Ryan Vargas and Gary Keller both departed JD Motorsports at the end of the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, and the two have once again teamed up at Mike Harmon‘s re-organised CHK Racing. Vargas will race the #74 Chevrolet Camaro for the team while also serving as a consultant.
As part of Vargas’ non-driving duties, he will oversee internal business operations, marketing, and media, among other responsibilities.
“I’m really excited to be joining CHK Racing this season,” Vargas said. “This undeniably is going to be a big year for this organisation, and I look forward to serving a role that goes beyond driving the car. I’m excited to assist with helping the team in our reorganization and hopefully leading them into a new, competitive era. With the newfound support from Gary Keller and Mike Clayton along with Mike’s old-school racer mindset, I fully anticipate a swing for the better both on and off the track.
“The work done internally already has been great to see, and I’m excited to be a part of helping this team make the steps necessary to build into competitive form. This is more than an opportunity behind the wheel for me, it’s an opportunity to play a personal role in a project that everyone involved cares about. That is special.”
Vargas has raced in the Xfinity Series since 2019, mainly for JD Motorsports before announcing his exit in October. He ended his four-year JDM stint with two top tens and a best finish of sixth at Daytona. Keller, a partner in JDM who dubbed them “JD Motorsports with Gary Keller”, also parted ways a month later to link up with Harmon. Clayton joined the group in mid-January to create CHK Racing.
He first drove for Harmon at Portland as part of a pseudo-driver trade in which MHR’s Gray Gaulding took over Vargas’ ride for the race, finishing twenty-third. He also entered Road America with Harmon but failed to qualify.
Besides helping to grow CHK, Vargas is running seven Craftsman Truck Series races for On Point Motorsports which he announced a day prior.
