NASCAR team changes its name with new owner

The team is one of the few single-car operations in the NASCAR Cup Series. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. drives the No. 47 Chevrolet for the team.

HARRISBURG, N.C. — A NASCAR team is changing its name ahead of the 2025 season.

The Harrisburg-based team formerly known as JTG Daugherty Racing will now be named Hyak Motorsports.

The word “hyak” means “fast” in Chinook Jargon, a Pacific Northwest language, according to a release from the team. 

Hyak Motorsports fields one entry in the NASCAR Cup Series. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. drives the team’s No. 47 Chevrolet. The organization is one of the few single-car teams in the series.

Gordon Smith will be the team’s primary owner. He took over the role in late 2023. He is joined by co-owners Brad Daugherty, Mark Hughes, and Ernie Cope. Former co-owners Jodi Geschickter and Tad Geschickter were not mentioned in the press release and may no longer be with the team.

“Becoming the owner of Hyak Motorsports brings an exciting opportunity,” Smith said. “I look forward to building on the team’s accomplishments, investing in its future, and driving toward new successes in partnership with our fans, sponsors, and team members.”

Hyak Motorsports’ operations can be traced as early as 1995 with entries in the Xfinity Series. The team debuted in the Cup Series in 2008 and started full-time in 2009 with Marcos Ambrose.

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NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Labonte drove for the team from 2011 to 2013. AJ Allmendinger, Chris Buescher, and Ryan Preece have also driven for the team.

Hyak Motorsports has three victories in the Cup Series, including Stenhouse’s photo-finish win at Talladega in October and the 2023 Daytona 500.

Kroger, the team’s primary sponsor for over a decade, announced earlier this year that it is moving to RFK Racing for 2025. It’s unclear what Stenhouse’s primary sponsor will be in 2025.

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