Dale Earnhardt Jr. makes bold prediction on teams that would rush to new NASCAR manufacturers

Dale Earnhardt Jr. believes there would be a rush of mid-tier teams at Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota that rush into a new manufacturer’s arms if NASCAR does in fact add a fourth to the Cup Series sooner rather than later.

It’s become one of the major talking points entering the 2025 campaign, and Earnhardt Jr. has one team bookmarked if a fourth OEM decides to get into the NASCAR Cup Series. He believes if a brand like Honda or another major manufacturer joins the sport, Jimmie Johnson’s Legacy Motor Club would be a tremendous place to start.

“If you’re a new OEM coming in, all of the teams that aren’t preferred partners, like you’ve got the guys that are the top four teams. Well, the bottom four teams, or the bottom Chevy teams are going, ‘Hey, we’ll get in on that deal, and we’ll go to that OEM if we can be one of the preferred teams.’ Same way like Joe Gibbs, right? He’s Chevrolet, right? Toyota comes in and says, ‘Man, you can be our Toyota team,’ and he’s not going to — he’s probably not going to surpass Hendrick on the Chevrolet pipeline. And so they move, right? They move over to Toyota, become the top dog there. It was incredibly lucrative for them, and very successful,” Earnhardt Jr. recollected, regarding Joe Gibbs Racing’s move from Chevrolet to Toyota, via the latest episode of The Dale Jr. Download.

“So if you’re — I think if you’re a new OEM, you’re going to have interest from people — like, people that don’t have charters. I don’t want to say like me, but people that don’t have charters that want them. The people that want to get into the sport, or become cup teams. You’re going to have interest from, like I said, the guys that are not on — the third or fourth in line at the other OEMs. Like a Jimmie Johnson.

“I could absolutely see Jimmie going. A new OEM coming in, you want to make us top dog. You’re going to give us the resources to become what we want to become. I’m telling you, I give Jimmie a hard time, and he’s one of my friends. If he were to find and acquire the resources that the top teams are getting at Chevy, Toyota and Ford, he would be able to develop his team into a successful team.

“He has that motivation, and he has that ability. He’s a wheeler and dealer. He’s a worker. He’s a connector. He’s a networker. He finds value, and relationships that are valuable. The only thing really holding Jimmie back is genuine, top-tier manufacturer support. I think once he gets that, he will excel. They’ll do well. So, that’s an interesting conversation.”

It wouldn’t be the first time Johnson’s team has switched manufacturers, as Legacy Motor Club went from Chevrolet to Toyota prior to last season. Still, they’re far from the top team in either camp, so a move to a brand new manufacturer wouldn’t be the worst idea for the team owner.

Additionally, Earnhardt Jr. alluded to his JR Motorsports squad being an option, as well. He’s getting his first taste as a car owner at the Cup Series level this weekend at the Daytona 500, with Justin Allgaier making the race during Thursday’s first Daytona Duel. Perhaps he’ll want more, and the opportunity to become the No. 1 option for a new manufacturer might be too good to pass up.

Regardless, a new manufacturer has to join NASCAR before any of this can happen, and that’s what Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the rest of America’s top motorsport are waiting for. The fans, drivers and media members alike are ready for it, so it seems like it’ll only be a matter of time.