JR. Motorsports Nation

11/20/09

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Dave Kallmann column: No worries, only hope for Bires
By Dave Kallmann, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Nov. 20--Surprised? Maybe.

Worried? No.

Kelly Bires' fans panicked briefly a week ago, when Dale Earnhardt Jr. was quoted as saying his team might not have the money for Bires to race full-time next year. But the 25-year-old from Mauston shrugged it off.

Considering the past year, this was a hiccup for Bires, not the swine flu.

"Everyone's frustrated by the sponsorship side of things, and sometimes emotions become more than what it actually means," Bires said over the weekend at Phoenix International Raceway.

"That's part of the business right now. But it'll get better, eventually."

See, that's what Bires spent almost 12 months reassuring himself. And sure enough, he was right.

When Bires went from underfunded last year to unemployed in the off-season, he cobbled together what he could for 2009.

His results include too many transparent excuses for dropping out early -- "ignition," "brakes," "electrical" -- so an owner could collect easy "prize" money. But the few times Bires actually competed, he raced hard and fared well.

His three top-10 finishes among 13 starts were the ones that caught Earnhardt's attention and that led to a two-year contract with JR Motorsports, the Triple-A affiliate of mighty Hendrick Motorsports.

"The transition from the old team, not having a sponsor, running a couple of races with multiple teams and then to land in a full-time deal and a top-notch team for next year, it's been the longest year of racing I've ever had," Bires said.

"Mentally it is, but physically, I haven't raced much. I'm ready to go."

The team announced in September that Bires had signed a two-year contract to replace Sprint Cup-bound Brad Keselowski, who is third in the Nationwide standings with four victories. He will make his debut with JR Motorsports this weekend, driving its second car in the season finale in Homestead, Fla.

Bires will head home for hunting and the holidays and then quickly get the itch to go racing for real.

Whereas Bires felt the pressure of uncertainty in 2009, the weight next season will come from expectations.

Yes, those will be high.

"We need to basically shoot for top-10s every week, and I think the top-fives and wins will come," Bires said. "That's what we all want.

"It'd be a huge disappointment if we didn't win races and at least be there and contend for the championship."

No worries.

11/17/09

Bires to make first start in No. 5 car at Homestead!

MOORESVILLE, N.C.

JR Motorsports on Tuesday announced that Kelly Bires will make his team debut driving the No. 5 Chevrolet in the Nationwide Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 21 with primary sponsorship from Ragú.

"We wanted to get Kelly in one of our cars before the season was out," team co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. "Ragú has been with us since the beginning of the year, and I appreciate them stepping up their involvement and helping us put this deal together. It's important that Kelly hit the ground running at Daytona next year, and this certainly helps."

In September, JR Motorsports announced it had signed Bires to race for the team in 2010-11. Bires has 67 career starts in the Nationwide Series with three top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. In his first full year in the Nationwide Series, he finished 13th in the point standings.

"This is going to be a great opportunity," said Bires, whose best finish at Homestead was a ninth-place showing in 2008. "I'm thrilled. I was really hoping to race a JRM Chevrolet before the year was out. Thanks to our partners at Ragú, we've made it a reality. I think this will go a long way in our preparation for 2010."

In preparation for the race weekend, Tony Eury Jr. has been announced as the crew chief for the No. 5 Chevrolet.

11/16/09

The on again, off again saga, it never ends!

Now for the story:

Hendrick denying deal with Danica Patrick
By Mark J. Miller

It's been assumed recently that there's a deal in place to bring IndyCar driver Danica Patrick to NASCAR next season for a limited number of races, but team owner Rick Hendrick reportedly told the Associated Press yesterday that no such deal is in place.

Hendrick isn't sure she'll be in NASCAR at all next year, either: "I just think that they are not even close to making a decision on whether to even do it this year or next year," he said of Patrick and her IMG reps. "You never know until it's done. You never know until it's signed. And anybody can change their mind. When you get down to the nitty gritty of any deal, it's always complicated. There can always be someone who comes back and says `I can't do it because of this.'"

The rumor is that Patrick would actually be driving for JR Motorsports, which is owned by Hendrick Motorsports and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick wasn't saying a deal won't get done but that nobody should be assuming anything: "I think everything is an option, and it's just too early to really comment on it," he said.

Source: Associated Press

11/06/09

Danica Patrick and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. close to inking deal
By Mark J. Miller

IndyCar Racing League driver Danica Patrick is finally going to get a dose of NASCAR. She's apparently very close to signing a two-year deal with the team run by Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: JR Motorsports, according to ESPN.

The negotiations are supposedly "in the final phase" and it will mean that Patrick takes a NASCAR wheel for the first time when next February's Daytona 500 rolls around.

So she'll race full-time for Andretti Green Racing in IndyCar and part-time for JR in NASCAR. Both Earnhardt and Patrick have some sponsorship dollars from GoDaddy.com.

