Dale Earnhardt Jr. has made it no secret that he wants to go Cup racing at some point in the future. Many have made the connection to Spire Motorsports, and both parties even provided some insight as to where next years plans currently sit. Before we analyze what Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Spire had to say about their future, what is the connection, if any, between Spire Motorsports and Dale Earnhardt Jr.?
There is no direct connection between the two teams, but there are some auxiliary connections that the two share. Mainly, both teams currently have ties to Hendrick Motorsports.
For a while, JR Motorsports functioned as the Hendrick Motorsports B-Team. Chase Elliott and William Byron both came through the pipeline via JR Motorsports, and they both are running well in the Cup Series nowadays.
Now that Hendrick Motorsports has their Cup Series lineup pretty well set, guys such as Tyler Reddick, Josh Berry, and Noah Gragson have found their way into the Cup Series with different teams. However, Berry, Gragson, and longtime JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier have run in the Cup Series for Hendrick via substitute roles.
Spire Motorsports has a Hendrick Motorsports connection in the Craftsman Truck Series. The last two seasons, Hendrick has provided support via both drivers and sponsorship to Spire Motorsports Truck Series team. Spire also loaned Corey LaJoie to Hendrick for the Gateway race to fill-in for Chase Elliott while he was suspended.
There’s no direct connection, but these two teams do have mutual business relationships. Carson Hocevar is also an auxiliary connection, with him running one race in Cup and a few in Xfinity for Spire, and with him being rumored to go to JRM at the end of the year, that connection is there.
The problem with all of this is that this is obviously anecdotal evidence. There is no real connection between the two teams. So, what have they had to say about their futures?
Dale Earnhardt Jr. talked to Sirius XM NASCAR Radio about the future of JRM in the Cup Series, noting that there has been “zero movement” in that direction. He reiterated his desire to go Cup Series racing, but only if it works out both financially, and with the ability to run the team in the way that he wants.
Earnhardt Jr. did add that he is okay with partnering with another team, but only under certain conditions.
Me and Kelley I think would be more interested in a partnership of some kind to get us to that level, and there’s opportunities there, but they haven’t felt just right. Another key component for me and JR Motorsports is that we want to manage the team. We don’t want to slap our name on a current product or a current organization that have their own shop and all that, we don’t wanna do that. We wanna run the team out of our building and manage the decisions on personnel and all of those things.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Earnhardt Jr. and his team have very specific guidelines for how he wants to move up to the Cup Series. He wants to control how the team is run. Despite their desire to partner with someone, they want to have legitimate control over the organization, and Earnhardt Jr. obviously does not want to be relegated to just a figurehead.
This seems to put a large damper on any rumors of Spire and JRM teaming up in some form. Would Spire be willing to uproot everything they have built and realistically become a secondary partner to Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team? That’s probably the sacrifice they would have to make in order for this partnership to work, and they even provided some insight of their own to the future.
Dalton Hopkins of Frontstretch recently caught up with Jeff Dickerson of Spire Motorsports following the Atlanta race. In it, Dickerson discussed the plans Spire Motorsports for 2024 and beyond.
Dickerson even gave some insight into how they are viewing partnerships and expanding their race team. He said this one simple phrase to that.
We’re not looking to sell, we’re looking to acquire.
Jeff Dickerson
That’s a pretty strong statement that Spire Motorsports wants to do more than just be absorbed by another team and uproot what they have already done like Trackhouse did to Chip Ganassi. They want to expand themselves.
Does that close every door to partnering with another team? Not necessarily, but it does close the door to partnering in the way that JR Motorsports wants to enter into the Cup Series. The mutual interest just is not there for both teams.
There seems to be nothing to these rumors of JRM and Spire Motorsports publicly. The partnership, at least from the outside, just would not make any sense to either side. Both want to build using their brand and their people, so, why would they put themselves in a position to sign each other given their current status as race teams?
BeefinGR says that JRM in Cup is not something that could happen in the future.
hunter73x says that he does not feel JR to Cup is going to happen in the near future.
crypto6g says that Spire to Andretti is more likely.
How can JRM find their way into the Cup Series? If Spire is not an option, then it seems they may need to play the waiting game.
Joe Gibbs Racing has added to its lawsuit filed against former Crew Chief and Competition Director Chris Gabehart, filing to add Spire as a co-defendant, and to prevent Gabehart from continuing his work at Spire.
JGR initiated this lawsuit on February 19, alleging Gabehart, a long-time Crew Chief, most recently for Denny Hamlin, and the team’s now former Competition Director, “embarked on a brazen scheme to steal JGR’s most sensitive information and use it for the benefit of a direct competitor in NASCAR.”
That direct competitor, Spire Motorsports, which currently employs Gabehart as their Chief Motorsports Officer, is now a co-defendant in this lawsuit, via an amended complaint filed Tuesday.
Per the latest filing from JGR, which employed Gabehart as Competition Director last season, is asking the court for a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction with seven key requests.
Key to these requests is that Gabehardt cease providing Spire with “services for Spire similar to those he provided to JGR” for 18 months following his February 9 formal termination from JGR.
