Dale Earnhardt Jr. airs it out on what it would take to go full-time in NASCAR Cup series

Dale Earnhardt Jr. got his first taste of NASCAR Cup Series racing as a team owner in the Daytona 500, as JR Motorsports entered Justin Allgaier into the race.

After Allgaier notched a top ten in the No. 40 Chevrolet, Earnhardt Jr. is more interested than ever in acquiring a charter and expanding his operation into the Cup Series full-time, instead of simply racing in the Xfinity Series. On the latest episode of the Dale Jr. Download, the two-time 500 winner explained what it would take.

“People are a bit confused over how this process could work for the charter stuff. I don’t know if I’ve just given some mixed signals about where I am in terms of what I would invest or not invest, or what I expect. So, here’s how it would work,” Earnhardt Jr. stated. “A charter, let’s just assume, and I may be naive, maybe it ain’t this simple. Let’s just say a charter [is] $40 million. Damn, that’s a lot. I was hoping that a charter would cost me $25 million. But you’re going to tell me the one that’s available today is $40 million.

“What would need to happen is an investor, somebody who wants to partner that — I’m not gonna give you $40 million for that charter. I’m not doing that. That’s not something I’m interested in doing. That’s my prerogative. Now, I would invest $5M or $10M in the right situation. $5M, absolutely. Maybe more of my own money. So there’s, you know, 20% ownership. That’s probably a very comfortable place for me to be. When I look at an NFL franchise, there are majority owners, but there’s also a lot of minority people, as well. I believe that owning around 20% of the charter would be satisfactory for me, personally.”

Evidently, Earnhardt Jr. believes what he’s built at JR Motorsports with his sister Kelly Earnhardt Miller would be precious for any potential investors, and it could be what separates them from other teams in the Cup Series.

“I believe that I’m also bringing to the table my sister Kelly, and our history of owning and operating this race team, JR Motorsports. Our success stories, not only on the race track, but in licensing, marketing, engagement, activation,” Earnhardt Jr. added. “I will promise you that most every single partner that we’ve ever had, that has ever left and went somewhere else, has come right back and said, ‘Y’all do it better.’ So, we’re bringing all of that to the table.

“The rest of the money has to come from somewhere else. That has to come from somebody who wants to invest in the idea that that $40M charter is going to be $100M or $150M, $200M or $250M down the road. Two years, 10 years, whatever that is. Which I believe that’s true. I believe that’s real. I believe that’s a possible. I wouldn’t put five or ten million into this if I didn’t think it was going to turn into something more.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr: ‘I don’t expect the charter fairy to walk in here one day and just drop one in my lap’

Additionally, whichever investor does put up the money has to fit in with JR Motorsports’ current structure, and it could be hard to find someone willing: “The person that comes in here can’t just be anybody. You don’t partner with just somebody because they’ve got the money,” Earnhardt Jr. elaborated. “You got to feel good about that person. This is going to be a marriage. You need to make sure that that person is somebody you can absolutely compromise, make decisions, communicate with, for a long, 10, 20 year process. Not somebody you’re going to be arguing and fighting with in two or three years over management decisions.

“That’s not an easy thing to come to terms with or understand. If it happens, it happens, is kind of the way you got to feel about it, because, I don’t know when that person might walk in the door. There have been people that have wanted to invest, and we have sat down and talked about the money and that had the money, but it just wasn’t the right fit for Kelly and myself. We’re not going to do it with any risk involved. I’m not talking about financial risk. I’m talking about like, we have some we have all of our employees out here. Everything that we are in this building, and this is all working well. We can’t upset that.

“Again, we’ve got to make sure that if we’re going into a partnership with somebody, we’re bringing them into our our deal, that we can live with and love and want to be with and want to work with.”

Alas, Earnhardt Jr. knows it would be a massive investment to bring JR Motorsports to the Cup Series, and he’s not asking for any handouts. Still, it’s evident he’s more willing than ever to consider moving up with his race team at the moment.

“I’m not wanting it for free. Not at all. I don’t expect that. I don’t expect NASCAR to, you know — I don’t expect the charter fairy to walk in here one day and just drop one in my lap. That is not what I think should happen, or what I think will happen,” the NASCAR Hall of Fame Inductee stated. “I’m willing to invest real money into it. Absolutely. Especially when I know that it’s a win across the board.”

If Dale Earnhardt Jr. does bring JR Motorsports to the NASCAR Cup Series, it would certainly be a welcome addition. Whether or not it comes to fruition remains to be seen, but it’s something fans and sponsors alike would love to see.