NASCAR Insider comments on HMS potentially benefitting from Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team’s data

NASCAR Insider, Bob Pockrass has commented on HMS potentially benefitting from the experience of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Xfinity Series team JR Motorsports. This came to light after the Hendrick Motorsports driver, Alex Bowman, finished fourth in the fastest laps (best 10 consecutive lap average) during the final practice before the Xfinity Series race at Phoenix Raceway.

This weekend, the Phoenix Raceway will see two National Series races, the Cup Series race on Sunday and one in the Xfinity Series with Justin Allgaier of JR Motorsports, with an average lap speed of 128.248 from lap 2 to 11 leading the pack. Amongst the fastest drivers on the track were Carson Kvapil of JR Motorsports with an average speed of 127.755, Parker Retzlaff of Alpha Prime Racing, and Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports.

Bowman’s impressive driving brought about a question from an X user, Alex Stricklin, he asked the renowned NASCAR journalist, Bob Pockrass, if the #17 of HMS receives any data from JR Motorsports.

"Is it correct to assume that the 17 Hendrick Motorsports team probably got some data from Junior motorsports? The car looked really good in practice," the user posted.

Pockrass replied to this query by suggesting the exchange of data between the two teams is a real possibility. Pockrass' suggestion doesn't seem too far-fetched primarily because of the partial ownership of Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports by Rick Hendrick (the primary owner of Hendrick Motorsports).

"I think it's safe to say that if HMS wanted some info from JRM, it would get it and vice versa," Pockrass replied to the query.

Rick Hendrick’s Hendrick Motorsports and Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports have a professional relationship where they have seen an exchange of talent. One such example is the crew chief Adam Wall.

---

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s NASCAR champion Justin Allgaier unveils JRM’s ‘biggest shakeup’ featuring a key RCR acquisition

Justin Allgaier, the reigning Xfinity Series champion for JR Motorsports (JRM), recently addressed the significant changes within the team during a media day event ahead of the race at Phoenix Raceway on March 8.

Allgaier noted that the No. 7 team has historically thrived due to a stable core of personnel, including former crew chief Jason Burdett.

"While there has been turnover, I would say two years ago and this would be the third year we made kind of the biggest shakeup right in changing kind of everybody from top down... (The No. 7 crew) had built a team around themselves that really functioned no matter who the driver was... I probably understood some of the weaknesses that we had as a race team because of it. But really, I saw why it worked," Allgaier said (4:17 onwards).

He acknowledged that the team has undergone substantial restructuring, particularly with the hiring of Jim Pohlman from Richard Childress Racing in 2023, aimed at enhancing their competitive edge.

"I went after somebody that I knew that could take what I knew would be good and go even further with it, right? And Jim Pohlman has been that guy. I mean, he is insanely good at what he does and he's a details guy, and those of you that have been around the sport you know how important the details are... I think that for me, having Jim as that guy and building a team around him has really helped me," he added.

Despite the team's past successes, Allgaier recognized the need for improvement and adaptation to maintain their performance in the evolving NASCAR landscape