Rumors started doing the rounds about Hyak Motorsports, the single-entry team’s #47 car, and whether it would continue to feature in 2027. But the news of Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s newly extended contract put an end to speculations about Hyak’s future. Now their co-owner dropped a statement. 

“I kept getting called, ‘you guys are going out of it.’ And I kept saying, " No, we’re not going out of business," said co-owner Brad Daugherty on SiriusXM on May 11. "There are a lot of assumptions and a lot of insiders; they don’t know what they’re talking about. We’re here to race, man. We’re going to race as hard as we can.” 

The speculations picked up during the May 6th episode of the Rubbin in Racing podcast.

“There’s some other talk regarding Hyak Motorsports, the team Ricky Stenhouse Jr. races for, and there’s reason to believe, or I guess rumors to suggest, that they might close up shop at the conclusion of this season,” the host said.

But five days later, on Monday, May 11, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. signed a multi-year extension with the organization to remain in the No. 47 car. And after signing the contract, Hyak's co-owner shared how racing is a passion for the team.

“We don’t do this for the money," Daugherty said. "Obviously, we’re not very smart(laughs), obviously. I love race cars, Gordon Smith loves race cars. Ernie Cope works his guts out to get us ready to go to race trip. We just like to race.”

He admitted that Hyak is not a team that will be competitive every weekend or win five or six races a year. But they have circuits where their car is better suited, and those are the results they look forward to. 

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Experience Crucial to Hyak Plans

Two seasons after the ownership split that saw Tad and Jodi Geshickter leave, Hyak Motorsports is still trying to grow into a true contender. So, Gordon Smith felt keeping Stenhouse was a crucial step in that process.

At 38 years old, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. remains one of the biggest threats on NASCAR Cup Series superspeedways. He has four career victories on drafting tracks, including his 2023 Daytona 500 win. Earlier this season, he also finished second in the Daytona 500.

As Hyak tries to figure out setups and strategies that they can readily deploy on a second car, they are working on building a playbook. 

“I feel like we’re continuing to improve week after week," Ricky Stenhouse Jr. said. "It’s never easy being a single-car team, but the experience we’re gaining, and the notebook we’re building, is helping us get better and better.”

Stenhouse may not have a car capable of delivering consistent Cup Series wins, but Hyak Motorsports remains strong enough on superspeedways to challenge for victories.

The 2023 Daytona 500 champion is expected to stay competitive on those tracks while the team works to improve its overall pace.

Read more at RFK Racing Digest.

Written by

Debrup Chaudhuri

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar