American racing driver
NASCAR driver
Robert Lyons II (born January 22, 1989) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the ARCA Menards Series , driving the No. 42 Chevrolet SS for Cook Racing Technologies . He has also competed part-time NASCAR Xfinity Series and in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in the past.
Racing career
Early career
Lyons started his racing career at the age of six, racing dirt bikes . Lyons raced dirt bikes for over a decade, winning two Florida championships. [ 1] After injuring both legs in a crash when he was fifteen, Lyons quit bike racing at eighteen.[ 2] He then moved to Legends car racing [ 3] after seeing former motocross racer Ricky Carmichael transition.[ 4] After Legends cars, Lyons competed in the Pro All-Stars Series in 2014.[ 5] In December 2014, Lyons tested at Daytona International Speedway in an ARCA Racing Series car that was prepared by both Rick Ware Racing and MacDonald Motorsports .[ 6] In early 2015, Lyons joined Chad Finley and his team as a development driver to compete in the 2015 CARS Tour ;[ 7] Lyons wound up only running three of the races.[ 8] Lyons made a return to the CARS Tour in 2017[ 9] and also competed in the Short Track Nationals at Bristol Motor Speedway .[ 10]
NASCAR
Lyons announced on November 9, 2017 that he would be making his NASCAR debut in the Camping World Truck Series , driving for Premium Motorsports at Phoenix International Raceway .[ 11] His effort was led by former NASCAR driver Brian Keselowski as crew chief.[ 12] The pairing came together after Lyons and Premium owner Jay Robinson met at Charlotte Motor Speedway in fall 2017.[ 4] After accidents eliminated the majority of the field, Lyons finished 12th in his Truck debut.[ 13] In his debut, Lyons was almost wrecked by teammate Jason Hathaway near the end of the race but survived.[ 14] During the week after the Phoenix race, Lyons was approved for all of NASCAR 's 1.5-mile tracks, leading to a second race with Premium a week later for the Truck season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway ,[ 4] where he finished 24th.[ 15]
On January 23, 2018, it was announced that Lyons would drive Premium's No. 15 truck full-time in 2018.[ 16] However, Lyons was replaced by Reed Sorenson for Dover race due to sponsorship. He was scheduled to race in Texas before being pulled for Sorenson for health issues. Following medical tests in June, Lyons revealed he was suffering from neurological issues affecting his heart rate and blood pressure, forcing him out of competing in the month's races. Later on, after listening to Dale Earnhardt Jr. 's story about concussions, Lyons got treatment after recognizing symptoms and got treatment for concussions.[ 17] Eventually, Lyons and Premium split and in summer 2018, Lyons purchased his trucks, which debuted at Talladega Superspeedway with the number 33, owner points coming from Reaume Brothers Racing .[ 2] The Talladega truck was purchased from Josh Reaume , while Lyons also acquired a couple of old Brad Keselowski Racing chassis.[ 17]
Lyons during Xfinity Series practice at Daytona International Speedway in 2020.
In 2019, Lyons joined Chad Finley Racing for a part-time schedule in the No. 42 Silverado, sharing the truck with owner Chad Finley .[ 18] At the end of the season, he made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in the Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead–Miami Speedway with Rick Ware Racing .[ 19]
Lyons joined JD Motorsports for the first three Xfinity races in 2020.[ 20] He also raced at Talladega . He returned to the Truck Series in June at Pocono Raceway , driving for Diversified Motorsports Enterprises .[ 21]
In 2021, Lyons returned to the Xfinity Series, joining MBM Motorsports to drive their No. 61 Toyota for the season-opener at Daytona as well as the possibility of additional races later in the year.[ 22]
Personal life
Lyons grew up in Clearwater, Florida . He soon took after his dad Bob Lyons who was a well known drag racer and became a dirt bike racer until the age of 18. After moving to stock car racing, Lyons became good friends with Xfinity Series driver Garrett Smithley .[ 4] Lyons is also a user of the online racing simulator iRacing .[ 23] He graduated from Indian Rocks Christian School .[ 24]
Motorsports career results
NASCAR
(key ) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. )
Xfinity Series
Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series
ARCA Menards Series
(key ) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. ** – All laps led. )
* Season still in progress
1 Ineligible for series points
References
^ "Robby Lyons Joins Chad Finley Racing Driver Development For The 2015 Racing Season" . chadfinleyracing.com . Retrieved 2018-01-25 .
^ a b "#PETM164 - Tommy's Got a Gun!" . PETMpodcast.com . Retrieved 28 September 2018 .
^ "Robby Lyons to make NASCAR Truck debut at Phoenix" . Motorsport.com . Retrieved 2018-01-25 .
