The #43 and STP is a legendary number/sponsor combination in the NASCAR Cup Series, most synonymous with the great Richard Petty. On Thursday, GMS Racing announced the pair will appear in the Camping World Truck Series with Petty’s grandson Thad Moffitt in the #43 Chevrolet Silverado RST.
Moffitt will run a part-time Truck schedule, with his first start in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway on 18 February being his series début. Further dates were not immediately revealed.
“Daytona is a track that has a lot of family history, and having STP onboard makes it that much more special,” said Moffitt. “It truly is an honour to run the iconic STP branding on my Silverado along with my fire suit, and I am hoping to represent their longtime support of my family in a great way.”
Since 2017, Moffitt has primarily competed in the ARCA Menards Series for Empire Racing and David Gilliland Racing, the former of which was a satellite team of Richard Petty Motorsports. In forty-four career starts, he has twenty-five top tens and a best race finish of third at Phoenix and Mid-Ohio this past season. He ran eighteen of twenty-five races in 2021 and placed fourth in points.
The #43 will be fielded by GMS in conjunction with Reaume Brothers Racing, who fields various trucks and also has a Cup alliance with Team Hezeberg. Richard Petty Motorsports merged with GMS for the 2022 Cup season to form Petty GMS Motorsports, though GMS will remain a separate entity in the Truck Series.
“I am thrilled to be able to partner with GMS and have their support,” commented RBR owner Josh Reaume. “They are an extremely strong and highly respected organisation that I have a great relationship with. Everyone at Reaume Brothers Racing is excited to work with Thad and have him make his Truck debut with us. Lastly, it’s an honour to play a role in helping continue the Petty family racing tradition. Thad is a very talented young driver, and it will be fun to watch him grow and see where his career takes him.”
The STP tribute comes on the thirty-year anniversary of Petty’s final Cup season in 1992. While the STP #43 is more connected to the Cup Series, RPM’s predecessor Petty Enterprises fielded such a truck for Rich Bickle in 1996 at Flemington, where he finished third.
“Over the past fifty years, STP has been with me very step of the way and I’ve been proud to support them, but this takes it to a whole new level for me,” added Richard Petty. “To have Thad racing with STP at Daytona, a place that our family has been so successful at, is just very special to me personally. Obviously, I’ve watched Thad’s career grow and he is ready for this next step in the Camping World Truck Series. It will be great to see another member of the Petty family racing with STP.”
