JR Motorsports
JR Motorsports Team History
JR Motorsports was established in 1999 as the management company
for professional race car driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and is now a full
fledged racing operation with teams competing at different levels in the stock car racing ranks, including two full-time NASCAR Nationwide Series programs.
JR Motorsports first foray into racing came in the form of a street stock
car that raced at Concord Motorsports Park in Concord, N.C., during
the summer of 2002. During the next three years the team progressed through the late model stock car and Pro Cup ranks, collecting
numerous wins and pole awards along the way. With support from
the U.S. Navy, Earnhardt Jr. launched the JR Motorsports NASCAR Nationwide Series program in 2006.
In July 2007, officials from JR Motorsports and Hendrick Motorsports announced that the two teams would merge their Nationwide Series operations at the end of the year to field a joint effort starting with the 2008 season. Fielding the No. 88 and No. 5 Chevrolets, the JR Motorsports organization receives engine, chassis and vehicle engineering support from HMS.
The JR Motorsports team has come a long way from its start in 2002. Once housed in a small shop on Earnhardt Jr.’s property, the team
now operates out of a large 66,000-square-foot facility that serves
as the nucleus of Earnhardt Jr.’s racing operation and
business interests.