Getty Justin Allgaier (left) has won three times in 2022.
With JR Motorsports drivers combining for seven wins in 18 Xfinity Series races, there are conversations taking place about whether any of them could move up to the Cup Series. Team co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. is well aware of this talk, and he is excited about the possibilities.
The Hall of Famer met with media members at New Hampshire Motor Speedway after Justin Allgaier won his third race of the season. He addressed the possibility of one of his drivers leaving to fill one of the open spots, a scenario that took an interesting twist after Petty GMS Motorsports confirmed that Ty Dillon would not return to the No. 42 Chevrolet in 2023.
“The one thing I’ll say is that I can’t wait for the phone to ring for any of our four guys to get a call. I want to know about it as soon as it happens, and I can’t wait to help them make the decision of whether that’s a smart move for them or not,” Earnhardt said during the post-race session.
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Earnhardt Has Previous Experience With This Situation
GettyDale Earnhardt Jr. (right) expects to receive a call about Noah Gragson (left).
Losing a driver to the Cup Series is nothing new for Earnhardt and JRM. He has seen multiple winners move up to bigger organizations after running full-time in one of his stock cars. This list includes Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Danica Patrick.
One driver particularly stands out to Earnhardt. The Hall of Famer took media members on a trip down memory lane when he discussed the moment that he learned a Cup Series team wanted to sign Aric Almirola.
“That was such a great day,” Earnhardt added. “I was standing in the house, standing in the lobby or the foyer of my house, when Aric Almirola called me and he said, ‘I got some tough news.’ He said, ‘Richard Petty has called me to see if…‘ and I was like, ‘You gotta go.’ I didn’t even let him finish the sentence.
“I was like, ‘That’s it. That’s what we do this for. Like, this is your chance, you know?’ And I was so happy. You know, because that’s like a win. That’s like a trophy. That’s like what happened today to get a call. It’s kind of like getting pulled up from the minors. And it could happen any minute right in the middle of the year.”
3 JR Motorsports Drivers Remain Options
Of the four JR Motorsports drivers, there are three that stand out as options for Cup Series teams — Noah Gragson, Josh Berry, and Justin Allgaier. This isn’t a slight to Sam Mayer. He is just learning the ins and outs of the national series, and extra time in the series will benefit him.
Gragson is the most frequently-mentioned option. He is running part-time in the Cup Series in 2022 while making starts for both Beard Motorsports and Kaulig Racing, and there are reports about teams possibly targeting him for empty seats. He has turned in two top-20 finishes in seven starts, but crashes and mechanical issues have disrupted four of his runs.
Like Mayer, Berry only has limited starts in a national NASCAR series. He’s in his first full-time Xfinity Series season, and he has made two starts in the Cup Series. However, the 30-year-old has quickly achieved success since switching from Late Models to the Xfinity Series cars, and he has generated chatter about a possible Cup Series future.
Allgaier sits in a unique situation. He has the most Cup Series experience with 80 starts between 2013 and 2022, and he has the best understanding of how to run on Sundays. However, the NBC analysts made an interesting comment during the Crayon 200 on July 16.
The analysts said that Allgaier may not want to make a return to the Cup Series. They explained that he is enjoying competing in the Xfinity Series while racing on Saturdays and dedicating considerable time to his family.
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