JR Motorsports Xfinity Racing Team
JR Motorsports tours nationally in the NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS), where it fields a full-time roster of four cars, and a fifth entry – the popular No. 88 car – on a part-time basis. JR Motorsports is also active regionally with its late model program, upon which the company was founded.
In 2016, JRM qualified two of its team cars for the inaugural NXS Chase, ultimately finishing second and third in the championship standings. The effort marked the third straight season (2014-16) that JRM placed at least two cars in the top four of the final standings. Laying the foundation for this success was the team’s monumental 2014 season, in which it claimed its first NXS championship with driver Chase Elliott, and earned a single-season-record nine victories among four drivers. All told, JRM boasts 31 NXS wins and 69 late-model victories, including late-model track championships in 2012 and 2014, and a 2016 owner championship.
JR Motorsports’ first foray into racing came in 2002 with a street stock car that competed at Concord (N.C.) Speedway. After numerous wins in the local ranks, Earnhardt launched his Xfinity Series program in 2006. In 2008 he merged with Hendrick Motorsports to field a joint effort that would include engineering, chassis and engine support. The collaboration paid off as JR Motorsports enjoyed a breakout season with four victories between its two teams. The company would score eight victories during the 2008 and 2009 campaigns. The team’s triumphs carried through the ensuing seasons, culminating in the 2014 NXS championship run. In addition to its NXS teams, JRM also expanded into the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with a single entry in 2015-16, scoring two wins, including a victory in only its second series start.
