JTG-Daugherty Racing is now Hyak Motorsports
HARRISBURG, N.C. — JTG-Daugherty Racing is now Hyak Motorsports with new ownership but a familiar driver, number and manufacturer for 2025.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. will continue to wheel the No. 47 Chevrolet in the NASCAR Cup Series next season with Gordon Smith as the principal owner of 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.”
A team news release states Smith became the principal owner of the team at the end of the 2023 Cup Series season. In 2025, he will lead Hyak Motorsports with co-owners Mark Hughes and Ernie Cope.
“2025 will begin a new era for this company,” Cope said. “We’re still committed to being a winning team with Ricky and the entire No. 47 crew. This is just the next step in elevating the team to another level.”
According to the team, 2025 is the team’s third season in NASCAR under the current management that will still include a familiar face as a co-owner.
“I’m really excited about 2025 as our company continues to evolve,” Brad Daugherty said. “Our goal is to compete and win races at the highest level of NASCAR. The name change signifies that commitment and desire to be our very best.”
In early-2024, rumors emerged about now-former principal owners Jodi and Tad Geshickter — the JTG in JTG-Daugherty Racing — shopping the longtime Kroger sponsorship to various teams, like Joe Gibbs Racing. Ultimately, Kroger landed at RFK Racing.
2025 will mark the first season of the Geshickter family not serving as a primary NASCAR owner — whether in name or actual ownership — since 2004 when they launched their NASCAR Xfinity Series program with Robert Pressley.
The new name, “Hyak,” means “fast” in Chinook Jargon, “a trade language of the Pacific Northwest that incorporates terms from Chinook, Chehalis, and many other local languages” as the team describes.
“This rebrand is exciting for the team and myself,” Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 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.”
According to Hyak Motorsports, “more updates will follow in the NASCAR offseason as the team works to build upon its foundation and look ahead to the 2025 season.”
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com