TMW: NASCAR Silly Season Rolls On
Ryan Preece, Riley Herbst and Daniel Hemric have all secured new rides for 2025.
The Morning Warmup
Nov. 22, 2024
Today’s Top Stories
1) Preece, Herbst lock in Cup rides; Hemric to Trucks (NASCAR Cup/Trucks)
With the NASCAR offseason fully underway and the holidays approaching, a few organizations have used this week to reveal drivers for the 2025 season.
Key among them is RFK Racing, who confirmed Tuesday that Ryan Preece will join the company in 2025. The former Modified standout will pilot the No. 60 Ford, joining Brad Keselowski and Chris Buescher to complete an expanded three-car lineup for 2025.
Preece will run with sponsor support from Kroger and a charter leased from Rick Ware Racing, which runs out of the RFK Racing shop in Mooresville, North Carolina. It will be a reunion for Preece, who previously worked with Kroger at JTG Daugherty Racing from 2019 to 2021. The company left JTG (now Hyak Motorsports - see No. 3 below) and will help Preece find a new home after the closure of his former team, Stewart-Haas Racing.
“Ryan Preece is who we identified from Day 1 when discussing this third entry, and his young talent from the grassroots level all the way up to the Cup Series is something that excites us moving forward,” RFK president Steve Newmark said in a company release.
RFK isn’t the only one planning an expansion. 23XI Racing announced Xfinity Series prospect Riley Herbst as its third Cup driver for 2025 on Wednesday. Herbst will pilot the No. 35 Toyota, stepping up to Cup and completing a lineup that includes Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace.
This announcement comes with a hiccup, of course. It will theoretically be ran with a charter acquired from Stewart-Haas Racing. But Herbst could be fielded as an open entry as 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports sue NASCAR on antitrust grounds.
“It’s an honor to join 23XI and Toyota for the opportunity to race in the Cup Series each week,” Herbst said in a statement. “Racing full-time in the Cup Series has been my goal since I started in NASCAR and I’m excited to start my Cup career with such an accomplished and driven team. What 23XI has accomplished in a short time is impressive and I look forward to building on their success as the organization grows. It’s also great to continue representing Monster and I’m excited about adding to their legacy in NASCAR.”
Herbst has three wins and 34 top-fives across a half-decade of competition in the Xfinity Series, including memorable wins at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Phoenix Raceway this year. The Nevadan has made eight Cup starts to date, with a best result of ninth in 2023 at Talladega Superspeedway.
One driver is going the other way. After a quiet campaign in his return to Cup with Kaulig Racing, Daniel Hemric will step back down to the Craftsman Truck Series with McAnally-Hilgemann Racing in 2025. The 33-year old will pilot the No. 19 Chevrolet, running with support from NAPA.
Hemric was the 2021 Xfinity Series champion and has spent two prior seasons in the Truck Series, most recently with a sixth-place effort in 2016. The North Carolinian finished 29th in the Cup Series standings this year, earning four top-10s and completing 20 races before he suffered his first DNF.
“This is a great opportunity for me to compete for wins and chase another championship,” Hemric said. “Thanks to Bill McAnally, Bill Hilgemann, NAPA, Chevrolet and everyone involved for the opportunity. It’s a big milestone season to be a part of with NAPA’s 100th anniversary and the 35th year of Bill’s partnership with them.
“We’re going to do everything we can to get the NAPA Auto Care Chevrolet in Victory Lane and be in contention for a championship.”
(Source(s): Bob Pockrass / FOX Sports, Matt Weaver / Sportsnaut, NASCAR.com)
2) Sting Ray Robb signs with JHR for 2025 season (IndyCar)
Idaho native Sting Ray Robb will move over to Juncos Hollinger Racing (JHR) for his third season in the NTT IndyCar Series.
The company announced Robb’s arrival on Wednesday, reuniting a drive and team that combined to claim the Indy Pro Championship in 2020.
“Sting Ray is an exciting talent, and we’ve had the privilege of seeing his growth as a driver first-hand during our championship run in Indy Pro” JHR co-owner and founder Ricardo Juncos said in a team release. “This is more than a reunion; it’s a chance to pick up right where we left off and truly aim for the top of this series. We’re committed to making this season a breakout year for Sting Ray, as well as an extraordinary year for JHR as we continue to elevate our presence in IndyCar.”
