Forgotten NASCAR Scandal: Craziest Sponsorship Scam That Had Kyle Busch Filing a $650,000 Lawsuit Claim
NASCAR has had its fair share of wild stories, but few are as jaw-dropping as the Justin Boston-Zloop saga from the 2010s. This one had it all: a young, talented racer, a flashy sponsorship deal, and a $25 million fraud scheme that rocked the racing world. What started as a dream of making it big in NASCAR ended in lawsuits, bankruptcy, and a courtroom drama that revealed just how far some people will go to live the high life.
At the center of it all was a father who wanted to give his son a shot at racing glory, a startup company that looked great on paper, and a series of bad decisions that left tracks, teams, and investors holding the bag. Letâs rewind the clock and break down one of NASCARâs most insane scandalsâand the fallout that followed.
Justin Bostonâs NASCAR break and the too-good-to-be-true sponsorshipADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Justin Bostonâs path to NASCAR wasnât exactly unusual at first. He started with a love for speed, tearing up the motocross scene before injuries pushed him to stock cars. After his parents gifted him a dirt bike early on, Boston garnered a lot of attention. there were sponsors ready to come on board as he started in the world of stock-car racing. By the early 2010s, he was grinding his way through the ranks, showing promise in ARCA with two wins and a ton of speed in 2014. His big break came in 2015 when he signed with Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) to drive the No. 54 truck.
Behind the scenes, Bostonâs career wasnât just built on talentâit was bankrolled by Zloop, a company his father, Robert Boston, founded. Zloop wasnât just any sponsor; it was flashy, loud, and ambitious. The electronics recycling startup poured millions into NASCAR sponsorships, putting Justin in competitive cars and turning heads with its presence. But things started going south quickly. By mid-2015, Zloop was missing sponsorship payments to KBM. Kyle Buschâs team filed a $650,000 lawsuit, and that was just the beginning. As the lawsuits piled up, the real story of Zloop started to come to lightâand it wasnât pretty.
via Getty
Turns out, Zloop wasnât the game-changing company it claimed to be. Instead of investing in the business, Robert Boston was funneling investor money into his sonâs racing career and his own lavish lifestyle. Weâre talking private jets, luxury real estate, and even a private islandâall labeled as âbusiness expenses.â Things hit rock bottom when Zloop declared bankruptcy in 2015, leaving millions in unpaid bills to NASCAR tracks like Bristol and Kentucky Speedway. Investors werenât buying Bostonâs excuses anymore. They accused him of flat-out lying about the companyâs success to keep the cash flowing. As the prosecutor explained during the trial, â[They] spent more on their marketing than they did over their entire operational revenue.â
In 2017, a jury found Robert Boston guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, securities fraud, and money laundering. The numbers were staggering: over $25 million in fraud, with more than $6 million funneled into Justinâs racing efforts. Boston was sentenced to 10 years in prison, and his co-founder, Robert LeBarge, got two years for his part in the mess. Justin Boston himself wasnât charged with anything. He was in his early 20s at the time, and many people argue he was just a kid caught in his fatherâs web. Still, others canât help but question if he really didnât know what was going on.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Where is Boston now? TrendingJustin Boston had the talent to make it in NASCARâthat much is clear. He had wins in ARCA, showed flashes of potential in NASCAR, and couldâve had a real shot if things had gone differently. But his fatherâs actions and the chaos that followed will always overshadow his career. Boston had strong numbers in every single league he raced in. In the two races, he was a part of Joe Gibbs Racingâs Xfinity team. He finished in 9th and 12 positions.
In the following year, when he moved to Kyle Busch Motorsports, he racked up four top-10 finishes, an impressive number for a driverâs first full-time seat in the Xfinity Series. However, he couldnât keep rising through the sport. The racer who once finished 3rd and 5th in the ARCA seriesâ overall points ranking turned to a very different career. While he disappeared from the world of NASCAR outside of the trial, a few fans found themselves wondering where he went.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
In 2020, fans realized Boston switched career paths. After the fiasco of his NASCAR break, Justin Boston became a real estate broker operating out of North and South Carolina. For NASCAR, this whole ordeal is a cautionary tale about the risks of high-dollar sponsorships. Itâs a stark reminder that sometimes, things are too good to be true.
