JTG Daugherty changes manufacturers, joins alliance with RCR

 

   JTG Daugherty Racing not only has a new driver for its Sprint Cup Series team next season, but it will change manufacturers as well.

   On Monday, the team announced it had joined in a technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing that will include receiving ECR Engines and engineering services during the 2014 Cup season with driver A.J. Allmendinger behind the wheel of its No. 47 entry. The alliance will include JTG Daugherty moving to the Chevrolet camp from Toyota.

   "We certainly appreciate all the support that TRD (Toyota Racing Development) has provided to JTG Daugherty Racing for five years and we are great fans of their business model,” team co-owner Tad Geschickter said. "As a single-car team, we feel that aligning directly with a successful multi-car organization like Richard Childress Racing is what will work best for us in 2014."

   After nearly 15 years of success in the Nationwide Series, JTG Daugherty Racing ventured into the Cup series with driver Marcos Ambrose at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July 2008. Most recently, former Cup champion Bobby Labonte served as the team's driver.

   Allmendinger drove a handful of races for the team in 2013 and will be its fulltime driver in 2014. "With our RCR alliance and A.J. behind the wheel, we are looking forward to a fresh start in 2014,” Geschickter said.