^ a b c d "Lyons eager to race in NASCAR" . Kickin' The Tires . 2017-11-21. Retrieved 2018-01-25 .
^ "2014 PASS" . www.proallstarsseries.com . Retrieved 2018-01-25 .
^ "Lyons lines up Daytona test as career stepping stone" . ARCA Racing . Retrieved 2018-01-25 .
^ "» Robby Lyons Joins Chad Finley Racing Driver Development For The 2015 Racing Season Welcome to Chad Finley Racing" . chadfinleyracing.com . Retrieved 2018-01-25 .
^ "Driver Robby Lyons 2015 CARS Super Late Model Tour Results - Racing-Reference.info" . racing-reference.info . Retrieved 2018-01-25 .
^ "Driver Robby Lyons 2017 CARS Super Late Model Tour Results - Racing-Reference.info" . racing-reference.info . Retrieved 2018-01-25 .
^ "Short Track U.S. Nationals Final Results" . www.bristolmotorspeedway.com . Retrieved 2018-01-25 .
^ "Robby Lyons to make NASCAR debut with Sunwest Construction and Barstool 49ers in Phoenix for Premium" . ESPN.com . Retrieved 2018-01-25 .
^ "Florida driver Robby Lyons to make Truck debut Friday at Phoenix" . NASCAR Talk . 2017-11-09. Retrieved 2018-01-25 .
^ "NCWTS: Robby Lyons Finishes 12th in Truck Debut – Rubbings Racing" . rubbingsracing.com . Retrieved 2018-01-25 .
^ "Lyons Savors His Shot In Wake Of Solid Debut" . Race Chaser Online . 2017-11-15. Archived from the original on January 26, 2018. Retrieved 2018-01-25 .
^ "Driver Robby Lyons 2015 CARS Super Late Model Tour Results - Racing-Reference.info" . racing-reference.info . Retrieved 2018-01-25 .
^ "Robby Lyons Ready to Go Full-Time Trucking – POPULAR SPEED" . www.popularspeed.com . Retrieved 2018-01-25 .
^ a b Gluck, Jeff. "The Driven Life: Robby Lyons on treating concussions" . JeffGluck.com . Retrieved 21 April 2019 .
^ Brooks, Amanda (December 5, 2018). "Chad Finley Racing set to increase Truck Series schedule" . Jayski's Silly Season Site . ESPN . Retrieved February 25, 2019 .
^ Handy, Sarah (November 12, 2019). "Robby Lyons to make Xfinity Series debut at Homestead-Miami" . Kickin' the Tires. Retrieved November 12, 2019 .
^ "Robby Lyons Joins JD Motorsports with Gary Keller for Three Races to Start Off the NASCAR Xfinity Series Season" . JD Motorsports . February 4, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2020 .
^ Knight, Chris (June 24, 2020). "Diversified Motorsports Enterprises adds Pocono Raceway to schedule" (Press release). Diversified Motorsports Enterprises . Retrieved June 25, 2020 .
^ Christie, Toby (February 5, 2021). "Robby Lyons Living the Dream by Running Daytona Xfinity Series Race, Possibly More With MBM" . TobyChristie.com .
^ "Eidson Wins Bristol With Two-Tire Formula - iRacing.com Motorsport Simulations" . www.iracing.com . Retrieved 2018-01-25 .
^ "7 Things We're Thankful For This Season" . Indian Rocks Christian School . 2017-11-21. Retrieved 2018-01-25 .
^ "Robby Lyons – 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 16, 2019 .
^ "Robby Lyons – 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 9, 2020 .
^ "Robby Lyons – 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 13, 2021 .
^ "Robby Lyons – 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 18, 2019 .
^ "Robby Lyons – 2018 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 18, 2019 .
^ "Robby Lyons – 2019 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 18, 2019 .
^ "Robby Lyons – 2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series Results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 6, 2020 .
^ "Robby Lyons – 2023 ARCA Menards Series results" . Racing-Reference . NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved February 23, 2023 .
External links
Personnel Xfinity Series
Former drivers Partnerships and affiliations Buyouts and mergers Formerly known as Davis Motorsports, D.D.L. Motorsports
Years active 2012–2020
Personnel Former drivers Partnerships and affiliations Formerly known as Team Little Racing and JJL Motorsports
Personnel NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Drivers Crew chiefs
(2) TBA
(22) TBA
(33) TBA
Former drivers Former personnel Partnerships and affiliations Related teams
Years active 2000–2020
Personnel Former drivers
NASCAR Hall of Fame Partnerships and affiliations Buyouts and mergers Formerly known as Jay Robinson Racing