Kelley Earnhardt Calls Out Ignorant NASCAR Fans Forcing Dale Jr and Co. to Profit From Tony Stewart’s Miserable Exit

Tony Stewart’s Stewart Haas Racing’s departure from NASCAR is the big breaking news today. But while this news will go stale in just a week, what will not is the news of the much-coveted charters, which are now up for grabs. Charters are essentially for teams to secure entry to the races, and with four on the market, it couldn’t be a more exciting time. Everyone in the NASCAR world, especially fans, has one question: who is buying them? Amidst the talks, rumors, and conversation, it looks like Kelly Earnhardt, Junior’s sister, has come out to voice her distaste over fans coxing the JRM team to buy charters.

While Dale Earnhardt Jr has always shown interest, even publicly, sometimes things aren’t feasible even for the richest NASCAR driver, it seems.

Kelly Earnhardt fires back at unwarranted comments

Dale Eardhardt Jr fans are earnest and want to see their favorite in the Cup series. But their Xfinity Series team has played a huge role in churning out bright talents, be it Chase Elliott, William Byron, or even Tyler Reddick. So fans want Junior to make it into the Cup Series.

Fans took to social media to voice their opinions and ensure their voices were heard, and they were. Except they didn’t expect the reply they got from Kelly Earnhardt, Junior’s sister. In a surprising turn of events, a user criticized SHR’s owners, Kelly Crandall, a journalist, suggested contacting SHR directly to find a solution, catching many off guard with her pragmatic approach. And amidst it all, you had Junior’s sister chime in.

Kelly Earnhardt said, “I need the same help from all the folks that seem to have it all figured out on how JRM should own a charter. I said it on my podcast with Jeff Dickerson. This is a complicated business with complex decisions to be made every single day. I feel for all that are involved at SHR.”

Her blunt reply did pinch the likes of the fans but not all, in fact, some stood with her response. They understood that running a cup series team is not easy, not mentally and not even financially. One user said, “I think people forget $30 million is just the cost to get in the door. The cost of the cars, tech, people, logistics? Hundreds of millions and a whole lotta work.”

Another fan added “Everyone has “great ideas” until it’s their money involved. real fans will cheer yall on for Xfinity endlessly. Go JRM!” But it’s not that Dale Earnhardt Jr isn’t interested in it. It’s just that there seem to be a lot of gray areas that JRM isn’t capable of managing.

Dale Earnhardt Jr on buying charters for JRM 

With four charters now available to buy, it seems about time JRM invested. But not everything is so beautiful, folks—when it comes to finances, at least! Dale Earnhardt Jr comments on team investing do raise concerns. In a recent appearance on his podcast, he lamented the cost of a charter. He said that in 2016, a charter cost $2 million! This was when BK Racing was selling off their charters. And right now, prices have hiked to a hefty $40 million from last year!

In an interview with Sirius XM NASCAR Radio in 2023, Dale Earnhardt Jr openly said that the team is willing to enter the Cup Series. However, the current hindrance they face is the high cost of obtaining a charter. There has been a 2000% increase over the last seven years.

Additionally, there are other financially strong teams, such as 23XI, owned by Michael Jordan, who are interested in purchasing additional charters. You even have the likes of Legacy Motor Club and Trackhouse Racing. So can JRM compete with them? Moreover, they are acing it in the Xfinity series. So why would they spoil something they have and delve into the Cup Series?

Fans at the end of the day love Junior, and they want him in the Cup Series, but owning a team isn’t so easy, and just like Kelly Earnhardt mentioned, “It’s a complicated business.” 

Do you think JRM should bite the bullet? Maybe they can do a merger and come to the Cup series? Let us know what your thoughts are about this.