Kelley Earnhardt has a four-word reaction to JRM’s honoring initiative at Darlington

Kelley Earnhardt-Miller, Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s sister, shared her thoughts on the tribute paint scheme on the No. 8 Chevrolet for the Darlington throwback weekend. She said the tribute for long-time TMC Transporation employees is a "great initiative".

The paint scheme is a throwback to Tony Stewart's No. 8 Chance 2 Motorsports 3 Doors Down livery from 2003. But instead of the band members, Sammy Smith, the driver of the No. 8 JR Motorsports car, will feature four members of the TMC family at Darlington Raceway.

Speaking about the paint scheme, Kelley Earnhardt-Miller, JR Motorsports co-owner, wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

"What a great initiative!"

The TMC employees who will be honored at the Darlington race weekend are Michael Lavigne (specialized driver), Oscar Cordon (linehaul hauler), Ron Bean (customer service representative), and Martin Milner (corporate training manager). All have at least 20 years of working experience with the truck company.

Their names are etched on the No. 8 Chevrolet similar to Chance 2 Motorsports', Dale Jr.'s team, one-off entry at Michigan International Speedway in 2003. Stewart crossed the line 11th, while Kevin Harvick won the race.

The 147-lap contest around Darlington Raceway will be held on April 5 at 3:30 p.m. ET. The CW Network will host the TV coverage for the race and the rest of the Xfinity Series season.

Sammy Smith drives the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro for JR Motorsports co-owned by Kelley Earnhardt - Source: Imagn

For now, Sammy Smith arrives at Homestead-Miami Speedway fifth in the Xfinity Series standings, with JRM teammate Justin Allgaier leading the pack. Smith only has one top-10 finish (fourth place at Atlanta Motor Speedway) in the first five races of the 2025 season.

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Kelley Earnhardt-Miller's JRM co-owner reacts to Team Penske's Darlington throwback tribute for their late father

Dale Earnhardt Jr., JR Motorsports co-owner and brother of Kelley Earnhardt-Miller, reacted to Austin Cindric's paint scheme for Darlington. Earnhardt Jr. said it is an honor to have his late father, Dale Sr., represented in the race weekend.

In an X post, Dale Earnhardt Jr. wrote:

"Austin (Cindric) text me a few days ago to see what I thought. I told him it's always such an honor for our family to see dad represented during the Darlington throwback weekend."

The blue and yellow paint scheme on the No. 2 Team Penske Ford pays homage to Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s No. 2 car from the late 70s. Dale Sr. won the Rookie of the Year award in 1979 before securing his first of seven NASCAR Cup Series championships the following year.

The first championship was his only title outside the iconic No. 3 Chevrolet with Richard Childress Racing.

Dale Earnhardt Sr. lost his life during the 2001 Daytona 500. His son, Dale Jr., later managed Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI) before leaving the team in 2007.

Earnhardt Jr. manages JR Motorsports with sister Kelley-Earnhardt Miller and Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick. The 2025 driver lineup includes Carson Kvapil (No. 1), Justin Allgaier (No. 7), Sammy Smith (No. 8), and Connor Zilisch (No. 88).