JR Motorsports was founded in 1998 initially as a marketing department for Dale Earnhardt Jr., housed in a shed on the grounds of Dale Earnhardt, Inc., with just one employee. It didn’t become a real racing team until 2002, when T. J. Majors started in the Street Stock division at Concord Speedway in North Carolina. With Earnhardt Jr.’s move to Hendrick Motorsports, the Nationwide Series programs of both organizations merged. The team celebrated its first victory in 2004 at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Virginia. In its current form, JR Motorsports entered NASCAR’s second tier in 2006 after sponsorship commitments from the U.S. Navy accelerated what had originally been planned for 2007.
The team is based in Mooresville, North Carolina, a town that proudly calls itself “Race City USA
.” On a 66,000 square foot facility at Cayuga Drive, JR Motorsports brings together workshops and offices, the JR Nation fan shop, and the podcast studios of Dirty Mo Media, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s media company, all under one roof. This combination of racing team and media house is a unique arrangement even in the motorsports hub of Mooresville.
JR Motorsports experienced its greatest success in the Xfinity Series, where the team served as Hendrick Motorsports’ primary talent pipeline for many years. Chase Elliott won the championship in 2014, William Byron followed in 2017, Tyler Reddick claimed the crown in 2018, and in 2024 Justin Allgaier finally brought the title back to Mooresville himself. Drivers like Alex Bowman and Noah Gragson also came through the team’s development program before moving up to higher series.
JR Motorsports is now led by Kelley Earnhardt Miller as CEO, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. himself serves as President overseeing strategic direction and partnerships with Chevrolet. Director of Competition Mike Bumgarner is responsible for racing operations in the shop. In 2025, the team made the leap into the Cup Series with the Daytona 500, where Justin Allgaier piloted the No. 40 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in a part-time capacity. For the 2026 season, JR Motorsports again relies on Allgaier behind the wheel of the Cup car, while continuing to field multiple development drivers competing for points and experience in the second tier.
JR Motorsports in the News