NASCAR: Team name change announced for 2022 season

GMS Racing and Richard Petty Motorsports have joined forces for the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season, leading to a name change.

Last week, it was announced that GMS Racing team owner Maury Gallagher paid $19.1 million for majority interest in Richard Petty Motorsports ahead of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season and that this deal included the team’s two charters.

Richard Petty Motorsports had been running one car, the #43 Chevrolet, with one of their charters while allowing Rick Ware Racing to use their other one to run their #51 team, branded a Petty Ware Racing team because of the deal.

Now another key change has been announced in regard to this huge deal, and that is a name change.

The names Richard Petty Motorsports and GMS Racing will not be featured in the upcoming 2022 season.

The newly formed two-car organization announced Tuesday that they will operate under the new name Petty GMS Motorsports.

The drivers set to compete for Petty GMS Motorsports are the same two drivers who had been slated to compete for Richard Petty Motorsports and GMS Racing.

Erik Jones is still set to return for a second season behind the #43 Chevrolet after signing an extension with Richard Petty Motorsports toward the end of the 2021 season. He is set to work with former JR Motorsports crew chief Dave Elenz.

Ty Dillon is set to become his teammate behind the wheel of the #42 Chevrolet, though this is slightly different than before; Dillon had been slated to pilot the #94 Chevrolet prior to this announcement. He is set to work with first-year crew chief Jerame Donley.

The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season is scheduled to begin on Sunday, February 20 with the Daytona 500. The 64th annual Great American Race is set to be broadcast live on Fox from Daytona International Speedway beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET.