JTG Daugherty Racing is facing major questions about its future going into the 2024 offseason. The team owned by the Geschickters and NBA legend Brad Daugherty, among other complications, is facing the loss of its longtime sponsor, Kroger. This major sponsor issue, combined with others, might make for an interesting offseason for the team.
Kroger and JTG Daugherty Racing may have invented the rotating sponsorship we see on cars nowadays.
The two have long been recognized for their rotating roster of associate sponsors, which includes Kleenex, Irish Spring, Coca-Cola, and Blue Buffalo. Since first hopping on the team’s Toyota in 2010 and expanding that sponsorship into the 2010s, the pair have been inseparable, that is, until this year.
Reports surfaced earlier this year that Kroger would move its sponsorship to what some thought to be Joe Gibbs Racing in the 2026 season.
This loss would be a major blow to JTG Daugherty’s future, with many suspecting they could sell charters and call it a day as a team. This aspect of the rumor was due to owners Tad and Jodi Geshickter, who were also rumored to partner with JGR through their company, Brand Activation Maximizer.
We know that Kroger might not return, but we do know that the team’s driver, 2023 Daytona 500 Champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr., will. Ricky revealed he will return on a long-term deal on May 2 in a SiriusXM NASCAR Radio interview.
While this is no indication of a team’s future, the fact that JTG Daugherty Racing did so following the leaked reports that Kroger was leaving suggests otherwise. Furthermore, there is no indication that the “JTG” in JTG Daugherty Racing will return next year, as they have been quiet about the team’s future.
However, in that release from JTG Daughtery, co-owner Gordon Smith is listed as owner rather than co-owner. The team’s PR is not commenting on its ownership. However, Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports reports that everything appeared to be going as usual at JTG Daughtery around the time of the extension.
While sponsorship is uncertain, a LinkedIn post from Zero Cows CMO Kevin Kukk Tuesday afternoon suggests that Zero Cows could be on the No. 47 in 2025. Likewise, Stenhouse’s sponsor, NOS Energy, could return to the car as well.
This sponsor might be JTG Daugherty’s first bite in its fishing trip for sponsors in the coming years.
For now, the team might be in safe waters for the future. Furthermore, it seems like beyond Kroger, the only major change that the No. 47 could see in 2025 is a new team name.
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