There was a time when Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his sister Kelley Earnhardt led the charge of a Cup Series outfit named Dale Earnhardt Inc. Dale Sr. set the team up. but he never drove under the banner; rather, he competed with Richard Childress in his team, RCR. Ideally, DEI was seen as a platform for the next generation to continue the Earnhardt family’s racing legacy. But a tussle between Dale Jr. and his stepmother, Teresa Earnhardt, led to a fallout. And ever since, fans have been yearning for Jr. to return to Cup racing.

Despite the success at the Xfinity Series level with JR Motorsports, Jr. and Kelley had doubts about entering the Cup Series. But they finally fulfilled the wishes of their fans after announcing their entry to qualify for the Daytona 500 race. For a sport desperately looking for avenues to rekindle its heydays, this step by Dale Jr. and JRM is a big deal. It was about time that an influential voice like Dale Jr. had his say with a presence in the premier division of stock car racing. And while this isn’t a full-time commitment, veteran driver Rick Mast was heaping praise on how this move could change NASCAR racing.

Will we see JRM enter full-time racing in the Cup Series?

The current environment and chaos surrounding the charter agreement isn’t the best time to invest in ownership of a Cup Series team. Although Jr. might have deep pockets that could sustain his ambitions of Cup Racing, he doesn’t want to do it for the sake of it. He was always looking for partners that could fund such a move, and it looks like 10-time Grammy winner Chris Stapleton has filled that void.

For all the efforts NASCAR has put into spreading the word about their sport and reclaiming its lost glory, JRM’s entry into the Cup Series might be the moment to kick-start that new era. This is what industry veteran Rick Mast felt about this move by JRM and Dale Jr. “The sport needs Jr., the sport needs the Chris Stapletons of the world. That’s the part that I find intriguing; that’s the part I like about… Because JRM and Dale Jr. are that name, whether you love him or hate him or whoever the Dale is, whether he wants this attention or whatever, you know he’s a big, big part of our sport. He’s a big part of the future for our sport.”

Dale Jr. time and again has explained his reasons for not entering Cup racing. The primary reasoning for this was financial instability and clarity on the ownership of charters. However, he was always open to exercising this option with the strong support and backing of a partner. And that is exactly what’s happening with Justin Allgaier’s Daytona 500 entry. This partnership has the potential to pave the way for more such collaborations and elevate NASCAR’s popularity. This is something Mask also agreed upon while heaping praise on Jr. while speaking on Kenny Conversations.

“For me, the number 1 thing is it’s a cool deal, and it’s a thing our sport desperately needs… That’s a big splash for the sport. Of course, Chris Stapleton coming in with his deal and being a part of it with JR Motorsports, Dale Earnhardt, Kelley, and that whole group makes for a very interesting storyline to talk about. Again, the main thing for me is we need Jr. in our sport; we need him front and center of our sport.” Mast added.

Well, those wondering how soon JRM could enter Cup racing to compete for the championship, Jr. might have dropped a nugget about his future plans. And he just might link up with Mario Andretti and his family to take JRM to full-time racing in the Cup Series.

Will Andretti and Earnhardt enter the NASCAR Cup Series in a joint venture?

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Andretti Global president JF Thormann was the first one who pitched the idea that the company is looking to expand its racing portfolio. Among the options available, they were open to entering NASCAR and Formula 1. “We are the only ones that compete in the amount of series that we do and the ambition that Mike still has with closing the loop, obviously with Formula 1; that’s well documented, and hopefully NASCAR.”

There was a time when the Andretti family was struggling to get their F1 bid clear and were facing rejection. This is when Dale Jr. jokingly pitched the idea of teaming up if their F1 plans didn’t come to fruition. “If ya’ll wanted to change courses, maybe the Earnhardt’s and the Andretti’s could team up and buy a couple of NASCAR charters, and we can go NASCAR racing,” Jr. said to Mario Andretti on his podcast show.

Well, Mario Andretti wasn’t joking and commented this upon hearing the proposal: “Alright, well that’s open too.” However, any such joint venture between the two parties will happen after the conclusion of NASCAR’s antitrust lawsuit. For the time being, there is no clarity or roadmap through which JRM could plausibly make a strong entry to Cup racing.