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Dale Earnhardt Jr. hilariously explains dealing with simultaneous heartbreak, celebration as JRM owner

Brian Jones Profile Picby: Brian Jones07/31/25brianjones_93
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Indianapolis
Kristin Enzor/For IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Dale Earnhardt Jr. understands that being a co-owner of JR Motorsports comes with ups and downs in every NASCAR race. On the Dale Jr. Download podcast, Earnhardt talked about how he deals with heartbreak and celebrations with his drivers each week.

“That’s the thing that is weird about all this,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. “You got so many cars on the racetrack, and you watch one crash. You’re like, oh s**t. Damn, I’m heartbroken. But now, I’m happy because my guy’s in the lead, but I’m heartbroken.”

Earnhardt added, “I got my arm around Justin [Allgaier], ‘Oh, it’s all right, buddy.’ And then, I’m like ‘Hey, [Kyle] Larson, don’t worry about it.’ And then, I’m over here, and I’m like, ‘Hey, Connor [Zilisch], hell of a job, man.’ What do you do?”

Earnhardt then shared more examples of consoling and praising his drivers in the same race. He talked about how he had to console Elliott Sadler during a Xfinity Series Championship race, but he also had another car in the same race that won the title.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. shares more on being an NASCAR team owner

“Being an owner of one car is real simple,” Earnhardt said. “Being an owner of multiple cars throws some challenges in there.”

JR Motorsports has four full-time drivers in the Xfinity Series – Allgaier, Zilisch, Carson Kvapil and Sammy Smith. Earnhardt talked about this because Zilisch won the Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis this past weekend. But it came at the expense of Allgaier, who made a move to retake the lead from Kyle Larson on Lap 74. Following a restart on Lap 87, Larson’s No. 17 Chevrolet broke loose and turned Allgaier’s Chevrolet into the outside wall. Larson was driving for Hendrick Motorsports, but he drove the No. 88 Chevrolet from JR Motorsports in the Xfinity race at Texas earlier this year.

JR Motorsports was founded by Earnhardt and his sister, Kelly Earnhardt Miller, in 2005. The team has won 100 Xfinity Series races and four Xfinity Series championships. At the start of the 2025 season, Allgaier drove the No. 40 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports in the Daytona 500 and earned a P9 finish.