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For some time now, JR Motorsports has been the fan-favorite pick to go from the Xfinity Seris to the Cup Series. As long as there has been speculation and rumors about the move, there have been major detractions from it. However, recent developments might be the end of this long-rumored promotion.
JR Motorsports may have more fans than some Cup Series teams. In its history, JRM has won 86 races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. However, there has always been a feeling of wanting more from the team.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his sister, Kelley Earnhardt Miller, have often discussed elevating the team to the NASCAR Cup Series. These talks even came up during Dale Jr.’s Bristol press conference this past weekend.
The tone has, however, always revolved around the idea of time and place. A major factor keeping JRM out of the Cup Series is cost. Most importantly, Charter prices have kept JRM and other interested parties out of the top level of NASCAR. A Charter allows a team to automatically enter every Cup Series race and gain valuable revenue sharing with NASCAR.
Since the introduction of the NASCAR Next Gen car, these rumors have grown. The Next-Gen car is cheaper for teams of all sizes to operate their program while also allowing teams to race at a higher competitive level week in and week out.
One team that has taken advantage of this is Spire Motorsports, which has continued to grow since the car’s introduction in 2022. Following a massive team overhaul this season for 2025, the team is now circling the rumor mill as the next Chevrolet team to gain Tier One support.
@brakehard SPIRE MOTORSPORTS WANTS TIER 1 CHEVY STATUS, BECOME “MINI-HENDRICK” #nascar #racing #motorsport ♬ original sound – brakehard
One major question developing from this news is how it could affect JRM’s potential future in the Cup Series.
This idea of cause and effect falling on JRM is understandable, of course. For a long time, rumors and speculation surrounding JRM’s elevation focused on the team complementing Hendrick Motorsports’ developmental program at the Cup Series level.
At the same time, Spire is working hard to gain this Tier One support from Chevrolet, with additions like Justin Haley, Rodney Childers, and Michael McDowell. If there were some form of direct relationship with HMS, it would utilize a lot of HMS’s resources, with seven cars shared between the two teams.
Of course, this relationship could harm JRM’s efforts to elevate their team to the Cup Series. However, while Hendrick could support just one team, that may not necessarily be the case.
HMS already has four cars of its own, so let’s say that JRM finally does go Cup Racing. That would more than likely be a single-car entry; if there were a relationship between HMS, Spire, and JRM, that would perhaps still be sustainable. Similar to RCR, Dale Earnhardt Inc., and Andy Peetree Racing in the early 2000s
Furthermore, there is no reason to assume that JRM would have to be reliant on HMS. The team is already self-sufficient and could bring their already top-notch facility up to par relatively quickly.
While it is fun to think about a future with JRM in the NASCAR Cup Series, for now, there is no certainty that it will even happen. But if their elevation does happen, it will be interesting to see the route they take, whether independent of or dependent on HMS.
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