There has always been anticipation among the NASCAR community to see Dale Earnhardt Jr. enter the Cup Series with his JR Motorsports team. However, the possibility of such a prospect does not seem to be the ideal goal for Junior in the immediate future. Recently, while elaborating on this subject, the JR Motorsports co-owner ruled out their chances of moving into the Cup Series scene.
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He spoke about all of the reasons why it would not make sense for him and his team to take this step, considering the financial aspect of the motorsports business.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. shares his chances of a Cup Entry with his team
During the conversation, the NASCAR Hall of Famer stated, “There is zero movement on our end. You know me and my sister Kelley… and everybody at JR Motorsports are always looking forward to an opportunity to get into Cup Series. We are interested in that, but it has to make sense.”
“I think that beyond just trying to get into the Cup Series, I think about my own family, my kids, their future, and what I need to do. What’s smart for me personally, and financially, to make sure that long after I’m gone everything is in good order. You know for me to take such a large risk financially… Me and Kelley would be interested in a partnership of some kind to get ourselves to that level.”
He further added, “There’s opportunities there, but they haven’t felt just right. Another key component for me and JR Motorsports is that we want to manage the team. We don’t wanna slap our name on a current product or a current organization… We don’t wanna do that, we want to run a team out of our building and manage the decisions on personnel and all of those things. Checking all of those boxes is hard… I don’t think we are willing to compromise just to be there.”
Junior remains wary of the charter price situation
Although, Junior mentioned his reasons as to why it would not be feasible for them to make the move. Earlier this year, the team had showcased a genuine interest in the same. Although, one of the biggest factors hampering their wish to make the leap would be the high charter prices and the upcoming TV deal. Moreover, the current charter deal is set to expire at the end of the 2024 season. This, in turn, has bloated up the cost of hiring a charter significantly.
Furthermore, talking about the current situation with the Charter system, Junior mentioned, “When I heard what I heard from the (Race Team Alliance), it made me go, ‘Hmm, I need to wait and pause,’ RTA is basically telling me this Charter I want to buy is a losing proposition. Or not a money making — it’s broken. I don’t want to buy this Charter now, because it’s not a successful business venture.”
Hence, for a team like JR Motorsports, it would only be wise to wait it out and test the waters before making the big leap. After all, it is evident that Earnhardt’s would love to have their team go back to racing in the top flight in American Stock Car racing.
