Folks, there is a lot going on in NASCAR with racing teams shutting down. Be it BR Racing in 2018 or JD Motorsports and Stewart Haas Racing shutting down last season. Well, other than SHR crediting their exit to “unwavering commitment and vast resources,” something Gene Haas and Tony Stewart no longer wanted to do. The other two faced financial problems, which led to them closing shop. Well, the point of telling you this is that NASCAR’s charter deals have become more expensive. And while old veteran teams are quitting, there might be one team making a comeback to the sport.

We saw sponsors exiting the sport, like FedEx leaving NASCAR. Low capital seems to be a problem that NASCAR is facing. Remember how NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps had spoken about private equity investments coming into the sport in the future? A sport that was owned for several decades by the France family suddenly opened doors to outsiders. Clearly, there’s some trouble. And amid all this volatility, an old NASCAR team is possibly making a return. Well, it’s in the Truck Series, and with a new OEM most likely coming in, it’s a strong possibility.

Iconic comeback or uninteresting contenders in NASCAR?

If you recall, GMS Racing quit NASCAR after the 2023 Truck Series season. This came as a surprise for many. Since how successful Maury Gallagher’s team has been in the series since starting out in 2013. They bagged 45 wins in 726 starts. And not just that, they even bagged two championships. First in 2016 with Johnny Sauter and 2020 with Sheldon Creed. And if you recall their last season, Grant Enfinger, with three wins, made the playoffs. Rather, he narrowly missed out on a third championship, ending the season in P2. So, it was puzzling why they left.

In their exit statement, Gallagher had said, “We are looking to finish out this year on a high note and close our legacy in this era with another Truck Series championship.” But he did not reveal any financial troubles or internal troubles. And now there is another rumor floating around. And an Instagram page called ‘nascarrumornostalgia’ posted, “One thing I’ve heard a handful of times now is that GMS Racing is returning to the Truck Series next season with Spencer Gallagher and Dodge. Not really sure how true it is yet, but guess time will tell.”

Firstly, ‘nascarrumornostalgia’ has been known to be a whistleblower on several such rumors, so we can’t count this out. And secondly, so much is going on in that post that makes sense. The Athletic had posted previously that Dodge is set to return to the NASCAR truck series in 2026, with the goal of entering the Cup Series in 2027. Athletic had written: “People with knowledge of the discussions said Dodge is returning with the intent to eventually put together a full Cup program. That Cup program could be operational as soon as 2027 or 2028.”

That’s how the $25 billion valued manufacturer did it the last time they were part of the sport. So this could work out perfectly. Dodge would need a top team, and GMS, for so many years, proved to be one! However, we are not so sure about putting Maury Gallagher’s son in the ride.

Spencer’s a part-time ARCA driver, and he’s not had much success there. However, he won the 2018 Talladega race in the Xfinity Series. So you never know. Anyway, the driver situation can be sorted in the 2025 silly season. And somehow now, some things are falling into place. For the folks who don’t know, Maury Gallagher is also a co-owner of the Jimmie Johnson-led Legacy Motor Club. Many thought he took GMS Racing out of the Truck Series to focus more on LMC’s Cup program.

But previously this year, private equity firm Knighthead Capital Management bought a stake in LMC, and they bought a lot into Gallagher’s stake in the team. This led to him stepping down from the day-to-day operations of the team. However, he still owns some shares and is now just an ambassador in the team like Richard Petty is. Who knows, maybe he is now completely exiting LMC to come back to the Truck Series? Well, time will tell.

Also, there were some talks that GMS quit the Truck Series because LMC switched to Toyota from Chevy. And there was no place for another truck team under Toyota’s roof! But if Dodge is coming in, GMS Racing would not need to go to Toyota or even to Chevy. A revamped GMS Racing with a veteran OEM could be the highlight of the 2026 season. That ought to make the series interesting, with Dodge possibly bringing the RAM truck. Or could this be Dodge’s first step towards entering into the Cup Series?

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Could the Legacy Motor Club make a switch to Dodge?

Look, Gallagher exiting LMC is only speculation. What if he’s not? What if LMC is trying to aid Dodge’s entry into the Truck Series? To compete with teams like Tricon Garage or Spire Motorsports, Front Row Motorsports, ThorSport Racing, you need a top team. It’s tough to make these active teams switch to a new OEM. So, imagine this: maybe GMS returns with Dodge. And then, in 2027, they come to the Cup Series with LMC. And with Gallagher being involved, this should be an easy move.

And if you recall, when LMC switched to Toyota, they refused to take data from Joe Gibbs Racing. They started collecting their own on the next-gen car. What if all this is part of an elaborate plan to eventually make a switch in 2027? Anyway, under Toyota, they’ll always be shadowed by JGR. With Dodge, they can become the OEM’s top team. And now, LMC is also rushing into buying a third charter. That’s the whole lawsuit between them and Rick Ware Racing. Where RWR is claiming the deal was supposed to go down in 2027. And LMC is saying that 2026 was decided.

Well, this part doesn’t fit. If LMC is planning a switch in 2027, why rush so much now? Maybe they are trying to get a head start and put the third team in place to make the switch easier when the time comes. However, the lawsuit is still going on. Journalist Jordan Bianchi, explaining the whole case, had said, “Rick Ware Racing agreed to sell a charter to Legacy Motor Club. That is indisputable. What Rick Ware Racing is contending is that we wanted to sell that charter effective with the 2027 season. Rick Ware Racing has two charters. One of those charters is leased to RFK Racing. That’s a multi-year agreement, from my understanding.”

Who knows what might happen in the future? But if any of this turns out to be true, it’s surely going to make things interesting. What do you think, folks? Could GMS Racing be returning? And could it be the start of something big? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.