Dale Earnhardt Jr’s NASCAR team makes new driver – Sports News
Dale Jr added Jake Finch to JR Motorsports for 5 O’Reilly Auto Parts races (Image: Getty)
JR Motorsports proprietor Dale Earnhardt Jr. continued his cycle of including expertise hoping to pan out within the NASCAR Cup Series after saying that former Hendrick and ARCA driver Jake Finch will step into his No 9 Chevrolet for 5 races beginning in July.
The NASCAR model promoted the transfer on Wednesday on social media and wrote, “Pulled us a new name out of the No. 9 car pack,” earlier than confirming Finch’s debut during the Focused Health 250 at Echopark Speedway on July eleventh.
Finch will even drive during the Fall Race at Darlington, the Food City 300 at Bristol, the Blue Cross NC 250 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and the Progress Group 250 at Talladega simply earlier than Halloween. The information got here after Kevin Harvick admitted to being in awe after watching an up-and-coming driver in motion
The 20-year-old joins a aggressive NASCAR team of stars who’ve taken over the No. 9 car, together with Ross Chastain, Shane van Gisbergen, Carson Kvapil, and Lee Pulliam. Finch will get his flip behind the wheel after incomes a decisive win on the 62nd Alabama 200 at Montgomery Motor Speedway’s Pro Late Model occasion.
South Alabama Speedway reported that he additionally gained their Baby Rattler 125 for a third time in March. Those wins adopted a run of momentum that already included an ARCA Menards Series win at Talladega in 2024, the place he led each single lap.
Pulled us a new title out of the No. 9 car pack.
Jake Finch joins JR Motorsports for 5 races beginning at Atlanta in July. pic.twitter.com/qt1tg8auth
— JR Motorsports (@JRMotorsports) March 25, 2026
However, he has only one ACRA victory in 21 races and has run just one O’Reilly race after working the No. 17 car for Hendrick Motorsports during the 2025 BetRivers 200 at Dover Motor Speedway. He completed the race in seventeenth place, whereas ex-JR Motorsports star Connor Zilisch gained, and Allgaier raced to a top-10 end.
“I practiced qualifying. I was just trying to get used to it. It was a lot different than the AR car yesterday,” Finch stated after the race. But nonetheless, I had some actually good velocity and actually good tempo, particularly later within the runs.
Finch admitted he was overexcited and thought he had a actually good probability to get within the high 10 earlier than his expensive mistake. “Just made a mistake on pit road that put us behind the A-ball a little bit,” he stated.
Jake Finch stands on pit street earlier than the General Tire 200 (Image: Getty)
JR Motorsports has performed a half in drivers like Chase Elliott, William Byron, Tyler Reddick, and Justin Allgaier into champions or Cup Series mainstays and continues to construct a status as NASCAR’s premier pipeline.
Zilisch, now Trackhouse Racing’s latest rookie, gained a file 10 races with the team final season regardless of lacking out on a heartbreaking championship loss. Jesse Love handed the JR driver after Zilisch led 34 out of 42 laps.
The team crossed the 100-win mark within the sequence, captured 4 championships, and continues to dominate, with team driver Justin Allgaier main the standings by means of six races. Allgaier gained at Phoenix Raceway and Darlington Raceway and stays the one O’Reilly Auto Parts driver to secure a number of wins this season.
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