JR Motorsports

JR Motorsports History

The JR Motorsports division was started in the era of Dale Earnhardt Sr. However in his time, the team was a mere shadow of what it is today. It was supposed to be the marketing division of Dale Earnhardt Inc. and focus on selling of his t-shirts and procure sponsorships. The team started its racing adventure in 2002 and got merged with the Xfinity Series program of Hendrick Motorsports when Dale Jr. joined Hendrick Motorsports.

The team started its operations in the Xfinity Series full-time with the support of the United States Navy. They formed their own driver development program for the future in partnership with GMS Racing in 2019. Noah Gragson, Zane Smith, Sam Mayer, and Adam Lemke were among the first members who were inducted into the program.

The team won its first Xfinity Series championship in 2014 with Chase Elliott. The team went on to achieve two more championships with William Byron and Tyler Reddick, who are currently racing in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series. JR Motorsports was tipped off to enter the NASCAR Cup Series in 2021. Their Director of Performance, Ryan Pemberton, parted ways with the team in 2022, after working with them since 2012. Mike Bumgarner was brought in to replace Pemberton.

JR Motorsports Owner

JR Motorsports is jointly owned by four people, Dale Earnhardt Jr, his elder sister, Kelley Earnahrdt Jr, his previous employer and team owner, Rick Hendrick, and his brother-in-law, L.W. Miller.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a third-generation NASCAR driver who previously competed in the NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series. He is the son of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Sr. and has created an immense legacy in the sport aside from his father’s. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was not only a successful driver but also a good businessman. He is arguably the richest driver in the NASCAR Cup Series and other NASCAR series, as of September 2024. He has a net worth of $300 million, according to reports from Celebrity Net Worth. Earnhardt Jr. has worked as a commentator on NBC after retiring from the sport in 2018.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. never won a championship in the NASCAR Cup Series. He has won 26 races out of the 631 races he has started in the Cup Series over 19 years of his career. Earnhardt Jr. has achieved 260 pole positions. He has also won two titles in the Xfinity series in 1998 and 1999. He has won 24 races in the Xfinity Series and claimed 95 Top-10s. Earnhardt Jr. has won two Daytona 500 races in his career in the Cup Series. He was immensely popular in the Cup Series from his debut season. Earnhardt Jr. collected 15 Most Popular Driver Awards in the Cup Series. He was added to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2021 and then to the list of 75 Greatest Drivers of NASCAR in 2023.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is married to Amy Reimann. He has two children with her, Nicole and Isla Earnahrdt. Dale Jr’s mother passed away in 2019 at the age of 65 after battling cancer. He is a supporter of Make-A-Wish foundation and has granted over 350 wishes.

L.W. Miller

Wayne L.W. Miller III is a former professional stock car racing driver. He hails from Dushore, Pennsylvania in the United States. He is a three time champion in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. He also competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the Craftsman Truck Series previously. Miller is married to Kelley Earnhardt. He was born on July 20, 1953 and is 51 years old, as of September 2024.

Kelley Earnhardt

Kelley Earnhardt Miller is the daughter of NASCAR Cup Series former driver, Dale Earnhardt. She is a successful businesswoman and the Chief Executive Officer of JR Motorsports which she runs with her brother, Dale Jr. She is married to L.W. Miller and has three children. Kelley was previously involved in racing but she gave up her career in 1996.

Rick Hendrick

Joseph Riddick “Rick” Hendrick III is a famous personality in the NASCAR community. He is known for the ownership of the most successful team in NASCAR. He is also the founder and owner of the Hendrick Automotive Group, which has over 100 car dealerships under its name. He won the NASCAR Cup Series 14 times as a team owner. He is also included in the NASCAR Hall of Fame as a 2017 inductee.

Hendrick was a racer himself and his father, Ricky Hendrick, was a former NASCAR driver. According to Celebrity Net Worth, he has a net worth of $1 billion in August 2024. His team, Hendrick Motorsports is valued at $315 million, as per reports from Forbes in 2020.

JR Motorsports Crew Chief

JR Motorsports has 4 different cars in their NASCAR Xfinity Series programs, driven by Sam Mayer, Justin Allgaier, Sammy Smith and Brandon Jones.

Mardy Lindley

Mardy Lindley is a former stock car racing driver himself. He is in his first year at JR Motorsports as the crew chief for the no.1 car driven by Sam Mayer. He has previously worked as a crew chief in the ARCA Menards and K&N Pro Series. He has also spent three seasons in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. He has 6 wins under his name throughout his career with different drivers.

Jim Pohlman

Jim Pohlman will be working as a crew chief for the second season with Justin Allgaier in the no. 7 car. He switched to JR Motorsports from Richard Childress Racing. Pohlman previously worked as a crew chief for Austin Dillon in the Cup Series and with Justin in the ARCA Menards Series in 2008. He has 6 wins under his belt as a crew chief.

Adam Wall

Adam Wall is going to join the no. 8 team as crew chief in 2024 Xfinity Series. He was previously with Hendrick Motorsport for 5 years. He is a 34 year old native of Illinois and has previously worked as an engineer on the no.1 team with JR Motorsports. He worked with the no.48 and no.5 teams at Hendrick Motorsports.

Philip Bell

Philip Bell will be working as the crew chief for Brandon Jones in the no. 9 car in 2024. He has a long history with the team. Jones has been with JR Motorsports since 2017 as the second engineer of the team. He has been an important member in the last two championships secured by the no.9 team in Xfinity Series.

JR Motorsports records in the NASCAR Cup Series Xfinity Series and the Craftsman Truck Series

JR Motorsports only fields its teams in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. They previously had a Truck Series but they have not raced in the series since 2016. They have raced in 628 events in the NASCAR Cup Series and won 85 races. There are no notable records held by JR Motorsports.

List of JR Motorsports Drivers

Current Drivers:

Past Drivers:

List of JR Motorsports Champions