Dale Earnhardt Jr. can’t wait for phone calls from the cup chain

With JR Motorsports drivers collecting seven wins in 18 Xfinity Series races, there are talks about whether any of them can move on to the Cup Series. Dale Earnhardt Jr., co-owner of the team, is well aware of this talk, and he’s excited about the possibilities.

The Hall of Famer met members of the media at New Hampshire Motor Speedway after Justin Algaer won his third race of the season. He touched on the possibility of one of its drivers leaving to fill one of the open spots, a scenario that took an interesting turn after Petty GMS Motorsports confirmed Ty Dillon would not return to the #42 Chevrolet in 2023.

“The only thing I will say is that I can’t wait for the phone to ring for any of our four guys to take a call. I want to know that as soon as it happens, and I can’t wait to help them decide if it’s a smart move,” Earnhardt said during the post-race session. for them or not.

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Earnhardt had previous experience in this situation

GTDale Earnhardt Jr. (right) expects to get a call regarding Noah Gregson (left).

Losing a driver in the Cup Series is nothing new for Earnhardt and GRM. He’s seen several winners move to larger organizations after working full time on one of his stock cars. This list includes Chase Elliott, William Byron and Danica Patrick.

One driver stands out in particular for Earnhardt. The Hall of Famer took members of the media on a trip down memory lane when he discussed the moment he learned the Cup Series team wanted to sign Aric Almirola.

“It was a wonderful day,” Earnhardt added. “I was standing in the house, standing in my foyer or my foyer, when Eric Almerola called me and said, ‘I’ve had some hard news.’ to go.” I didn’t even let him finish the sentence.

“I was like, ‘That’s it.’ This is what we do for him. Like, this is your chance, you know? And I was very happy. You know, because that’s like winning. This is like a cup. This is similar to what happened today to receive a call. It’s kind of like being pulled out of a palace. And that could happen any minute in the middle of the year.”

3 options remain for motorsport drivers from JR

Of the four JR Motorsports drivers, three stand out as options for the Cup Series teams – Noah Gragson, Josh Berry and Justin Allgaier. This is no insult to Sam Mayer. He’s just learning the ins and outs of the National Series, and extra time in the series will benefit him.

Gragson is the most popular option. He’s working part-time on the Cup series in 2022 while starting at both Beard Motorsports and Kaulig Racing, and there are reports of teams possibly targeting him on empty seats. He made two top 20 spots in seven starts, but breakdowns and mechanical issues disrupted four of his runs.

Like Mayer, Berry only has limited starts in the NASCAR National Series. He’s in his first Xfinity Series season, and he’s started two games in the Cup Series. However, the 30-year-old has enjoyed rapid success since switching from late models to Xfinity Series cars, and has sparked talk of a possible Cup Series future.

Alger sits in a unique position. He has the most cup series experience with 80 games between 2013 and 2022, and he has the best understanding of how to run on Sundays. However, NBC analysts made an interesting comment during the Crayon 200 on July 16.

Analysts said Allghair may not want to return to the cup streak. They explained that he enjoys competing in the Xfinity Series while racing on Saturdays and dedicating a lot of time to his family.

read the following: NASCAR veteran Eric Almerola casts doubt on the future