Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Former Driver Reveals Why He Never Went Full-Time in Cup Racing Despite Xfinity Success

Ron Fellows, who made a mark racing sports cars in Canada, had hit the tracks down south at various points in his career that spanned from the mid-1990s to early 2010s. That included outings on NASCAR’s ovals.

Fellows’ most impressive work came in the Nationwide Series, where he put together a strong collection of results. However, despite the success, he never competed full-time in the Cup Series. The 66-year-old explained why in a recent interview with Frontstretch.

Between 1995 and 2013, Fellows made Cup Series appearances for several teams, including NEMCO Motorsports and Dale Earnhardt Incorporated, owned by Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. During the same period, he also raced for Nationwide Series teams like Kevin Harvick Incorporated and JR Motorsports. Fellows’ performances warranted a full-time seat, too.

“I had conversations with a couple of organizations, DEI being one of them. But the issue for me was getting those opportunities into my 40s and having to give up sports car racing. I didn’t want to do that,” Fellows recalled.

“We were in the early 2000s when a couple of opportunities came up to do Cup full-time. We were just starting to win with Corvette, and I was really invested in that,” he added.

In the early 2000s, Fellows was largely associated with NEMCO Motorsports. He won Nationwide Series races at Watkins Glen for the team thrice, in 1998, 2000, and 2001.

Fellows drove for DEI in the Cup Series in 2003 and 2004. His best result for the team came during this stint when he finished as the runner-up at Watkins Glen.

When did Fellows drive for JR Motorsports?

Fellows’ first appearance for JR Motorsports came at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in 2008. He ended up winning the race, his final victory in the Nationwide Series. He made 12 more appearances for the team till the end of the 2013 season.

In this time, Fellows secured eight top-10 and six top-5 finishes. The most noteworthy achievements of his career include winning the 2001 24 Hours of Daytona and becoming the 2003 American Le Mans GTS class champion.