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 About
JR Motorsports, LLC
JR Motorsports was established in 1999 as the management company
for NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and is now a full-fledged
racing operation with three late model teams, a USAR Hooters
Pro Cup team, and a full-time NASCAR Nationwide Series program.
JR Motorsports first foray into racing came in the form of a
street stock car that raced at Concord Motorsports Park in Concord,
N.C., during the summer of 2002.
During the next three years the team progressed through the late
model stock car and Pro Cup ranks, collecting numerous wins and
pole awards along the way. With support from the U.S. Navy, Earnhardt
Jr. launched the JR Motorsports NASCAR Busch Series program in
2006.
The JR Motorsports team has come a long way from its start in
2002. Once housed in a building on Earnhardt Jr.'s property,
the team operated out of a small shop in Mooresville, N.C., in
2006 before moving into a large 66,000-square-foot facility that
serves as the nucleus of Earnhardt Jr.'s racing operation and
business interests at the start of 2007.
All of the teams are housed in this facility along with the business
operations of JR Motorsports, allowing them to share resources
and personnel in an effort to continue the team's successful
growth into the future.
"Brad
has done a great job staying focused, learning from his mistakes
and listening to advice that either I or Tony (Eury) Sr. gives
him.
He's always had raw driving talent, but pairing him with Tony
Sr. has helped him greatly. It helped me when I was in the
Nationwide Series, and I knew that with his talent and Tony
Sr.'s experience, they could win races. I was very excited
when Brad won at Nashville, and I'm happy with the way he's
performed this season.
He's lived up to the expectations I had for him when I hired
him last year, and I think he's turned a lot of heads in how
sharp he is on and off the track."
DALE
EARNHARDT JR.
Team
Website
Dale
Earnhardt Jr, center, stands with dignitaries as they officially
open JR Motorsports in Mooresville, N.C., Tuesday, April 10,
2007
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88
Crew Chief Tony Eury Sr.
Eury,
who also serves as the director of competition for JR Motorsports,
began working part time as a crew chief for Dale Earnhardt, Inc.'s
Nationwide series cars in 1982 before joining DEI full time in 1986.
In 1998, Eury teamed with Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the first of two consecutive
Nationwide series championships before both made the jump to the Cup level in
2000. Eury served as DEI's director of competition from 2004 to 2007, when he
returned to crew chief duties for DEI's No. 15 car driven by Paul Menard.
In July 2007, Eury left DEI to become director of competition for JR Motorsports
and interim crew chief for the No. 88 Chevy driven by Brad Keselowski. Eury continues
to head the No. 88 team as its crew chief and oversee both JR Motorsports programs
in the Nationwide series.
What's
your take on the Cup drivers competing in the Nationwide series
and ultimately winning the championship as they have in years past?
Eury: "I
used to be on that side of things when I worked at DEI and we had
Nationwide cars with Dale Sr. I think having the Cup guys in there
running against the younger Nationwide guys helps make the series
better.
"It raises the level of competition and definitely gives Brad and the
other Nationwide guys something to brag about when they beat the Cup drivers.
"We're
up running with Bowyer for the title and I think Brad has a shot
at it. I hope we'll turn that around for the Nationwide guys this
year".
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