Top NASCAR Truck Series team to shut down after 2023 season

Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

One of the longest-tenured NASCAR Truck Series teams, GMS Racing, will shutter its doors at the end of the season.

GMS Racing, which has operated both NASCAR and ARCA teams over the past decade, will close both its race team and the adjacent GMS Fabrication business that builds chassis for numerous other teams following the season finale at Phoenix Raceway.

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The team is owned by airline and rental car entrepreneur Maury Gallagher, who is also a co-owner of Legacy Motor Club, alongside seven-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, who revealed in May that the Cup Series team would move from Chevrolet to Toyota.

Effectively, the manufacturer switch for Legacy M.C. left GMS Racing without an OEM since Toyota is already booked across Halmar Friesen Racing, Hattori Racing Enterprises, and Tricon Garage. Chevrolet was unwilling to fund a team with connections to Toyota.

GMS Racing ends run in NASCAR Truck Series

In fact, GMS Racing drivers and employees’ access cards to the Chevrolet Racing campus were deactivated after the announcement in May.

“During the past nine years, GMS Racing has become one of the top teams in the NASCAR Truck Series and ARCA Series garage,” said Gallagher in a statement. “The people that made this happen have been the hard-working men and women at GMS Racing and GMS Fabrication. Every employee, new and old at GMS has always strived to be the very best. Without their effort and dedication, we would have never been able to win two Truck championships, three ARCA championships, and 68 wins.

“Leadership is always critical in any success story. Since 2015, Mike Beam has been the catalyst of this race team’s success. Chevrolet and GM have also been critical to our success. With the combination of Chevrolet plus Mike at the helm, we became the team I always dreamed of owning,” he continued, “I can’t thank Mike enough for all his leadership and hard work. We are looking to finish out this year on a high note and close our legacy in this era with another Truck Series championship.”

GMS Racing fields three full-time teams for Grant Enfinger (No. 23), Rajah Caruth (No. 24), and Daniel Dye (No. 43) with Enfinger racing for his first championship over the next three months. Enfinger also won an ARCA championship in 2015 for the organization in 2015.

Dye has said he’s signed a deal for next season while Enfinger and Caruth’s future plans are still unknown.

Meanwhile, Legacy Motor Club announced two promotions within the Cup Series team in advance of next season. Bill Scott, formerly EVP and general counsel of the team, has been named Chief Operating Officer. Longtime Johnson communications representative Amy Walsh-Stock has been named VP of communications.

Cal Wells III, a 40-year team executive, was named team COO in the spring.

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