Dale Jr Stands up for Former JRM Proteges Caught in Tony Stewart’s Charter Dilemma

Michael McDowell’s decision to move to Spire Motorsports from FRM has kicked off the silly season. However, this move by the 2021 Daytona 500 champion is expected to start a ripple effect that can lead to massive changes in other teams. If we are to go by the rumors at Stewart-Haas Racing, they are expected to put their charters on sale for 2025. This puts all four drivers of the team in a limbo about their future in the Cup Series.

SHR might split into two separate racing operations or just a single entity in partnership with a fellow Cup team. This is where FRM comes into the picture, as their No. 34 seat will be vacant after McDowell’s departure. While there could be many candidates to take up the seat, it feels like one of the current SHR drivers might end up at FRM. Sharing his two cents on the topic, Dale Earnhardt Jr hinted as his best pick to take over the No. 34 seat in case SHR decided to downsize with the sale of their charters.

Dale Earnhardt Jr shares his take on the silly season that could affect SHR

Noah Gragson and Josh Berry were the two recruits Tony Stewart’s team onboarded for the 2024 season. However, given the uncertainty at SHR and rumors about the sale of their charters, it’s fair to say the two drivers could be contemplating their next move, if push indeed comes to shove. Gragson arguably has been the best driver for the team as of late. He has tried his limits in grinding out the results in a race car that isn’t the best of all four entries, and his efforts haven’t gone unnoticed.

The 26-year-old, despite the 35 docked points (for non-conforming air deflectors on the roofs of their cars) earlier this season at Atlanta, has managed to stay consistent and deliver good results. This was pointed out by Dale Jr during the recent episode of the DJD podcast show. “Well, Noah’s done some really great things this year. He’s had some good runs, he runs really hard, he’s surprised me in how well he’s been able to run. It’s interesting man; he’ll be running 10th, and he’s driving his a** off, and he does right. He kind of manages it but you can tell he is getting everything he can get out of that car to be able to compete with the teams in top 15.”

So far in 13 races this season, Gragson has five Top 10 finishes and one Top 5 finish which came at Talladega on April 21. He has accumulated 239 points, sitting 19 on the driver standings. Gragson made his Xfinity debut for JRM in 2018 at the Richmond Raceway. Earnhardt Jr. also signed Josh Berry to JRM in 2010 and his first Xfinity race came at the Iowa Speedway in 2014.

Meanwhile, the reports of SHR selling its charters has also grabbed the attention of the NASCAR world. Dale Jr was also surprised to see how charter sales have also taken center stage during the silly season, along with drivers changing teams. “Outside of that, what happens with those charters, what happens at 34, is that all linked in some way. I don’t really know what else could be on deck in terms of silly season. And when I hear silly season, I think drivers changing rides, right? I guess now we gotta add charters too; charters could be going.”

This uncertainty hasn’t been helpful to the SHR drivers as Chase Briscoe talked about how it has affected them. Speaking on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio he said, “There’s a lot of uncertainty. Nobody really knows what is going on. I certainly don’t know what’s going on. I am confident that if SHR is still around I’ve proved myself enough for them to keep me on here.”

Despite these challenges the SHR drivers put on a much better display at Goodyear 400 in Darlington with a double top 5 finish. Chase Briscoe finished fifth while Josh Berry impressed with a P3 finish. On the other hand, Noah Gragson ended up with a 14th place finish.

That being said, there are multiple Cup Series teams keeping tabs on the chatter coming out of the SHR. If provided with an opportunity, they won’t hesitate to add more charters to their existing racing operations.

23XI, Trackhouse Racing, and Legacy Motor Club are all in the hunt for a third charter

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Trackhouse Racing has two drivers out on loan, Zane Smith at Spire and Shane van Gisbergen at Kaulig Racing. A demand for the third charter is imminent for Justin Marks and his team. So it won’t be a surprise to see them trying to get their hands on the charter put on sale by SHR.

23XI Racing is also in the running for a third charter. They have time and again looked to operate a third team. The #50 ride does make a cameo a couple of times in the season, but they would want to expand. With the construction of their new race shop coming to fruition, they just might be looking to field their third entry in 2025.

Legacy Motor Club, a team co-owned by legends like Richard Petty and Jimmie Johnson, has seen a massive overhaul in the last couple of years. They currently operate two race teams, with full-time drivers Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek. It’s fair to say that LMC is ambitious in how they want to operate in NASCAR going forward. And provided with an opportunity to expand with a third team, they sure wouldn’t refrain from spending the big bucks in purchasing a charter from SHR.

There are also reports two SHR charters could be heading to Front Row Motorsports, with the other two potentially heading to Trackhouse. This would give FRM 4 cars, and they would replace SHR as Ford’s 4-car Tier One team. Notably, Ford’s deal with SHR is also coming to an end this season. It is also reported that SHR could keep its Xfinity Series program for the time being.

So, the next few months NASCAR fans will be keeping a keen eye on developments at SHR as it could lead to a big shake up for the next season.