #66.

2023 will be Weber’s final season of regular competiton before retiring.

“I mentioned to Carl a few weeks back my helmet was being put away at the end of the year, and yet, here we are,” said Weber. “I have had forty years of memories in this sport, from my Busch North days to racing my first Xfinity race in 1988 with some of the greatest drivers ever. I am excited to have these events close this chapter of my life my way with God’s blessings and grace.”

while he never raced at Phoenix at the Xfinity level, Weber has two Truck starts there including the aforementioned 2012 run. He finished twenty-fifth for DSM in 2010.

MBM is fielding the #66 for multiple drivers, though the season has gotten off to a poor start as Dexter Stacey and Mason Maggio respectively failed to qualify at Daytona and Las Vegas. Timmy Hill made the Fontana race in the #66 and finished thirty-second. Despite Maggio missing Las Vegas, the car saw action anyway after being repurposed as the Emerling-Gase Motorsports #53 for use by Patrick Emerling, who placed thirty-fourth.