Dale Earnhardt Jr. raises the cup in the future

GT

Raised Dale Earnhardt Jr. Provoking JR Motorsports to move to the Trophy series.

NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. just answered an important question. He confirmed that JR Motorsports intends to compete in the Cup series in the upcoming seasons.

Earnhard made the “announcement” during a live episode of “The Dale Jr. Download” podcast in Nashville. Addressing Martin Truex Jr. returning to Joe Gibbs Racing for the 2023 season and just commenting, “I was hoping Martin would want to come and help us start our trophy team at JR Motorsports.”

This statement apparently sparked some follow-up from co-host Mike Davis, who asked if Earnhardt was making an announcement. The Hall of Famer then made it clear that he wanted to go to the cup race, but also emphasized that there was a huge hurdle to overcome.

“I wish it were that easy,” Earnhardt said in additional context. “We want to go. We’re working our tails off trying to exhaust every opportunity – we want to go to the Cup races. JR Motorsports totally wants to be in the Cup Series. If you guys know how many conversations my sister – Kelly – who is literally the leader of the company, has had, If you know all the conversations she’s had in the past 12 months trying to figure out how to get this done, you’ll be really happy. Because she worked her tail off.”

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Earnhardt remained open to this possibility

GTDale Earnhardt Jr. has spoken several times about the future of the Cup series.

The live podcast isn’t the first time Earnhardt has addressed this possibility. He’s been open over the past year about the possibility of competing in the Cup Series with JR Motorsports, and he’s expressed an interest in making the leap through the next generation era.

While Earnhardt has expressed his desire to participate in the Cup Series, he has also made it clear that the charter remains an obstacle. Prices have reached tens of millions of dollars in recent years, a price Earnhardt told the Associated Press he would not pay.

“[The charter] is the only barrier Earnhardt told SiriusXM ahead of Throwback weekend in 2021. “I mean, the way they talk about this new car, it’s going to be more expensive to have in the Xfinity series than it would be in the Cup series. I don’t see how that’s really possible. The numbers you hear – in terms of the cost of The new car in the Trophy series and what it should cost to run – looks so conservative and so positive, so good it’s hard to believe. But we’ll have to wait and see. I hope they’re right.”

What about driver options?

If Earnhardt and JRM are able to overcome the hurdle to obtaining a charter, they will have to focus on the next step of the process. They will need to decide which driver will lead the campaign.

Truex isn’t an option after he signed a new deal with Joe Gibbs Racing, but Earnhardt has capable drivers in the JRM building. Sam Mayer still has the experience to gain in the Xfinity series, but Nashville Superspeedway winner Justin Algayer made 80 starts in the Cup series. He also ran full time during the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

Noah Gregson is another option. The No. 9 driver in the middle of his fourth full-time Xfinity Series season, he has seven career wins. Gragson’s future is a hot topic entering the Silly season, especially with him working part-time in the Cup series with Kaulig Racing and Beard Motorsports.

Finally, there’s Josh Perry. The Late Model ace is working full-time on the Xfinity Series for the first time in his career, and has added two more wins to the total. Perry is still learning the ins and outs of the NASCAR National Series, but he has publicly expressed his desire to move to the Cup Series.

“I think if I get this far, I think there is no reason why I shouldn’t have a specific goal to race in a Cup car one day,” Perry said before the race at the Nashville Superspeedway. According to NASCAR media. “Who knows if that day will come?”

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