JGR also requested that Spire stop accepting Gabehart’s work as per the noncompete obligation of his termination.
The filing also has several requests regarding the team information Gabehart allegedly retained from JGR.
These include Gabehart returning this information alongside the devices that store this information and “cease and desist from retaining, transferring, using or copying any Confidential Information and Trade Secrets.”
From JGR’s filing:
c. Gabehart immediately cease and desist from retaining, transferring, using or copying any Confidential Information and Trade Secrets
d. Gabehart return any Confidential Information and Trade Secrets in his possession to JGR;
e. Gabehart transfer to the custody of JGR’s counsel any device used to store the Confidential Information and Trade Secrets and, through an agreed upon Court ordered process, allow the forensic preservation and review of these devices for identification of Confidential Information and Trade Secrets, the return of any identified Confidential Information and Trade Secrets to JGR, and the removal of any identified Confidential Information and Trade Secrets from the devices;
f. Gabehart cease and desist from using or disclosing JGR’s Confidential Information and Trade Secrets to third parties;
As of press time, Gabehart has commented on the lawsuit in a post to X on February 20, where he claimed a third-party investigator “examined my laptop, cell phone and personal Google Drive and found no evidence to support the baseless allegations in JGR’s lawsuit.”
What’s Happening? Joe Gibbs Racing has filed a lawsuit against former competition director Chris Gabehart, alleging he took confidential team information…
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The NASCAR rumor mill is heating up as a new rumor suggests that a former series champion and an active NASCAR Cup Series driver could be in line to drive for Legacy Motor Club in 2027.
What’s Happening? NASCAR drivers, much like any athletes, have a period of free agency and multi-million dollar contracts. Based on information…
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season is well underway, while teams and drivers are still settling into their new lineups and seats, others are already prepping for next season.
Most expect the 2027 NASCAR Silly Season to be one of the wildest in years, with many major names on contract seasons, and top seats looking for new drivers.
One story that will likely carry through the 2026 season, and into the offseason, is Legacy Motor Club, which is expanding to three full-time cars in 2027 via the acquisition of a charter from Rick Ware Racing, which is currently leased to RFK Racing for their No. 60 entry.
While many storylines could stem from this transaction, one that is already playing out is LMC’s driver search, as the team looks to add a new face to their roster alongside drivers John Hunter Nemechek and Erik Jones.
Though we are nearly a year away from what would be the first race for this third car, per recent rumors, a few names are already emerging as top candidates.
What’s Happening? NASCAR Hall of Famer and Seven-Time Champion Jimmie Johnson’s Legacy Motor Club is suing Rick Ware Racing over a…
Monday afternoon, a post from a well-known NASCAR rumor account made the rounds on social media, naming two drivers as possible options for LMC.
In their post, the user claimed that 23XI Racing’s Riley Herbst and Richard Childress Racing prospect Jesse Love were “early contenders” for the ride.
Of course, this is just a rumor, and even if they are possible candidates, things can change. However, both of these options come with their own storylines and questions.
The first thing that likely comes to mind when hearing this rumor is that both of these drivers would have to depart their current spots, something that most have suspected will happen by next season.
For Herbst, he is facing the impending promotion of top NASCAR prospect Corey Heim to full-time competition.
This year, Heim, the reigning NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion, is racing part-time with 23XI Racing, with almost every rumor and blurb suggesting next year will be his first full-time season in NASCAR’s highest level.
While 2026 Daytona 500 Champion Tyler Reddick is reportedly on a contract season, most see Herbst as the clear weak link at 23XI, though, in the somewhat unlikely event Reddick were to jump ship, there could be a world where a spot opens for Heim without affecting Herbst.
Regarding Love, the reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion is in his third full-time year with RCR in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and, for some time now, has been rumored to be looking for a promotion, beyond his part-time Cup Series schedule.
This is not the first time Love and LMC have been tied together in the rumor mill, as in June 2025, when LMC was in the midst of a lawsuit to get their third charter by this season (something that never came to be), a report from Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports suggested there could be interest in Love as that third driver at LMC.
As of right now, Love has yet to score a full-time Cup Series ride. But there is a chance a slot opens in-house as RCR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch is on a contract year, a situation that could leave Love with a difficult decision between staying in a familiar spot or returning ot the Toyota camp.
But the biggest decision could come down to RCR, which, in the event Busch excels this year, could face deciding between a NASCAR legend and keeping their best prospect in some time.
Nonetheless, all of this is hypothetical, as the gears are just now turning on what could be a NASCAR Cup Series Silly Season for the ages.
What’s Happening? Some recent developments in NASCAR Silly Season rumors and reports have some NASCAR fans wondering if Spire Motorsports could…
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Denny Hamlin fires off on Carson Hocevar, Sheldon Creed finally gets his long-awaited breakthrough, and 13-year-old Keelan Harvick makes a massive career move. From sharp words on a podcast to a feel-good victory and a headline-grabbing development deal, this episode covers three very different stories that could all have long-term ripple effects.
There’s controversy, redemption, and a glimpse at the next generation all wrapped into one packed show. Some reputations are being tested, others are being rebuilt, and one young driver may have just taken the first major step toward the Cup Series.
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