"I never had to get my foot in the door": When Kelley Earnhardt revealed JRM's commitment to giving opportunities in NASCAR

NASCAR team owner Kelley Earnhardt Miller also manages JR Motorsports as CEO. In 2019, she acknowledged her and her brother Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s privilege and spoke about wanting to give chances to young people in the sport without their family connections playing a role in the same.

JRM debuted in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2005 but had only started as a small business to help Dale Earnhardt Jr. sell merchandise and find sponsors in 1998. It began to train young drivers through the Drivers Edge Development program with GMS Racing and Chevrolet in 2019. The Mooresville, North Carolina-based team had won three championships till then with Chase Elliott in 2014, William Byron in 2017 and Tyler Reddick in 2018.

"Dale and I were born to Dale Earnhardt. I never had to get my foot in the door; the door was stood wide open for us. Everybody else doesn't get that opportunity. We just like to help people get that opportunity," said Kelley Earnhardt [via ESPN].

The program helps drivers of different experience levels, between 14 and 21 years, race in various series. Drivers start with late models, move to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and ARCA, and finally to the Truck Series or Xfinity Series. NASCAR Cup Series drivers Noah Gragson, John Hunter Nemechek, and Zane Smith were part of the inaugural class.

JRM won its first NASCAR owners champions and the fourth driver Xfinity title last season with Justin Allgaier, who will make the Cup Series debut for the team this season at the Daytona 500.

---

"She gave up all her friends" - Dale Jr. on Kelley Earnhardt joining military school

Dale Earnhardt Jr and sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller celebrate after winning the 2024 Xfinity Series championship during the Championship race at Phoenix Raceway - Source: Imagn

Kelley Earnhardt and her brother Dale Jr. are children of seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s second wife Brenda Jackson. When their mother lost her house in a fire, they had to move in with their dad, who was always busy racing.

Kelley and Dale Jr. moved a lot and went to multiple schools, including a military one. In the same interview, Dale Jr. talked about their school days and Kelly's choice to attend military school.

"She gave up all her friends. You hear about how difficult that is for a kid and she did it voluntarily right in the middle of her high school. But she came to the military school and made friends right away." said Dale Jr. [via ESPN].

"I spent all my money on candy. She'd cover my a** on my lunch," he added.

Kelley Earnhardt graduated from the University of North Carolina with a degree in Business Administration and joined Action Performance afterward. Besides running JRM, Kelley also manages DEJ Management and Dirty Mo Media.