Robb will move to his third organizations in as many years in IndyCar. The 23-year-old competed for Dale Coyne Racing in 2023 before shifting over to AJ Foyt Racing for 2024. With Foyt, Robb surprised and led a career-high 23 laps in the Indianapolis 500 and followed it up with a ninth-place finish at World Wide Technology Raceway.
He’ll hope to build on that success with the company he succeeded with most on the IndyCar ladder system.
“To be sought out by leaders like Ricardo Juncos & Brad Hollinger and a team as driven as JHR means the world to me,” Robb said. “We share a vision for what we can achieve together, and I’m honored to contribute to JHR’s continued growth, as I also grow as their driver. Excited to see what we accomplish together with our ambition and the 'power of possibility'!"
(Source(s): Joey Barnes / Motorsport)
3) JTG Daugherty becomes Hyak Motorsports (NASCAR Cup)
NASCAR Cup Series stalwart JTG Daugherty Racing has rebranded as Hyak Motorsports ahead of the 2025 season.
The company, which fields the No. 47 Chevrolet piloted by 2023 Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr;, is making the change ahead of the third season with its current management structure. “Hyak” means “fast” in Chinook Jargon.
Principal owner Gordon Smith will lead the organization, joined by co-owners Brad Daugherty, Mark Hughes and Ernie Cope. The company plans to introduce addition resources to keep pushing forward.
“Becoming the owner of Hyak Motorsports brings an exciting opportunity,” Smith said. “I look forward to building on the team’s accomplishments, investing in its future, and driving toward new successes in partnership with our fans, sponsors, and team members.”
Stenhouse will continue on as the team’s driver. The Mississippian has led Hyak to consecutive winning seasons for the first time, following up his 2023 Daytona win with a fall 2024 victory at Talladega Superspeedway. He’s driven for the company since 2020, earning two wins, 10 top-fives and a best points finish of 16th in 2023.
“Rebranding a team can be exciting,” Stenhouse said in a team release. “I’m looking forward to continuing building this team up with a lot of the same great crew members we have had here. I’m focused on the competition side and getting our performance back that we had in 2023. We learned a lot in 2024 and ready to get back to the track.”
(Source(s): Mark Glendenning / RACER)
News and Notes
NASCAR
TNT Sports and Prime Video have their NASCAR booth - Adam Alexander, Sreve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Kelly Crandall / RACER)
23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports have asked for their appeal of the court’s preliminary injunction ruling to be dismissed. (Mark Glendenning / RACER)
In a weird quirk of this case, the companies could theoretically skip the Clash. (Matt Weaver / Sportsnaut)
Jeremy Bullins will reunite with Brad Keselowski as a crew chief for RFK Racing next year. (Joseph Srigley / Racing America)
Legacy Motor Club will place Travis Mack atop the box for John Hunter Nemechek’s No. 42 team. (Matt Weaver / Sportsnaut)
After a disappointing year, Richard Childress Racing has made a slew of changes ahead of the 2025 season. (Toby Christie / Racing America)
MBM Motorsports is planning to contest the Daytona 500, with Chad Finchum and Josh Bilicki serving as possible candidates for the ride. (Matt Weaver / Sportsnaut)
Craftsman Truck Series program Rackley W.A.R. is relocating from Tennessee to North Carolina over this offseason. (Joseph Srigley / Racing America)
Like father, like son: Todd Gilliland will take over Front Row Motorsports’ No. 34 Ford next season. (Matt Weaver / Sportsnaut)
Parker Kligerman isn’t sure what’s next with his full-time racing career over. But he feels good about what he’s leaving behind. (Alanis King / Motorsport)
IndyCar
Arrow McLaren team principal Gavin Ward has left the organization. (Marshall Pruett / RACER)
After sampling IndyCar machinery, Yuki Tsunoda says he’s open to a future Indy 500 start down the road. (Joey Barnes / Motorsport)
Logan Sargeant had an interesting time in his first IndyCar test at The Thermal Club. (Marshall Pruett / RACER)
Felipe Nasr was quickest in the test for Team Penske. (Marshall Pruett / RACER)
F1
Formula 1 has put fixed in place to avoid another manhole cover incident this time around in Las Vegas. (Filip Cleeren / Motorsport)
Competitors in F1 have grown tired of being left in the dark by the FIA. (Chris Medland / RACER)
American prospect Courtney Crone will compete for Haas in F1 Academy next season. (Chris Medland / RACER)
F1 drivers have been surprised by the “weird” departure of FIA director Niels Wittich. (Jonathan Noble / Motorsport)
Supercars
New British Touring Car Championship title-winner Jake Hill will make an appearance at Repco Adelaide Motorsport Festival and sample a Supercar next year.
