An ambitious dream requires baby steps first. And the supportive individuals who recognize those steps deserve all the praise in the world. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team is currently in that initial stage, as it embarks on a long-touted venture. After spending 19 years as a top-tier NASCAR Xfinity Series team, JR Motorsports is finally entering the sport’s premier series – with Rick Hendrick’s blessing.

Hendrick’s association with the Earnhardt team essentially dates back to his union with Dale Jr. in 2007. JRM owes its success to Hendrick Motorsports, as their partnership kicked off when the No. 5 HMS car merged with the No. 1 JRM car in the Xfinity Series. Now in the Cup Series, Hendrick is extending the same helping hand.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s future has solid backing

Well, JR Motorsports has time and again tried to enter the NASCAR Cup Series. In September 2022, the team’s co-owner Kelley Earnhardt Miller announced its ambition to level up. However, her brother Dale Earnhardt Jr. knew what would be a hindrance – the sky-high prices of charters. Although JRM has missed opportunities to buy charters from BK Motorsports or Stewart-Haas Racing, now its Cup dream has a legitimate shape. That is majorly thanks to the team’s stakeholder Rick Hendrick. He brought a 10-time Grammy award-winning artist Chris Stapleton to help out Dale Jr. and Kelley.

Kelley Earnhardt Miller tipped her hat to the man who helped them out. “Rick was one of the first phone calls. ‘Mr. Hendrick, is this something that you think we can pull off?’ He’s like, ‘Of course. I’ll advise and assist on however you guys need.'” Hendrick lent not only his expertise but also his team to Dale Earnhardt Jr.. He carefully guided JRM in its baby steps into the Cup Series. Kelley continued, “Giving a nod to Hendrick is important because we had to ask all the stupid questions. ‘Where do we buy parts, what do we do, what does this look like…you know’… Their team has just graciously jumped in and been available as they usually are.”

Chris Stapleton’s liquor brand ‘Traveller Whiskey’ will be splashed on the No. 40 Chevrolet. 2024 Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier will wheel this car at the upcoming Daytona 500. As their Cup Series dream is finally taking fruit, the Earnhardt siblings sat together to discuss it with starry eyes. Dale Earnhardt Jr. said, “I’m really looking forward…regardless of the end result.” Dale Jr. is aware of the difficulties in qualifying, let alone pulling off a result at Daytona. With only four open entries available and many cars fighting for the same, it will take a lot for Allgaier to clinch a spot. However, just being a part of it all is an achievement in itself.

Kelley Earnhardt Miller agreed as the effort matters more than the result. “The result for me will just kind of be like icing on the cake. It takes so much to put it together from start to finish. The initial phone calls with Travelers, putting together our plan… It’s important to us that it be ours, that we have a hand in it…We want to go see the prep of the car…We don’t just want to attach our name to something… part of our fabric, part of our DNA.”

This move to the Cup Series is a landmark for JRM. Although the backing of Rick Hendrick comes as no surprise, given the deep roots of this special bond.

A family without blood relations

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We are all familiar with the great tragedy of the Earnhardt household. Dale Earnhardt Sr., arguably one of the finest stock car racers ever, tragically lost his life during the 2001 Daytona 500. Following his demise, Dale Jr. continued to stockpile wins under Dale Earnhardt Inc. That was until he fell out with his stepmother in 2007.

Then Rick Hendrick pulled him into HMS, despite the team having no room. It already fielded four cars with Jimmie Johnson, Casey Mears, Kyle Busch, and Jeff Gordon. However, Hendrick found a way. His own son Ricky had also passed away in 2004 in a plane crash. So it looked like fate brought Hendrick and Earnhardt together – and they acknowledged each other.

Both Rick Hendrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. have described their relationship as father and son. After Dale Jr. started his last Cup race in 2017 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Hendrick was emotional. He professed he wanted to do more for Earnhardt: “We have had some heartbreaking finishes. There should have been a lot more wins. But at the end of the day, I got to spend a good part of my life with a young man that I’ve become extremely close to. We have almost like a father/son relationship. Now I get to see him grow through all those stages of life, get a girlfriend, get married and now be a father.”

No wonder Rick Hendrick is throwing his weight behind Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team. As the Daytona 500 inches close, we cannot wait to see how JRM performs!