NASCAR Cup Series team rebrands ahead of 2025 season

The NASCAR Cup Series team will now be known as HYAK Motorsports, with Gordon Smith remaining as the team's principal owner. Brad Daugherty, Mark Hughes and Ernie Cope also have stakes in the team. 

HYAK Motorsports has fielded cars in the NASCAR Cup Series since 2006. The team's first Cup Series victory came at Watkins Glen in 2014, with A.J. Allmendinger behind the wheel. That victory also catapulted to the team to its first appearance in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. 

In 2023, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. — the team's driver since 2020 — won the Daytona 500, giving the team it's second win and second postseason berth. The team's third and most recent win came at the Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 6, where Stenhouse beat Brad Keselowski in a photo finish. 

Despite a strong effort throughout the 2023 season, the No. 47 team took a big step back in 2024. Stenhouse Jr.'s average finish dipped by 4.3 positions, and his statistics were down across the board. 

With a clean slate — both figuratively and literally — for the organization in 2025, the 37-year-old driver and his team will look to regain the speed they held in 2023 in an effort to get the rebranded race team in the spotlight again. 

The team will begin the 2025 season with the rest of the Cup Series field on Feb. 16 at the 67th Daytona 500.