For the NASCAR Cup Series‘ upcoming USA Today 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Hyak Motorsports, formerly known as JTG Daugherty Racing, is set to celebrate its new identity with a sponsorless paint scheme on the No. 47 Chevrolet of Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Instead, the car will feature a striking black, red, and white design with the Hyak logo emblazoned upon both the hood and sides, as Stenhouse looks to improve upon his 22nd-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, and 20th at the Enjoy Illinois 300.

In a statement, Hyak explained that Loudon represents “the perfect stage to introduce a new look that reflects Hyak’s drive to keep pushing forward.”

Hyak went on to add that “The fresh look is a culmination of months of preparation and design, symbolizing the team’s growing identity and its commitment to building something special both on and off the racetrack.

“Fans will see the No. 47 in a striking new livery that embodies Hyak’s energy, vision, and dedication to pushing forward.”

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Unfortunately for Hyak, the announcement was met with largely negative feedback on social media, with many fans suggesting that this was a bad indicator of the team’s position.

“This isn’t a good sign. Roush Fenway Racing used to do this,” one fan wrote. “Some cars were Ford sponsored or Roush Sponsored. Kroger leaving JTG (Hyak) has affected this team significantly. Stenhouse really needs to find a “safety net” plan incase they end up shutting down after this season.”

A second said, “This is painful. Probably would have been better off not making a mention of this.” While a third asked if this was the “Beginning of the end?”

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However, not all were so negative, with another fan commenting, “Crazy how many people don’t realize how many other teams slap their own name on a car… this looks better than most schemes imo.”

As for Stenhouse, he may not ultimately need to look far for a “safety net,” with Spire Motorsports having previously been linked with the two-time Xfinity Series champion, via The Athletic, in place of Justin Haley. 

That being said, Stenhouse has publicly dismissed any suggestions that he plans to leave Hyak this offseason, telling SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, “We redid my contract last year with Hyak Motorsports, so I’m here through 2026 unless they tell me otherwise or unless we redo another one and stay there for longer.”

“For me, (crew chief) Mike [Kelley] and the boys, we’re working hard trying to figure out how we can get some consistency and a little bit more speed heading into the offseason so we can hit the ground running for next year. I’ve got a great group of guys that work hard and we all want the same thing. So, I’ll be at the 47 the rest of this year, the offseason, and going into 2026.”

Despite a positive start to the year, including eight top 20 finishes in the first 15 races, one top 10, and a further top five, Stenhouse has largely struggled to crack the top 20 since, barring a sixth-place finish at Atlanta and 20th at World Wide Technology Raceway. Thankfully for the 37-year-old, Loudon has been a good track for him in the past, finishing in the top 10 on three occasions, including seventh in 2024.