JR Motorsports announced that it will field a fifth NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) car for five races. Hendrickcars.com will sponsor the entry.
Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, and William Byron will share the ride across the five races. All three drivers have drove for JR Motorsports in the past, with Byron and Elliott winning the NXS Championship.
JR Motorsports owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Hendrick Automotive Group CEO Rick Hendrick are no strangers. The two are partners in four Hendrick Automotive Group franchises in Tallahassee, FL.
“The NASCAR platform has been instrumental in helping us build HendrickCars.com into a national brand, and we look forward to continuing that momentum through this expanded effort,” said Greg Gach, president of Charlotte-based Hendrick Automotive Group in a team release. “We are committed to our racing programs and supporting our Hendrick Motorsports teammates whenever we can, and we know these additional races will benefit our drivers and teams. We’re also excited to work with Dale Jr. on this opportunity. He’s a terrific partner whose dealerships have created tremendous value for our General Motors customers. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
This announcement comes fresh off JR Motorsports driver Noah Gragson’s scoring his second win of the season at Talladega. Currently, all four JR Motorsports drivers are in the top eight in NXS points. This is not new form for JR Motorsports, who has a long history of success.
Chase Elliott
Chase Elliott competed full time in the NXS for JR Motorsports for two years (2014-2015). In his two seasons he finished first (2014) and second (2015) in the final standings.
Elliott has five NXS wins, all of which driving for JR Motorsports. His last win came at the 2016 season opener at Daytona, driving the No.88.
Elliott will pilot the No.88 Hendrickcars.com Camaro for one race in 2022 at Darlington in May.
William Byron
William Byron had no problems in his lone full time NXS campaign. Byron would cruise to the championship in 2017, where he was followed by fellow JR Motorsports drivers Elliott Sadler and Justin Allgaier who finished second and third respectively.
With 33 NXS races under his belt, Byron has 4 wins, 22 top tens, and 2 poles.
Byron will run two races in the No.88, Texas in May and New Hampshire in July.
Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson has only ran one race for JR Motorsports, a truck race at Chicagoland in 2015. This doesn’t mean he won’t spell success for the team in his two races.
Larson finished eighth in the NXS point standings in his lone full time season in 2013, driving for Turner Scott Motorsports. In his 108 starts over six years, Larson has achieved 12 wins, 75 top tens, and 4 poles.
Larson will compete at Waktins Glen in August and at Darlington in September.