Dale Earnhardt Jr., the owner of JR Motorsports and a legend in NASCAR, has long been in discussions to buy a Cup Series charter. These discussions have gotten stronger over the last few weeks as Stewart-Haas Racing is set to be dissolved at the conclusion of the 2024 season. But when it comes to making an investment in the top tier, the ex-driver has his own reservations.
In a recent interview with “Dale Jr. Download,” he disclosed that he and his sister Kelley Earnhardt, the CEO of JR Motorsports, had always explored the possibility of owning a Cup Series team. Junior says that even though none of the opportunities that have come their way have worked out, they are still at the table discussing partnerships or investments with other teams.
The Earnhardt siblings worry that in partnerships, they might not be in charge of the day-to-day operations. As JR Motorsports’ unofficial leaders, they anticipate occupying a similar role when they join the Cup Series.
“It is difficult to break away from that because, when we are working with a partner or on an existing project, we are not going to be making any decisions,” Dale Jr. said.
The cost of charters is yet another obstacle they must overcome. The value of charters has increased by over ten times since they were introduced in 2016. This trend is only expected to intensify as NASCAR’s profile and audience continue to rise.
This entails the Earnhardts contributing a substantial amount of money that they may never see again. How much they desire to be premier owners in spite of all these obstacles is the question.
The two routes that Dale Earhardt Jr. could take to enter the Cup Series
In an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio last month, Dale Jr. described his two potential routes to ownership of the Cup Series. The first is to seek outside funding to help him buy charters so that JR Motorsports can become a Cup Series team. In the event that it is not feasible, he would like to purchase a single charter held by an established team.
“My preference might be more to just invest in a single charter, one particular race car where I would have some influence over that actual car on the race track,” he stated, “if I can not own my own Cup race team and run it as we do, similar to JR Motorsports.” The Earnhardts are currently keeping an ear to the ground in search of new, potentially lucrative prospects.
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