Richard Petty Motorsports and GMS Racing merge, becoming Petty GMS Motorsports

Petty GMS Racing/Bradley Sisson

    It was announced Tuesday afternoon (12/7/21) that Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) will be re-branding to become Petty GMS Motorsports for the 2022 race season of the NASCAR Cup Series. This statement comes only a week after the team announced that Maury Gallagher (owner of GMS Racing) had purchased a majority stake of Richard Petty Motorsports.

RPM's Minority owner, Richard Petty, and the owner of GMS Racing, Maury Gallagher (now majority owner of the Petty GMS Motorsports) announced that they will be joining forces beginning in 2022, in which they will field two full-time NASCAR Cup Series entries.  One of those entries will be dedicated to Erik Jones, driver of the No. 43, however Ty Dillon will drive the less famous (but equally significant) No. 42.

This swap in ownership will now scratch GMS Racing’s plans to field the No. 94 for Ty Dillon, as they will instead join the Petty group.

Displayed in the classic 'Petty' font,  the No. 42 of Ty Dillon will evoke memories of NASCAR past. The historical significance of the number comes with the fact that Richard Petty’s father, Lee Petty, drove the No. 42 car from 1941 through 1961. Lee Petty scored a total of 54 (Cup Series) victories in the No. 42, as well as winning three NASCAR Grand National (Cup) Series Championships. That same car number would later be piloted by Richard Petty’s son, Kyle Petty, in a slight nod to his grandfather as the young petty began his auto racing career. Although not in blood relation, Ty Dillon will now add to that legacy.

Along with this announcement, Petty GMS Motorsports stated that Crew Chiefs and all previously announced partnerships will remain the same between both sides of the newly formed organization. 

When asked about this merger, Richard Petty said, "Maury (Gallagher) and Mike (Beam) have built a really solid organization at GMS. They've won a lot of races and a couple of championships in the Truck Series, and I really look forward to doing the same thing in the Cup Series. Maury's commitment to competing and winning is obvious in everything he does, and that's something we really needed. The opportunity to combine our two organizations on the Cup front makes a lot of sense to us for a number of reasons, one of which is the talent we have between the two organizations; this will make us a lot stronger together."

"I'm very excited about this opportunity to work with Richard (Petty), arguably the greatest driver in NASCAR history, and form Petty GMS Motorsports," said Gallagher. "Petty GMS will have a sole focus of winning. Both teams have a track record of winning and we have a strong desire to continue this legacy into a new chapter. Ty (Dillon) and Erik (Jones) have proven themselves through the years, and we are looking forward to the success they will have as teammates."

At the newly formed organization, Brian Moffit will assume the Executive Vice President of Sales role, and President Mike Beam will lead Petty GMS Motorsports, overseeing daily operations. Interestingly, Mike Beam was the Crew Chief for Kyle Petty's No. 42 several decades ago. GMS Racing will continue to compete full-time in the ARCA Menard’s Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, though GMS Racing noted that their Camping World Truck Series team will downsize to run only two full-time entries.

NEWS: @RPMotorsports and @GMSRacingLLC announce the formation of Petty GMS Motorsports with two full-time, 2022 NASCAR Cup Series drivers, with @TyDillon in the No. 42 and @Erik_Jones in the No. 43. pic.twitter.com/J7vhQrjNim

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) December 7, 2021