Hyak Motorsports

The history of today’s Hyak Motorsports begins far removed from its current identity: in 1995, advertising executive Tad Geschickter and crew chief Steve Plattenberger founded the team as ST Racing and initially competed in the Busch Grand National Series. It wasn’t until 2006 that they took the step into the Cup Series under the name JTG Racing, initially as a co-venture with Wood Brothers Racing. With the entry of NBA legend Brad Daugherty into the ownership team, JTG Daugherty Racing was created in 2008, which began operating independently starting in 2009.

A particularly distinctive facet of the team’s history is its most recent naming. When entrepreneur Gordon Smith assumed majority ownership prior to the 2025 season, the new owners renamed the team Hyak Motorsports. The name derives from Chinook Jargon, a historical trade language of the Pacific Northwest, and simply means ‘fast’. At the same time, it is a nod to Smith’s own company Hyak Maritime, a maritime transportation business, whereby the team designation creates an unusual bridge between motorsports and shipping.

The most successful phase of the organization clearly lies in the JTG Daugherty era. A. J. Allmendinger celebrated the team’s first Cup Series victory in 2014, a milestone that secured the team’s first playoff berth. Drivers such as Marcos Ambrose, Bobby Labonte, and Chris Buescher shaped the driver roster in the following years before Ricky Stenhouse Jr. scored the most prestigious success in the team’s history to date with his victory at the 2023 Daytona 500, a triumph that made the JTG Daugherty brand nationally recognized.

With the departure of Tad and Jodi Geschickter prior to the 2024 season, who have since joined Joe Gibbs Racing, Gordon Smith’s era as principal owner began. Together with Brad Daugherty, Mark Hughes, and Ernie Cope, he forms the ownership structure of Hyak Motorsports today. The team fields the No. 47 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and maintains a technical alliance with Hendrick Motorsports, which ensures the team has access to top-tier equipment.

For the 2026 season, Stenhouse Jr. remains the primary driver of the racing operation and bears the expectations of an organization that, despite the name change, looks back on more than two decades of experience in the NASCAR Cup Series. Following the 2023 Daytona 500 success and the fresh start under new ownership, Hyak Motorsports faces the task of building on past achievements and establishing itself as an independent brand in the Cup Series.