Is Ty Gibbs the Reason Corey Heim Isn’t With JGR?
What’s Happening? It was an awkward weekend for the Toyota camp at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Saturday was the main story for…
Sam Hunt Racing is a slowly improving Toyota team in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. As the series’ second-best Toyota team, many fans have wondered when they will get a full-time driver. While this could be in 2025, the team should weigh their options before doing so. So, what do those options look like?
With Sam Hunt Racing’s improvement this season, it would be tempting for the team to sign a full-time driver for 2025. Thanks to their rotating door of part-time drivers, SHR may have an in with the hottest Toyota prospect.
Corey Heim is a serious young option for SHR in the future. The current Truck Series championship favorite started 13 races this season for SHR. In those 13 races, he almost outperformed any other driver in team history.
What’s Happening? It was an awkward weekend for the Toyota camp at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Saturday was the main story for…
If the rumors that Joe Gibbs Racing does not want Heim are true, this could be a win-win situation for both the team and the driver. However, they do have other full-time options.
SHR needs to take some precautions in the event that they do go with a full-time driver next season. When picking a driver to go full-time, a less sponsored driver might have to be the way to go. While sponsored drivers may have more money, they may not be as skilled, and that skill is necessary for a growing team.
Speaking of talented drivers lacking necessary major sponsorship, veteran Ryan Truex is a real option for SHR. The 32-year-old will race for SHR at Homestead, and since he last raced for SHR in 2022, he has won multiple races.
Truex could be a solid veteran for the team, as Joe Gibbs Racing has already filled out its 2025 lineup. However, no matter how vocal Truex is about his desire to go full-time, sponsorship will continue to be a problem.
What’s Happening? Wednesday afternoon, Joe Gibbs Racing announced that Taylor Gray will race the No. 54 in the NASCAR Xfinity Series…
While SHR’s cars have looked faster on track this season, they still aren’t winning races. In our opinion, you can chalk that up to equipment or talent. Nonetheless, perhaps being able to keep some competitive guys around part-time could help continue this growth in 2025.
Staying part-time could allow SHR to attract more winning, less sponsored, up-and-comers and veterans while enabling them to keep attracting sponsored drivers.
The team should also give this route worthwhile consideration, as it could help them build a firm foundation for the long-term future. As previously mentioned, TRD has lots of up-and-coming talent that would be beneficial to SHR.
If the team holds off on bringing in full-time talent in 2025, they could have all the stars aligned at just the right time with the right prospect in the near future.
Either way the team goes, it appears that SHR is continuing to improve in the Xfinity series. Both of these options are viable, but there can be only one solution. While the temptation to go with a full-time guy could be a gamble, it may be a worthwhile one.
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Joey Logano could break Richard Petty’s 47-year-old record for the most consecutive drafting-track races led this weekend at EchoPark Speedway. After leading laps in the Daytona 500, Logano has now led in 19 straight drafting-track races, dating back to 2023, tying a mark The King set from 1974 to 1979.
Logano now has a clear opportunity to move past Petty and claim sole possession of one of NASCAR’s longest-standing superspeedway records, and considering his and Team Penske’s history of dominance in this style of tracks, it seems that he is poised to break it.
Chris Gabehart has responded to Joe Gibbs Racing’s lawsuit, strongly denying the allegations and calling the claims “false,” “frivolous,” and “retaliatory” in a public statement released this Friday.
After the lawsuit became public, on Thursday, Gabehart spoke out for the first time, stating that he did not share any confidential JGR information with Spire Motorsports or any third parties and that he intends to prove that in court. He also said a third-party forensic review of his personal devices found no evidence supporting the accusations, adding that JGR declined an offer to examine Spire’s systems before filing suit.
“Yesterday afternoon, Joe Gibbs Racing filed a lawsuit claiming — falsely — that I shared JGR confidential information with Spire Motorsports and/or other unnamed third parties… I feel compelled to speak out today and forcefully and emphatically deny these frivolous and retaliatory claims.”
Gabehart said he will address the matter further in a formal legal response in the coming days.
You can learn more about the lawsuit, why it started and all the context surrounding it in the article linked below
Weather could play a major role in the NASCAR weekend at EchoPark Speedway, with current forecasts calling for a 40% chance of rain Saturday afternoon and increasing to 55% in the evening. While conditions are expected to improve, contingency plans are already in place in case races cannot be completed as scheduled
NASCAR has not announced any official schedule changes yet, as decisions will be based on how conditions develop in real time. With rain chances increasing through Saturday afternoon and evening, teams are preparing for multiple outcomes, and Sunday is expected to serve as the primary backup window if events can’t be completed as planned.
Conditions are constantly being monitored, but fans should be prepared for possible schedule adjustments throughout the weekend. We’ll keep you updated throughout the race weekend here on The Daily Downforce
