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Thad Moffitt, grandson of Richard Petty, lands full-time ARCA ride with Nitro Motorsports

JHby: Jonathan Howard01/07/25Jondean25
Thad Moffitt
Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

This ARCA Menards Series season has gotten more interesting. Thad Moffitt is going to take on the full-time schedule for 2025. Moffitt, the grandson of Richard Petty, will race for Nitro Motorsports in their inaugural season in ARCA.

Nitro Motorsports has spent a lot of time in the Trans-AM Series. Thad Moffitt gained a lot of his racing experience in Trans-Am. Of course, Moffitt has experience in ARCA and the Truck Series.

In 2021, Moffitt finished 4th in the ARCA points with David Gilliland Racing and he wasn’t full-time. Could his return to ARCA produce more success and even wins with Nitro Motorsports?

Thad Moffitt will drive the No. 46 to continue the Petty legacy. 42, 43, 44, 45, and now 46 have been used by various drivers in the Petty family. At 24 years old, Moffitt still has time to develop into a NASCAR driver.

In the 2024 season, Moffitt was supposed to race the full Truck Series season with Faction 46, a brand new team made just for him, more or less. That team dissolved midseason and Moffitt ran a few races with Young’s Motorsports.

So, what can we expect from him this season? Well, he has backing from Toyota, and Nitro is allied with Venturini Motorsports. When Venturini puts effort into a car, it usually means it is a fast car.

Then again, we have to wait and see what Thad Moffitt can do.

Thad Moffitt adds to ARCA Menards Series intrigue

So far this offseason, the ARCA Menards Series field has slowly trickled in. In the last few years, the competition has been lacking. There haven’t been a lot of great stories outside of how dominant certain drivers can be.

Thad Moffitt now joins Isabella Robusto (Venturini) and Brenden “Butterbean” Queen (Pinnacle Racing Group) as early entries for the full-time season and championship. We might have the most competitive ARCA season in recent memory in 2025.

“I’m heading into 2025 with more resources and confidence than ever, thanks to the backing of Toyota,” Moffitt said in a team press release. “None of this would be possible without the incredible support from my partners: Safety-Kleen, Leer Truck Caps & Covers, Pristine Auction, Induction Innovations, Tasty Duck, and Petty’s Garage. I’m excited to see what we can accomplish together, and I can’t wait to hit the track in Daytona!”

Practice for Daytona begins this month for the ARCA Menards Series. Somehow they can afford to do practices while the NASCAR Cup Series simply can’t make it happen for some reason. But it will give us our first look at the drivers and teams competing this season.