In 1999, JR Motorsports was created as the marketing arm of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s race team. Its purpose was to facilitate the sale of T-shirts, coffee mugs, and other merchandise. The outfit became a proper race team only around 2002. When it did, Dale Jr. expressed a vision for it. That vision is on the verge of becoming reality today.
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In a 2004 interview, the popular icon said, “I have big expectations of being an owner. I never wanted to do that before. Recently over the last two years, I have wanted that more and more. I think after my driving days I will still be around in the sport. I would love to be an owner in the sport.”
He added, “I am kind of just letting the JR Motorsports thing, which is my personal company, do its own thing and grow at its own pace … I mean, if it becomes a Busch team or a Cup team, so be it.” Twenty years later, Dale Jr. is still very much a part of the sport. And his team is about to step into the Cup Series in the upcoming Daytona 500.
“I’m just kinda letting the JR Motorsports thing grow at its own pace… if it becomes a Busch team or Cup team, so be it.”
2004: Dale Jr spoke of his goals for the new JR Motorsports and a desire to be an owner after driving
2025: JR Motorsports enters the Daytona 500 pic.twitter.com/f2CvT9fqH2
— nascarman (@nascarman_rr) January 15, 2025
Justin Allgaier will pilot the No. 40 open-entry car for JR Motorsports at Daytona on February 16. He will still need to qualify for the race, but the job is as good as done, judging from his superior abilities behind the wheel. Dale Jr. is naturally thrilled at this transformative journey his team has undergone, but is also conscious of the pressure on him.
The obligations that Dale Jr. believes he has
The Cup Series entry of JR Motorsports has been a huge talking point for the last several years. Now that it is finally happening, the NASCAR fandom is finding it hard not to get overly excited. This enthusiasm is what fuels the pressure that keeps mounting on Dale Jr. He opened up about it in an interview with Cup Scene last month.
He said, “I do feel a bit of an obligation with our connection to the fan base. I do feel that obligation to achieve and have milestones as an owner. You’ve heard the rumblings over the years that fans are excited or hopeful of a potential Cup opportunity for us. And so yeah, there’s pressure not only on me and Kelley.”
So, will JR Motorsports continue participating in Cup Series races after the Daytona 500? For now, it is a one-time thing. Based on how the Great American Race goes and how the sponsorship opportunities line up, Dale Jr. will decide what his next move ought to be. Disappointing the fandom is the one thing that he wouldn’t want to do after all these years.