Supercars will host a three-pronged test program at The Bend in December. (Stefan Bartholomaeus / Speedcafe)
Grove Racing has locked in an unchanged co-driver lineup for 2025. (Stefan Bartholomaeus / Speedcafe)
Want to celebrate with a champ? Will Brown will celebrate his Supercars title with a fan event at his family’s car dealership in Toowoomba this weekend. (Stefan Bartholomaeus / Speedcafe)
Sports Cars
Formula 1 champ Max Verstappen has expressed interest in the 24 Hours of Daytona and Le Mans after sampling a Hypercar in Las Vegas. (Joey Barnes / Motorsport)
Mercedes-AMG is joining the FIA World Endurance Championship with Iron Lynx and an LMGT3 program next season. (Stephen Kilbey / RACER)
AF Corse is retaining Robert Kubica for its Ferrari Hypercar program next year. (Stephen Kilbey / RACER)
Ben Barnicoat has been confirmed for a WEC drive with Akkodis ASP in 2025. (Daily Sportscar)
Dirt
The 2025 World of Outlaws Sprint Cars schedule has been released. (Alex Nieten / WorldofOutlaw.com)
Short Tracks
The ASA Midwest Tour has unveiled its 2025 calendar. (Short Track Scene)
Moto
NBC Sports and SupermMotocross have unveiled the tour’s 2025 TV schedule. (Dan Beaver / NBC Sports)
Marc Marquez completed his first laps on a factory Ducati bike in the Barcelona postseason test. (Rachit Thukral / Motorsport)
Rally
Toyota has opted to switch up its management structure after the departure of World Endurance Championship team director Rob Leupen. (Gary Watkins / Motorsport)
Hyundai plans to discuss the potential expansion of its WRC fleet for next year in Japan. (Tom Howard / Motorsport)
Electric Racing
NEOM McLaren Electric Racing directory Ian James is becoming the director of motorsport at McLaren Automotive. (Dominik Wilde / RACER)
On Track This Week
All Times ET
Friday. Nov. 22
F1
All in Las Vegas
Free Practice 3: 9:30 p.m., ESPNews/ESPN+/F1 TV
Dirt
Weekly Racing (Volusia Speedway Park): 6:00 p.m., DirtVision
Short Tracks
South Carolina 400 Day 1 (Florence Motor Speedway): 6:00 p.m., FloRacing
-
Saturday, Nov. 23
F1
All in Las Vegas
Qualifying: 12:55 a.m., ESPN/F1 TV
Las Vegas Grand Prix: 11:30 p.m., ESPN/ESPN+/F1 TV
Dirt
USAC Midget Madness (Merced Fairgrounds Speedway): 8:30 p.m., FloRacing
Weekly Racing (Volusia Speedway Park): 6:00 p.m., DirtVision
Short Tracks
South Carolina 400 (Florence Motor Speedway): 6:00 p.m., FloRacing
-
Sunday, Nov. 24
Sports Cars
Porsche Endurance Challenge (Circuit of the Americas): 11:00 a.m., FloRacing
Dirt
USAC Midget Madness (Merced Fairgrounds Speedway): 8:30 p.m., FloRacing
Fast Fact
Ryan Preece is still in search of that elusive Cup Series win. The Connecticut native has four top-fives and 16 top-10s in 187 Cup starts, including a best result of third at Talladega Superspeedway in 2019. He led a career-best 135 laps after starting on pole in the 2023 spring race at Martinsville Speedway, but lost ground to a speeding penalty and finished 15th. Time will tell if a move to RFK Racing helps him make the next step.
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