Bayley Currey, With New Sponsor Alka-Seltzer, Looks To Succeed As An Underdog

Bayley Currey isn’t a name people recognize unless you follow Nascar closely. The underdog driver is in the midst of his first season for a small JD Motorsports group, the same one responsible for helping Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain and others get on the map.

Currey is known as one of the most determined people in the Nascar Xfinity Series, knowing the inner and outer components of his car. He’s been competing for small teams since 2017 in all three of Nascar’s top divisions, mostly with limited funding.

But like Chastain, Currey wants to be known as the guy who gets the most out of a little. That mentality and drive has led him to attract new sponsorship, some of it being with major corporate partners like Alka-Seltzer, which sponsored the No. 4 Chevrolet for the first time at Pocono Raceway, last month.

“It’s been cool to be part of this process, having not done anything quite like that before,” Currey said. “It’s cool to see that side of it and how big companies make it worth their time and money to be part of our team.”

For the first time, Currey is living the life of someone who has to do major sponsor appearances, running around between autograph sessions and handing out products to fans, as well as meeting with company executives, who can quite well determine his future if they like him.

It’s a whirlwind of emotions for Currey, who is the one person Alka-Seltzer picked to return back to Nascar after being away from the sport for almost two decades. To do so with a small team and a rather unknown driver shows Currey’s potential.

“I wouldn’t say it’s pressure, but it’s a privilege,” Currey said of welcoming Alka-Seltzer back to Nascar. “Normally, when a company leaves, they’re gone. It’s been really cool to bring them back and show them what we’re all about.”

Currey scored his first top-10 finish of the season at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in mid-July.He’s hoping the added sponsorship between Alka-Seltzer and Hy-Vee, which joined the No. 4 team at Indianapolis,will elevate his team to compete for more top 10s.

Currey said, “I go out there and try as hard as I can every week, whether the car is blank red or if we have Alka-Seltzer or Hy-Vee on the car. We always go out there and try to do the best job we can as a team. You always want to do better than the last time and keep moving forward.”

Now, the focus is on continuing to make the most out of a little for Currey. His car hasn’t been a bare red since early July, and he wants to keep it that way.

Most of all, Currey is absorbing as much information as possible.

“Me and the guys at the shop work really hard all week to put the best car out there that we can,” he said. “I feel like it’s been showing. I’ve been in the series for a while now, so it helps to have that experience.

“If you go to some of these places like road courses, which I haven’t been to much, it makes it harder. I haven’t been good at qualifying at places like that, but during the race, I learn as much as I can to be there at the end.”

This weekend at Watkins Glen International, Currey will be sponsored by Hy-Vee. In one start at the track – coming last year – he finished 32nd for Mike Harmon Racing.