Is JTG-Daugherty Racing Finally Rebranding?
What’s Happening? Several NASCAR fans driving by JTG-Daugherty Racing noticed that the team has officially rebranded its shop. This change, while…
Thursday, JTG-Daugherty Racing officially debuted its new name and ownership. As one of NASCAR’s longest-tenured single-car teams and most storied underdogs, this marked the end of an era for many fans. So, what lead to this rebrand?
What’s Happening? Several NASCAR fans driving by JTG-Daugherty Racing noticed that the team has officially rebranded its shop. This change, while…
First, let’s examine the newly rebranded team. Hyak Motorsports is majority-owned by Gordon Smith, a longtime minority owner of the former JTG. The team will retain their driver, number, and manufacturer Chevrolet.
Most notably, the name Hyak is part of the team’s new identity. Via a press release from the team:
“The change starts with the name “HYAK,” which means “fast” in Chinook Jargon, which is a trade language of the Pacific Northwest.”
Hyak is also the name of HYAK Maritime, a company of which Smith is the president. This change does not make the team any better or worse. Rather, it is a refresh for one of NASCAR’s longest-running teams.
The team also retains a familiar face in the former NBA Legend and NASCAR Media Personality Brad Daugherty as a co-owner. There were fears that Daugherty could leave the team following the departure of the original owners, Tad and Jodi Geschickter. In fact, these rumors kicked off an interesting, rumor-filled season for the No. 47.
What’s Happening? JTG-Daugherty Racing’s potential ownership shakeup could send shockwaves throughout the garage. However, no one could be impacted quite…
In April, a rumor circulated in the NASCAR world about JTG’s longtime sponsor, Kroger. This rumor was that the brand, one of the largest grocery chains in the U.S., would head to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2023. The brand made its first appearance on the No. 47 at the 2010 Daytona 500 with Marcos Ambrose.
Since then, JTG has won multiple races, including a Daytona 500 of their own in 2023. While this sponsorship was huge for the team, sponsoring almost half of their races each year, it was shocking a brand as large as Kroger stayed on with an underdog, one-car team.
The reason they stuck around was Brand Activation Maximizer, or BAM, a marketing company owned by the Geschickters when this rumor that Kroger would leave JTG surfaced, most expected the Geschickters to leave the team as well.
Other rumors suggested the team would even shut down and sell its charters. However, as the summer months wained, it appeared that Kroger and JGR had yet to come to terms and perhaps wouldn’t. JTG even re-signed driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in May.
Throughout these rumors, one name kept coming up: Gordon Smith, a co-owner in the team who, in press releases throughout the year, was referred to as owner rather than the typical co-owner. When Fox Sports Bob Pockrass visited the team’s shop in May, Smith was clearly investing more into the team.
As there was no word on Kroger, Stenhouse re-signed, and Smith invested in the tea, the only thing that seemed clear was that the team was going to see some form of change. With fans suggesting that maybe Kroger would return even if the Geschickters left.
However, in mid-August, RFK Racing emerged as the target organization for Kroger’s valuable branding.
What’s Happening? As a conclusion to a long-running rumor, Kroger and RFK Racing announced a new partnership beginning in the 2025…
The rumor, initially reported by Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal, pointed to the two-car team as the new home of one of NASCAR’s most valuable sponsors. RFK, at one point, was falling from grace before adding driver Brad Keselowski as a part owner in 2022.
However, the report further stated that if Kroger signed with RFK, the team would expand to a third car with former JTG driver Ryan Preece at the wheel. This rumor took several months to come to fruition, with the team making it official Tuesday.
In doing so, the Geschickters and BAM played a role in this new partnership. However, on Wednesday, fans driving around the JTG-Daugherty Racing shop in Harrisburg, North Carolina, noticed the JTG branding was nowhere to be found, replaced with the newly named Hyak Motorsports, marking the end of an era for one of NASCAR’s most storied underdogs.
When the team announced this change Thursday, the press release notably stated that Smith “became the principal owner at the end of the 2023 season.” This means that the entire time fans and insiders speculated on the team’s ownership status, Smith was already calling the shots.
While the team has its plans for the future, one challenge stands in its way: finding a new sponsor. They are proven winners with a salty veteran driver, but will that be enough for the new regime to keep it going?
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