Brett Moffitt has a lot to be thankful for as he prepares to spend time with family and friends this holiday season. The 30-year-old driver has landed a full-time ride with AM Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the 2023 season, AM Racing announced on Monday by way of a press release.
Moffitt, a native of Iowa, will drive the No. 25 car for the organization and AM Racing will switch manufacturers from Chevrolet to Ford. As part of the manufacturer swap, AM Racing will enter a technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing and Ford Motor Company’s Ford Performance program.
SHR will provide cars for the effort.
Additionally, the team will have Roush Yates engines under the hood this season.
It goes without saying that this is the most impactful announcement in the history of AM Racing.
“This is an integral move for AM Racing and our future in NASCAR,” said AM Racing team principal Kevin Cywinski in the team release. “AM Racing is committed to ensuring that we are taking the necessary measures to not only give our team but Brett (Moffitt) the opportunity to be competitive from the time we show up to Daytona in February – which is something this group deserves.
“We are also grateful to have formed a technical alliance with Stewart-Haas Racing and Ford Performance. With their leadership and direction – it should offer the opportunity for our team to contend for a spot in the Xfinity Series Playoffs in our inaugural season.”
The partnership with Stewart-Haas Racing isn’t just a massive deal for AM Racing, it’s also a big deal to SHR, a team that is one of the powerhouse organizations in the NASCAR Cup Series as well.
“There’s strength in numbers and having another Ford team with Roush Yates horsepower in the Xfinity Series is something that’s very beneficial for Stewart-Haas Racing,” said Greg Zipadelli, chief competition officer, Stewart-Haas Racing. “This is a partnership that can accelerate AM Racing’s growth while simultaneously benefitting our own efforts in the Xfinity Series.”
Stewart-Haas Racing, which ran one NASCAR Xfinity Series car this past season, will expand to two entries in their own stable this season in the series. Riley Herbst will reprise his role in the No. 98 entry, while Cole Custer will move to the team’s No. 00 entry after three full-time seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Moffitt feels like the team isn’t just positioned to compete for good finishes in 2023. The 2018 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion thinks the team is ready to find victory lane.
“I am beyond excited about this next chapter in my career,” said Moffitt. “Wade (Moore), Kevin (Cywinski) and the entire AM Racing team are putting the pieces together to make sure that we not only have a team that can run up front but win races in 2023.
“I was impressed by the team’s long-term plan and without question, I know that we will be able to accomplish the goals that we have set forth. I look forward to representing AM Racing as driver of the No. 25 Ford Mustang.”
The anchor partner for the No. 25 Ford Mustang in 2023 will be AM Technical Solutions, which is a global architecture, engineering, and construction firm. Additional sponsorship for Moffitt will come from The Rasmussen Group and its subsidiaries Concrete Supply and JMT Trucking. Destiny Homes will also back Moffitt again in 2023.
AM Racing did not announce Moffitt’s crew chief, but the release does state that a crew chief will be announced in the near future.
Moffitt, who was slated to run the full NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule in 2022 with Our Motorsports, made 20 starts in the series in the No. 02 car before the partnership fizzled.
After scoring four top-10 finishes for Our Motorsports, Moffitt would run one more NXS race in 2022 for SS Green Light Racing, which resulted in an impressive 10th-place finish at Kansas Speedway.
Moffitt piloted the No. 22 AM Racing truck at Knoxville and Kansas this past season. Overall, Moffitt has made three starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with the organization.
While he’s been close a couple of times, Moffitt has never run the full NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule. 2023 will be his first opportunity to actually accomplish the feat.
Moffitt has scored 23 top-10 finishes in 84 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts over the course of his career and he has a career-best finish of second, which he achieved at Daytona International Speedway in the 2021 season opener.
In addition to his NCTS championship, Moffitt has amassed 12 victories in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competition.
AM Racing first announced its intentions to expand into the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2023 back on October 7th. Just a couple of months later, the team landed a talented championship-winning driver and entered a technical alliance with one of the premier teams in the NASCAR National Series ranks.
The team will once again field a full-time truck in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series as well as a full-time team in the ARCA Menards Series this season. The Truck Series and ARCA entries will also be aligned with Ford Performance.
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