Sports Illustrated was reporting that Patrick was looking to snag $300,000 per race in NASCAR, no mater if it's Nationwide or Camping World Truck Series races. But it's not likely that she's getting that kind of dough.

Posted on 10-26-09 at 9:28 PM by BGNRacing.com

Bires Finishes 25th at Memphis After Mid-Race Accident

MILLINGTON, Tenn. (October 25, 2009) - Heading to the home of the Blues, Kelly Bires and the No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) Copart team had high expectations Saturday at Memphis Motorsports Park as Bires made his final start of the season for KHI. Starting the race from the 32nd position, Bires worked his way as high as sixth before a mid-race accident relegated the team to a 25th-place finish.

"We had a top-10 car, but fought loose conditions early on and then got caught up in an accident that ruined our shot at a solid finish," said Bires following the race. "I have to thank the guys and Ernie (Cope) for a great job this weekend and Kevin and DeLana (Harvick) for giving me the opportunity to drive the No. 33 car three times this season. It has been a lot of fun and definitely a learning experience for me that will help me as I move on to my next opportunity with JR Motorsports next season."

With the race underway, Bires patiently began picking his way through the field, moving from the 32nd starting position to 19th by lap seven. Continuing to move forward, Bires was scored in the 15th spot when the team made their first scheduled stop of the race on lap 38 under caution. Fighting a loose-handling car, crew chief Ernie Cope made the call for four tires, fuel, an air-pressure and a track-bar adjustment to help with the handling. With teams on varying strategies, Bires restarted the race on lap 42 in the 24th position.

Looking to move back toward the front, Bires took over the 18th position on lap 56, but was stalled by a loose-handling car. Deciding to stay out under caution on lap 61, Bires was able to move into the sixth position on the lap 66 restart as teams again utilized various strategies. Unfortunately, the loose condition proved to be too much and caused the No. 33 car to begin to slide back through the field.

On lap 77 the caution flag again waved and the team brought Bires back down pit road for another scheduled stop from the 19th spot. Aiming to improve the handling of the car, the team changed four tires, added fuel, made an air-pressure adjustment and made a rubber adjustment on both rear tires. Bires restarted the race on lap 83 in the 22nd position.

Proving to be the right changes, Bires again focused on the front, running lap times as fast as the leaders. By lap 106, Bires moved into the top 10 and when the caution flag waved again on lap 124, he was running eighth. The team made another stop for four fresh Goodyear tires with an air-pressure adjustment and fuel. The race restarted on lap 129 with the No. 33 Copart Chevrolet in the ninth position.

Continuing to log laps, Bires was in the 11th position when the team's day took a turn. Racing for position, the No. 12 car made contact with Bires on the backstretch on lap 174. The contact caused Bires to spin out, causing damage to the front end of the car. Making several stops on pit road, the team made repairs to the car and eventually took the car to the garage for more repairs. Nursing a damaged car, Bires was able to return to the race and following a green-white-checkered finish, claimed the 25th position, 19 laps down from the leaders.

Brad Keselowski won his fourth race of the season, followed by Kyle Busch, Jason Leffler, Mike Bliss and Brendan Gaughan.

JR Motorsports began in a shed on the property of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. in 1998 with just one employee, as the marketing division of Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s race team. The original intent of the business was to help Earnhardt, Jr. sell t-shirts and negotiate sponsorship deals.

It wasn't until 2002 that Earnhardt, Jr. turned the business into a race team. That's when T. J. Majors drove the first race, in the street stock division, at Concord Motorsports Park, in North Carolina.

The first win for the team came at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, VA, in 2004.

Today the team operates out of a 66,000-square-foot (6,100 m2) state of the art race shop near Mooresville, North Carolina. JR Motorsports' primary series is the NASCAR Nationwide Series, where they originally fielded the #88 for several drivers. Upon Earnhardt, Jr.'s signing with Hendrick Motorsports the Hendrick and JR Nationwide Series teams were merged and in addition to the #88 Chevrolet currently sponsored by GoDaddy.com and Delphi with Brad Keselowski behind the wheel, JR Motorsports fields the #5 Unilever/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet for several drivers, the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet for Jimmie Johnson, the #80 Chevrolet for Tony Stewart, and the #83 for Earnhardt, Jr.

Hendrick Motorsports:

The #5 car is inherited from the Hendrick Motorsports' Busch Series stable, competing in the series since 1984. Shortly after Dale Earnhardt, Jr. signed with Hendrick Motorsports in the Sprint Cup Series, Hendrick Motorsports announced that it would merge its operations with the JR stable to field a two-car team with the #5 and the #88, starting in 2008, using Hendrick engines and chassies.

The #5 is scheduled to be driven by seven drivers in 2008 -- Jimmie Johnson, Earnhardt, Jr., Martin Truex, Jr., Mark Martin and Landon Cassill as well as road course specialists, Ron Fellows and Adrian Fernandez..
The #5 will include sponsorship from Lowe's, National Guard, Delphi, and Godaddy.com.

