NASCAR on TV this week

JTG Daugherty Racing Rebrands To Hyak Motorsports

JTG Daugherty Racing has rebranded following an ownership change.

Hyak Motorsports will field the No. 47 Chevrolet Camaro in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. as the driver.

Gordon Smith is now the principal owner and CEO of the organization. Hyak Maritime is also the name of a sea vessel construction company Smith also owns. The press release notes that “Hyak” is a term that “means ‘fast’ in Chinook Jargon, which is a trade language of the Pacific Northwest that incorporates terms from Chinook, Chehalis, and many other local languages.”

See also
Ryan Preece Running Full Time for RFK

“Becoming the owner of Hyak Motorsports brings an exciting opportunity,” Smith said in the press release. “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.”

Brad Daugherty, Mark Hughes, and Ernie Cope will remain on as minority owners. Jodi and Tad Geschickter (the former namesakes of the team – JTG) are no longer involved in the operation.

No sponsorship was announced by the outfit. Longtime sponsor Kroger was announced earlier this week to be joining RFK Racing in a multi-year, multi-car sponsorship. Tad Geschickter owns the PR company that currently handles the Kroger sponsorship.

“This rebrand is exciting for the team and myself,” Stenhouse said. “I’m excited for everyone to see the rebrand this offseason and in 2025. The team has won the most iconic of races with the Daytona 500, so this is just a continuation of building its legacy.”

About the author

Michael has watched NASCAR for 20 years and regularly covered the sport from 2013-2021, and also formerly covered the SRX series from 2021-2023. He now covers the FIA Formula 1 World Championship, the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and road course events in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Sign up for the Frontstretch Newsletter

A daily email update (Monday through Friday) providing racing news, commentary, features, and information from Frontstretch.com
We hate spam. Your email address will not be sold or shared with anyone else.


4 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
DoninAjax

I wonder why the original owners got out? Maybe it was something NA#CAR did?

Echo

Some see the future quicker than others.

DoninAjax

Carl Edwards saw something he did not like a long time ago.

CCColorado

Tony Stewart too!