Dale Jr’s Iconic No. 8 Returning to the Xfinity Series in 2025

What’s Happening?

JR Motorsports will return one of NASCAR’s most iconic numbers to the NASCAR Xfinity Series next season. Sammy Smith will once again race the No. 8; however, Smith will use the font made famous by team owner Dale Earnhart Jr.

• This year, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a chance to reunite with the No. 8 he raced in his early NASCAR career. This font, known as the Dale Jr. 8 or DEI 8, is nostalgic for many fans of NASCAR history. Throughout the early part of the season, fans utilized the trademark’s ownership status as proof, with JRM confirming this on Oct. 22.
• This confirmation included the addition of Budweiser to the car. However, this was not at a national touring level; rather, as part of Earnhardt’s occasional starts in regional late-model races.
• Earnhardt raced this No. 8 in the Cup and part-time in the Xfinity Series from 1999 to 2007. Following his departure from Dale Earnhardt Inc., Teresa Earnhardt maintained ownership of the trademark until this season. At the Xfinity level, many fans also associate Martin Truex Jr. with the number. Truex raced it for the team’s Xfinity program in the mid-2000s.
• During this period, Jr’s Xfinity Series team, JR Motorsports, began fielding the car in 2019. Initially, this was part-time with a rotating door of drivers, including Earnhardt. However, following Josh Berry’s ascension, the No. 8 went full-time in 2022.
• Sammy Smith is the current driver of the car and is entering his second season with JRM in 2025. Since the re-introduction to Earnhardt ownership of the No. 8 in the series, it ran a different font similar to the team’s other cars. However, the eight will return to its famous font in 2025.

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