GMS Racing to Field NASCAR Cup Series Team with Ty Dillon in 2022

By David Morgan, Associate Editor

CONCORD, N.C. – Add another new team to the NASCAR Cup Series field for the 2022 season.

GMS Racing, which has fielded entries in both the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the majority of the past decade, announced Sunday that it would be taking the step up to NASCAR’s upper level next season, with Ty Dillon behind the wheel of the No. 94 Chevrolet.

GMS is no stranger to success in its racing endeavors, winning more than 50 races between Trucks, Xfinity, and ARCA, as well as capturing two Truck Series titles in 2016 and 2020 with Johnny Sauter and Sheldon Creed.

“First of all, I’m just unbelievably grateful for the opportunity,” Dillon said. “Their dedication to the sport has been unmatched over their start in the Truck Series until now. The way they’ve led their programs with a winning passion and doing it right.

“Over the last year, it’s been pretty tough. Not knowing when the next race is going to be or if the next race is going to be my last. I’ve just had good faith that if I’m supposed to be in the sport the right opportunity is going to come. Man, I feel so great about this chance.”

“We’re definitely excited,” added team president Mike Beam. “This has been a long time coming for GMS and Maury Gallagher and myself. The timing is right to do this. There are a lot of things that went into this decision as far as going Cup racing. It wasn’t a hard decision with Ty. [He’s] been out for a year and I know how hungry he is…Very blessed to get someone like Ty’s talent that we can build this company and our Cup program.

Dillon has had experience in all three levels of NASCAR National Series racing, with wins in both the Xfinity and Truck Series. From 2017 to 2020, Dillon ran full-time in the Cup Series with Germain Racing, scoring a handful of top-five and top-10 finishes, but found himself on the sidelines when the team shut down at the conclusion of the 2020 season.

Throughout 2021, Dillon has run in both the Cup Series and Xfinity Series on a part-time basis, driving four races for Gaunt Brothers Racing on the Cup side and 11 Xfinity races between Joe Gibbs Racing, Our Motorsports, and Jordan Anderson Racing. In those Xfinity starts, Dillon has scored one top-five finish and three top-10 finishes at Charlotte, Atlanta, and Las Vegas.

Though the driver and team has been announced, Beam noted that the team is still working on locking down a sponsor for next season, as well as being able to secure a charter heading into 2022. He added that the discussions he has had concerning a charter for the new team have been among the most challenging of his career.

In an effort to get a head start on next season with the Next Gen car, Beam also said that the team would be participating in the two-day Next Gen test scheduled for Monday and Tuesday at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.