Darlington, SC – April 08, 2025 – The Majors Garage Cup Series (MGCS) Silly Season roared back into the spotlight last night, as Crown Jewel Racing Executives dropped a double dose of chaos following a tense board meeting. The result? Sweeping rule changes to race control and a wild reshuffling of charters that have teams and drivers buzzing ahead of tomorrow’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington.
The rulebook got a major facelift, starting with clearer guidelines on racing incidents. Crown Jewel Racing unveiled a system to judge fault based on where contact happens—corner entry, center, exit, or straightaways—using a driver’s “predictable line” from their prior three laps as the benchmark. Penalties range from 1 to 2 RC points for infractions like unsafe apron re-entries or late blocks, with shared fault splitting the difference at 1 point each. Race lengths also stretched from 80% to a full 100% for the season’s remainder, pushing driver stamina to the limit. Meanwhile, the RC penalty ceiling tightened suspensions now kick in at 6 points (down from 8), qualifying bans at 4, and suspended drivers reset to 3 points post-ban. It’s a stricter leash for a wild field. Read all about the Rule Updates here.
The bigger shockwave, though, was the axing of open cars from MGCS. These developmental slots will stick around in the Conti Sim-Performance Dash Series and VRS Truck Series, but their four Cup Series spots were snatched up overnight by new charter teams, keeping the field capped at 40. Here’s the rundown on the charter scramble:
Moonshine Motorsports Expands with XPress eSports
Cody Porter, already behind the wheel for Moonshine Motorsports, secured the first charter and launched XPress eSports to bolster his operation. The #63 Ford Mustang hits the track this week, and rumors are swirling that Porter’s move is a bold play to bring back Johnny Avila—last season’s VRS Truck Series dominator who vanished into the shadows. A superhero sequel in the making?
Majors Garage eSports Doubles Down
Charter number two went to Majors Garage eSports, where points leader Dallas Pataska welcomed a teammate to his arsenal. Nathan Fuller takes the #7 Chevrolet into Darlington, but speculation swirls: will Fuller lock down the seat, or will Pataska shuffle his roster of aces to keep rivals on edge?
Gateway Racing Rises
The third charter landed with Garth Griswold (yours truly), who’d been stalking a charter since Silly Season sparked last month. With slim pickings and charters flying to heavyweights like THW Motorsports, Griswold pounced, forming Gateway Racing. The #10 Chevrolet evens out the manufacturer mix and opens doors for hungry talent. “We’re at the Gateway to the Future,” Griswold declared. “I’m thrilled to be apart of this.”
Patriot Motorsports Bolsters the Ranks
Patriot Motorsports snagged the fourth charter, as team owner Zach Johnson paired #94 driver Thomas Wolfe with a new ally. Early reports confirmed a bombshell: Hollywood Motorsports’ #5 driver Allen Phillips ditched a resignation letter on owner Nathaniel Campbell’s desk this morning, bolting to Patriot’s #42 car. Campbell had just revived Mike Burnett for the #16 last week, but Phillips saw greener pastures elsewhere.
Sources said that Hollywood’s #5 Chevrolet won’t stay vacant long. Sources are saying that Campbell gave Jacob Quill the nod once again, who drove for the team at Phoenix, to step in. No official word yet, but insiders peg Quill as the full-time fix for the season.
With rules sharpened, charters reshuffled, and drivers on the move, MGCS Silly Season is a runaway freight train. Will these changes tame the chaos or fuel the fire? Darlington’s green flag tomorrow holds the answers—strap in.
