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Sometimes drivers dont give a chassis a chance. They get it, set it up similar to what they've run before or from the builders set up sheets, they have little success. They fiddle a bit. Then dump it. So who changes chassis more than they should ? Tony Jackson comes to mind for me. Seems he changes 2 or 3 times a year. I could be wrong.
I thought Tony Jackson jr before I even read this post lol another guy that comes to mind is Feger he’s had Pierce, Longhorn, Black Diamond, Victory, Rocket and MB custom with in the last few years seems like a lot to me
Drivers like this are usually above average drivers who think its the car is the reason why they havn't reached top-tier driver status yet.
I think some chassis fit some drivers driving styles better than others but I also believe a good driver can win in anything.
Jackson seems to have settled in with Lanigan. He had a Club 29 for a few seasons, and followed Lanigan when he went to BWRC.
My personal experience came from Midwest based asphalt late models years back. Many drivers/teams were "brand" loyal for a long long time. Back in the day Joe Shear had a relationship with Lefthander Chassis that went for decades and LH Chassis is still strong. Butch Miller ran Port City cars forever, Mike Eddy with Howe, Trickle had Dillon for several years, and there were other guys who rarely switched. Robert Hamke comes to mind as a real solid builder with loyal customers. Pathfinder came on in the late 90s and is still a strong runner but it seems like right now a whole bunch of pavement guys are jumping to Fury. Pavement guys seemed to rarely switch until maybe their builder had technology and innovation really pass them by. Only then did they jump ship.
My observations with dirt LM racing was that there was a little less of the long term loyalty and more of the chasing the flavor of the day. If a builder figured out something hot today, a bunch of teams would be in that car tomorrow - so to speak. Back when I started going to a lot of dirt shows and paying more attention it was a majority of Rayburns, then GRTs, then Rockets. Rocket has had some staying power and that depth of knowledge and support has carried the brand well. Lots of customers equals lots of feedback.
The success of the major brands has always motivated the competition and spurred the development of new brands. The idea that the customer never really gets what the house car gets has been around forever, in pavement and dirt. I don't care to get into the who copied whom discussion because - I don't care. Sufficient to say the motivation was provided for others to try and some stick around for a good while. If those brands catch on and provide innovation and good support they earn customers, if they don't, you'll see guys jump in and out of those cars and the brand is barely around.
I don't fault a guy for switching when the brand is no longer viable. We know which brands have not kept up with the times and who might not be around anymore. If the car just doesn't drive to suit a person's driving style, why keep it? If the technical relationship isn't what was expected or promised, it might be tough to stay with the brand. Some of builders who have popped up on the scene and maybe don't have a dominating performance with the national tours actually have very good results and customer bases on local and regional levels so it might better suit what the driver is after in their moment.
However, when you mention someone who jumps in and out of chassis brands like they are laundry that might send up red flags. It might send up red flags to builders who may say - why deal with this guy when he is just going to get data and support (secrets maybe) and then hump and dump us.
Davey J has been on the carousel the last decade.
The Moyers have had a few chassis the past few years.