NASCAR Xfinity Series: GMS Racing won’t compete in 2020

GMS Racing announced that they will not field a team in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in the 2020 season as they focus on the Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series.

Confirming previous speculation, GMS Racing announced Thursday that they will not be fielding an entry in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in the 2020 season.

GMS Racing are focused on improving their efforts in the Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series, which has become especially clear in recent weeks after this rumor began.

This announcement comes after the Chevrolet team added two full-time drivers to their Truck Series lineup for the 2020 season, a lineup that already featured two full-time drivers in the 2019 season.

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Sheldon Creed and Brett Moffitt, who drove the #2 Chevrolet and the #24 Chevrolet for the team this past season, are both set to return next year.

Additionally, Tyler Ankrum is set to join the team in 2020 after driving for DGR-Crosley this year. Zane Smith is set to be their fourth time driver after driving part-time for JR Motorsports in the Xfinity Series in 2019. Sam Mayer, who is set to continue driving the #21 Chevrolet for the team on a part-time basis in the ARCA Menards Series, is set to continue driving part-time for the team behind the wheel of the #21 Chevrolet in the Truck Series as well.

Here is what GMS Racing had to say about the team shutting down their Xfinity Series program in a statement from team president Mike Beam.

"“GMS Racing will not field a NASCAR Xfinity Series entry next season. We have decided that in the best interest of the organization we will put our complete focus on our Gander Trucks and ARCA Racing Series programs in 2020. We can’t thank John Hunter [Nemechek] and everyone that has been involved in our Xfinity effort over the past four years enough for their hard work and dedication to the organization. We wish John Hunter the best in his future endeavors.”"

John Hunter Nemechek, who drove the #23 Chevrolet for the team in the Xfinity Series this past season and finished in seventh place in the championship standings, released the following statement.

Nemechek himself has been tipped to land at Front Row Motorsports in the Cup Series next season after competing in the season’s final three races as the replacement for Matt Tifft, who was sidelined after suffering a seizure at Martinsville Speedway at the end of October and has since parted ways with the team.

The shutting down of GMS Racing’s NASCAR Xfinity Series team will only add fuel to that speculation, especially with several Silly Season announcements about the 2020 Cup Series season still looming.