Championship Craftsman Truck Series Team is Closing Its Doors

August 23, 2023
10:05 am

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA - JULY 29: Rajah Caruth, driver of the #24 Camp Cultivation Chevrolet, walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Worldwide Express 250 at Richmond Raceway on July 29, 2023 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Let us know what you think

Join the conversation on socials

Joshua Lipowski

All Posts

GMS Racing announces that they will close doors following the Championship Race at Phoenix in November.

What’s Happening?

In a surprise move, Two-time NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion race team, GMS Racing announced they will be shutting down at the end of the season. According to the announcement, this also includes GMS Fabrication, which partnered with the Truck Series team. Maury Gallagher, who also co-owns Legacy Motor Club alongside Jimmie Johnson, has operated the team since 2012.

Our time spent in @NASCAR has been incredible, and we are thankful for everybody's support throughout the years. We'll be giving it everything we've got from here on out till Phoenix!

📰: https://t.co/Ozdw7zosTg #WeAreGMS pic.twitter.com/6Q9OLyHrak
— GMS Racing (@GMSRacingLLC) August 23, 2023

You Need to Know:

No official reason was given for the closure. However, the announcement ended by saying, “Heading into 2024, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB™ Co-Owners Maury Gallagher and Jimmie Johnson look to strengthen the team on all fronts with their NASCAR Cup Series efforts to become a force to be reckoned with for years to come.” Legacy Motor Club will be moving to Toyota in 2024, and many theorize that is why GMS is closing its’ doors.
GMS Racing has competed full-time in the Craftsman Truck Series since 2014 with the likes of Johnny Sauter, Justin Haley, Sheldon Creed, and Grant Enfinger amongst others driving full-time seasons for the team. The team has won two Truck Series Championships with Johnny Sauter in 2016 and Sheldon Creed in 2020. Currently, the team runs a three-car operation with Rajah Caruth, Daniel Dye, and Grant Enfinger, and Enfinger is currently in the Truck Series Playoffs.
Fans were a mixture of sad and surprised over the announcement. GMS had developed a reputation as a sort of underdog team that turned into a Championship winner in the Truck Series, and drivers for the team like Enfinger and Caruth amongst others had developed their own fanbases. However, others saw the business side of the move, and they understood why it could be a good business move.

In the Stands

That LEGACY Jones Fan explains why this could help the Cup team, even if he is sad for those who are losing their jobs because of this.

BlueFox98 has a place for all three of GMS’ drivers to go in 2024, but are those seats open?

Peter Stratta shows just how successful GMS has been while in the Truck Series.

caba feels particularly bad for Grant Enfinger.

Aubrey Simpson understands why, but it’s tough regardless.

Amanda Elliott says that GMS will be missed.

On Your Screen

DannyB saw this one coming.

ElitePrecision29 is upset to see what happened.

From the Pressbox

Bob Pockrass notes why GMS could be closing its doors.

GMS Racing announces it will cease operations at the end of the season. Not a big surprise with Legacy moving to Toyota and Toyota already having the truck teams it supports.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) August 23, 2023

Alan Cavanna called the news “tough”.

Davey Segal said that this was sad to see.

“The Bagman” reacts to the sad news.

This comes as a major shock to many surrounding NASCAR. However, it is a part of the business sometimes, and it happened to be a big Truck Series team. Where do the drivers and crew go from here?