What’s Happening?

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?

• Sam Hunt Racing fields only one car in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. That car, the No. 26, has a rotating door for part-time drivers. In fact, SHR has had one full-time driver since opening in 2019.
• Some of the team’s part-time drivers have outperformed one another this season. With a few standing out among the rest, if the team wants to go full-time next season, it might have no problem finding the right driver. 

Bring in Full-Time Talent?

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.

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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.

Stay With the Part-Time Option?

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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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