When Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Rick Hendrick penned a deal for the former to take over the #88 Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) car in 2008, they were changing the face of the Cup Series. At the same time, they were also creating what would become one of the most successful franchises a rung below in the Busch Series.
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HMS and JR Motorsports (JRM) had been functioning as independent entities in the second tier for many years before 2008. Hendrick had set up his Busch Series operations in the mid-1980s and ran his cars through the years in a highly sporadic fashion. Part-timers and the occasional full-time entry clouding the skies for the team, it won a championship in 2003. However, the lack of a proper driver development program amongst other reasons caused him to start losing interest in the operation.
JRM, on the other hand, began operating under its current name only in 2005. Junior had been involved in the Busch Series with another venture – Chance 2 Motorsports – until then. Between 2005 and 2007, the team ran in 72 races with multiple drivers and ended up with zero victory lane visits. The unimpressive results and a bleak outlook on the future cast a big question mark in his mind.
The timely Cup Series agreement between the two stalwarts came as the solution to their uncertainties.
Hendrick and Junior announced in 2007 that their two teams would be merged in the Busch Series. The former was named the owner of the #5 team and Junior of the #88. 30 employees of HMS, including crew chief Chad Walters, were added to the JRM payroll as a result. The teams decided that they would be working together in many areas including driver development, race shop support, and media relations.
JR Motorsports, the de facto driver development program for Rick Hendrick
More than a decade since the teams merged, JRM has become a giant in the show with 3 championships and ticked Junior’s checkbox of being a successful team owner. Hendrick too sees his desire of having a driver breeding ground realized. Chase Elliott and William Byron both won Xfinity Series Championships for Junior and drive for HMS today.
Furthermore, when a JRM driver is released from the garage, Hendrick gets to have the right to sign them for HMS should he want to. Junior said on his podcast last year, “Our drivers that drive at JR Motorsports, Rick Hendrick gets the first right at refusal. After that, they are welcome to go anywhere they want to go.”
With such strong synergy flowing between these two teams, it will be interesting to note the change in dynamics if and when Junior decides to finally field a car in the Cup Series grid.
