The notion of Dale Earnhardt Jr. leading JR Motorsports to the NASCAR Cup Series has always been mooted. By doing this, he will realize his desire and spark a resurgence of Dale Earnhardt Inc., which is currently relegated to a museum and collectibles. But thus far, he has abstained from placing a wager due to the unpredictability surrounding club operations and charter ownership at the Cup level.
Junior showed no interest in obtaining one of the four Stewart Haas Racing charters that were up for grabs. This was due solely to the unpredictability and unsustainable nature of holding a Cup charter, particularly in light of the ongoing impasse between NASCAR and the team over a new charter arrangement.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. needs to own teams or charters in order to move up to Tier 1.
The desire of teams for permanent charters has been a major discussion topic from the ongoing but unfinished charter negotiations. It is currently a recurrent agreement that requires mutual renewal from both sides. In essence, NASCAR owns most of the tracks, and the sport itself receives a larger share of revenue. Getting the charters permanent is the only thing the club owners believe would protect their investment in the sport.
Poll of the Day: First of Four
Do you believe Michael Jordan’s plea should have been taken seriously by NASCAR?
Certainly
Not at all
Perhaps, but it’s difficult.
I’m not bothered.
Do you believe important players like Michael Jordan will be alienated by NASCAR’s 2025 plans?
Certainly
Perhaps
Not at all
Who gives a damn?
Do you believe Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s most recent signing was the right choice?
Certainly
Not at all
Time will tell.
Who gives a damn?
Do you believe that NASCAR’s fan pledges are sincere or merely publicity gimmicks?
Sincere
Public relations gimmicks
Conflicting emotions
Not concerned
The co-owner of 23XI Racing, Michael Jordan, gave an explanation for why teams are resisting NASCAR’s attempts to take permanent control of their charters: “The sport will die if you don’t make that correction [and introduce the idea of permanent ownership]—not because it won’t make sense for any businesspeople from an economic standpoint, but rather because of the competitive aspect.”
According to a Sports Business Journal story, private equity groups may provide financial support for drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and JRM to compete in the Cup Series. Industry leaders are speculating about whether Dale Earnhardt Jr. could be convinced to move his JR Motorsports team to the premier Cup Series of NASCAR provided private equity companies cover the cost of a charter. However, considering how shaky the charters’ core principles are right now, this is just another absurd notion.
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The estimated cost of the SHR charter that FRM purchased is between $20 and $25 million. For background, in 2023 Spire Motorsports paid $40 million for a LiveFast Motorsport charter. You can see how quickly charter values fluctuate. The former NASCAR driver stated, “There’s no way at the current selling price that I personally am gonna go out and buy a charter myself,” on a previous episode of Dale Jr. Download. Junior continued, “If I owned a charter and had one right now on this table, I would want to own it forever,” highlighting how important permanent charters would be to him before he would consider joining the Cup Series.
This just serves to highlight how the intricacies of the ongoing charter talks have affected the charter’s cost and the importance of teams making advance plans. And the odds of JR Motorsports competing in the Cup Series are rather slim, based on what Denny Hamlin said on the negotiations. According to Hamlin, NASCAR administration needs to realize how important teams and drivers are to the company’s success. But it isn’t taking place at this time.
Michael Jordan’s fellow 23XI co-owner said, “We’re banging our heads against the wall because, repeatedly, as these negotiations have gone on, there’s been no negotiation.” “Every proposition they return to us is more problematic than the last one. It is a fact that things are getting worse. Eight months till the Daytona 500, and things are worse than they were two years ago—there are no charters. Dale Earnhardt Jr. still has hope, though, since they may be able to join forces with a strong racing family that also wants to compete in the Cup Series. Does that imply a higher level of stability for the JRM drivers?
Connor Zilisch has signed a multi-year contract with Dale Earnhardt Jr. & Co. He is expected to make his first of four Xfinity starts for JR Motorsports on September 14 at Watkins Glen. Considering that Sammy Smith’s contract has also been extended, this news has caused anxiety in both Sam Mayer and Brandon Jones. On the other hand, one of the two drivers with questionable futures might actually secure a slot if JR Motorsports makes its Cup debut.
It’s possible that JR Andretti Motorsports will exist.
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Andretti Global is a motorsports tycoon in terms of competing in several racing classes. They race in the Australian Supercar, IndyCar, IMSA, Sportscar, and Super COPA classes. With the backing of GM’s Cadillac, the Andretti group sought to join Formula 1 with a bid that was approved by the regulating body of the sport—the FIA—but not by Formula One Management (FOM), the commercial organization controlled by the American media conglomerate Liberty Media.
This gave them the opportunity to explore elsewhere, and NASCAR seemed to be the best choice. JT Thornman, President of Andretti Global, stated clearly what his aims were: “We’re the only ones that compete in the amount of series that we do.” And then there’s Mike’s ongoing ambition: it’s clear that we still need to finish the loop with Formula 1, which is well-documented, and maybe NASCAR. What happens if they go straight to Tier 1? And in that case, it might be possible to work with Junior as a partner.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. is probably not going to relocate until the new charter agreement is signed, even though the Andrettis are amenable to racing in the Cup Series.
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