JR Motorsports has had an unexpectedly busy Silly Season. With Brandon Jones headed back to Joe Gibbs Racing, there is yet another car open at JRM. But what are the options for Chevrolet’s premiere Xfinity Series program?
A win at Daytona always boosts a driver’s stock, but for Harrison Burton, other factors could land him at JRM in 2025.
Once a championship contender in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with JGR. Burton’s Cup Series career with Ford and the Wood Brothers has been less than disappointing.
Burton, now out of his ride for 2025, is a playoff driver this year. However, that comes after floating around the bottom three of the full-time Cup Series standings all season long.
His win at Daytona showed a lot of skill. However, Burton has two non-racing qualities that make him an interesting free agent. First, Burton is only 23, which makes him young, low-risk, and talented. Also, sponsor DEX Imaging and Burton have been together since his time with Toyota.
If JRM wanted the best of both worlds, Burton might be a solid option. Unfortunately, he hasn’t shown the skill he had in his first season in the Xfinity Series in 2020.
It’s an unlikely move. However, JRM will show consideration towards Burton. But how will his resume stack up to others?
The first of two Spire Motorsports candidates, Nick Sanchez, has not disappointed in his time with Spire associate team REV Racing.
Sanchez is currently fourth in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings with two wins. Primed for a solid Playoff run in the Series, the question is whether or not he is ready for the next level.
Not directly with Spire, Sanchez drives for REV Racing, a team part of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program that pays Spire to field trucks for them. Furthermore, Sanchez has long-term support from sponsor Gainbridge, which is, once again, a major part of hiring a driver.
Sanchez is 23 years old and appears to have the entire package: youth, a sponsor, and skill. However, he may not be the best option from the Chevrolet camp in the Truck Series.
One of the most pleasant surprises in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series this season, Rajah Caruth may be ready for full-time Xfinity Series action.
The first half of Rajah’s season saw a win and solid runs for the Series rookie. However, a slump in the summer portion of the season dampened what was otherwise a stellar start to the year.
Rajah has experience in the Xfinity Series, notably with Rick Hendrick, co-owner of JRM, at Phoenix in 2023. Hendricks’s endorsement went beyond the single start, as Rajah, in a Spire Truck, gained sponsorship from Hendrickcars.com in 2024. Initially for select starts, Hendrick quickly bumped his support to the full season shortly into Rajah’s rookie year.
This relationship, plus Spire’s existing relationship with Hendrick Motorsports, makes Rajah look favorable to a spot at JRM in the near future. However, his mid-season struggles could hold that off for at least another season.
A recent addition to the free agent market, Zane Smith was once thought to be a lock for the Cup Series into the future. However, recent developments both off and on the track have left doubt in the minds of fans and insiders alike.
Smith is a former Truck Series Champion with Front Row Motorsports, primed for a spot with FRM in Cup this season. Smith shocked the racing world by flipping to Trackhouse racing prior to 2024.
With Spire Motorsports this season in association with Trackhouse, Smith has not been able to make up for early season back marker finishes. While he has improved tremendously late this season, Trackhouse released him just a few weeks ago.
While many assumed FRM would bring him back in a new Cup Series entry, rumored drama with Ford could keep him a free agent.
Smith has a history with JRM, racing a successful part-time schedule with the team in 2019. If Cup seats were to fill up fast, Smith would be an excellent option to keep in the wings at Chevrolet.
However, in the back half of 25 years-old, JRM might have a younger, technically in-house option for 2025 in their back pocket.
Carson Kvapil, a second-generation racer, is one of the best stories of 2024. Starting with JRM in the ZMAX CARS Tour at a young age, Kvapil, much like Josh Berry, earned select starts at JRM this season.
The first was at Martinsville, where the late model driver finished fourth. In his next race at Dover, a late caution and overtime restart robbed Kvapil of an almost assured win, and he finished second.
Kvapil has been a standout in the ultra-competitive CARS Tour and the broader Late Model racing scene for some time now. However, like Berry before him and other Late Model standouts, Kvapil lacks the necessary sponsorship.
If JRM could find a sponsor, Kvapil would be a worthwhile risk for the team to take. JRM has done this in the past with drivers like Berry, and it turned out great for the team and the driver. Kvapil may be the next short-track driver to make the jump to national competition.
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The checkered flag flew down in Austin, Texas, as Tyler Reddick made history by winning his third straight race to kick off the 2026 season. With this win, he starts the year with a massive points lead. No other driver is within 70 points of Reddick in the points standings.
Who would have guessed going into this race that SVG not only wouldn’t be the dominant car but also would only lead a handful of laps? The No. 97 team was just off in general, from a slower-than-usual qualifying effort on Saturday and a car that didn’t turn to SVG’s liking. Luckily for much of the field, it opened the door of opportunity for other drivers to pounce and dethrone SVG as King of the road, at least in Austin.
Here are the key things to take away from today’s Cup Series battle at Circuit of the Americas.
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Two stages are now complete at Circuit of the Americas for the NASCAR Cup Series. In the first stage, the cream rose to the top in Austin, Texas as the entire top 5 finishers were all former winners in the Cup Series on road courses. Ross Chastain earned top honors in the opening stage with his Trackhouse teammate, Shane van Gisbergen, right behind him. The second stage crown went to Ty Gibbs. Here’s things to note as we gear up for the final stage through the finish.
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For the third round of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, the greatest drivers in the world head down to the Lone Star state of Austin, Texas, to take on the renowned road course of Circuit of the Americas (COTA). 23XI Racing and Tyler Reddick are riding a wave of momentum heading into the third race of the season. No team has ever gone three in a row to start the year. Can they get it done? Well, a certain driver named Shane van Gisbergen might have something to say about that. Here’s what you need to keep an eye on in today’s race at Circuit of the Americas.
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