Joseph Clanton (born November 1, 1972) is an
American race car driver and businessman. He was the 2002 champion in the now-defunct
American Speed Association stock car series. He is also the owner of two
Zaxby's franchises.
Busch Series
Clanton made his debut in the then-
NASCAR Busch Series in the 2003
Hardee's 250 at
Richmond International Raceway. Driving the #27
Trim Spa Pontiac for
Brewco Motorsports, he started and finished 22nd. Clanton would drive in seventeen more races and earn one top 10 finish, a career-best 5th at
Pikes Peak. After the
Stacker 200, Clanton was replaced in the car by
Chase Montgomery, whom he had replaced earlier in the season. He has not returned to the series since then.
Craftsman Truck Series
In 2004, Clanton made his debut in the
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the #40
Chevrolet for
Key Motorsports. In his first race at
Daytona International Speedway, he crashed and finished 32nd. He also crashed the next race, finishing 31st at
Atlanta. Clanton would not return to the series until 2007, when he brought
Zaxby's sponsorship to the #09
Ford of
JTG Racing. Sharing the ride with
Stacy Compton, he ran in 16 of the 25 series events and earned five top 10s, including a career best of 6th at both
Daytona and
Atlanta.
During the offseason, it was announced that Clanton would take the sponsorship and number and run full-time for
Roush Fenway Racing in 2008. After crashing out of the season-opening...
Read More