#5 Car History:
The #5 car won twice in 2008, with Mark Martin at Las Vegas and Ron Fellows in Montreal, the first NASCAR race run in wet conditions. The 5 car will run 21 races with Sponsorship from Fastenal, Go Daddy, Unilever, Degree, and Delphi. Dale Jr will drive 7 races, 2 for Go Daddy.com, 2 for Fastenal, 1 for Degree and 2 for Unilever( Daytona-Hellimans, Klondike at Lowes on may 23. Mark Martin will drive at Richmond May 1st with sponsorship from Lipton Ice Tea, Tony Stewart will drive at Lowes on October 16 with Delphi Sponsorship, Scott Wimmer will drive 6 races with Fastenal Sponsorship, the other 6 races with Fastenal sponsorship will be named at a later date.

#48 Car History:
Car #48 was driven by Jimmie Johnson at Watkin Glens in the 2008 race with Lowe's as the sponsor, driving it home 29.

#83 Car History:
Car #83 was fielded by JR Motorsports with driver and owner Dale Earnhardt, Jr. behind the wheel at Lowe's Motor Speedway on May 24, 2008. Earnhardt, Jr. drove the car home a 4th place finish.

#88 Car History:

The #No. 88 began the 2006 season driven by Mark McFarland, but he was replaced by Shane Huffman, with Martin Truex, Jr. and Robby Gordon filling-in for certain races. On Tuesday July 3, 2007 Dale Earnhardt Jr. released Shane Huffman from driving the #88 Navy Chevy for JR Motorsports. Earnhardt, Jr. drove the #88 on July 6, 2007 in the Busch Series race at Daytona International Speedway. Brad Keselowski will replace Shane Huffman for three races, with "Road Course Specialist" and SCCA driver Andy Pilgrim to be in the car for the race in Montreal, and Watkins Glen.Brad Keselowski finished the season.Keselowski signed a two year contract with JR Motorsports with the Navy returning as sponsor in 2008. Brad won his first race at Nashville Superspeedway on June 7, 2008. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. will have to find a new sponsor for the #88 in 2009 as the Navy announced it would not be returning after the conclusion of the 2008 season. GoDaddy.com and Delphi will sponsor the #88 for a total of 24 races in 2009,Unilever will be sponsoring 11 races on the #88 Car. Degree will be sponsoring the car for 4 races in 2009.

Tony Eury Sr.

Dale Jr has looked to his past for help running the company. In June 2007 Tony Eury was hired away from Dale Earnhardt, Inc to become Director of Competittion at JR Motorsports.

Eury was Junior's crew chief beginning when Junior first started in the Busch series. Together the 2 won 2 Busch championships before moving on to NASCAR's Cup series.

"Tony Sr. brings wins, championships, and an immeasurable amount of knowledge to JR Motorsports," Earnhardt Jr. said. "He also brings a sense of trust that you only have in family. This company needs his expertise, and I'm glad he sees the potential at JR Motorsports to want to work here. I hope I can provide him the same amount of success here that he has achieved over the years, and I hope he enjoys working here as much as I know he enjoyed working at DEI."

Eury had been a full time employee of DEI since 1987, and had worked with Dale Earnhardt both as a part-time employee and unpaid helper since 1976.

Before joining up with Dale Jr, Eury had been a crew chief for svveral Busch series drivers at DEI including Neil Bonnett, Michael Waltrip, Steve Park, and Dale Earnhardt.

"I remember Dale coming up to me and asking if I could make a driver out of Dale Jr.," Eury said. "My remark to him was I don't know why we can't. Why would you want to spend money on someone else's kid when you can spend money on your own kid?"

Eury now oversees competition and technical support at JR Motorsports, working closely with crew chiefs and team engineers from all racing divisions.

Sprint Cup Series and Future of JR Motorsports:

During a press conference at Lowe's Motor Speedway on May 16, 2008, Dale Earnhardt Jr. stated that once the Nationwide Series starts using the Car of Tomorrow chassis, which is set for an August, 2009 debut at the intermediate tracks, his Nationwide teams possibly will leave the Nationwide Series, due to the costs of switching cars. When asked if he will move JR Motorsports to the Sprint Cup Series, Earnhardt Jr. said that due to the Nationwide Series and Sprint Cup Series almost having the same expensive costs, he might move the team to the Sprint Cup Series as early as 2009 "if the right opportunity comes along with the right sponsorship and driver.

Other racing series;

JR Motorsports fields the No. 88 Racing Clubs of America Chevrolet Monte Carlo Late model driven by Curtis Truex. The No.72 Champion Spark Plug Chevrolet driven by Richard Boswell. The 06 Champion Spark Plug Chevy driven by Davin Scites. The No. 50 Southern Pipeing Chevy driven by Jamey Cadill. And the No.73 R and B Chevy driven by Owen Kelly.

About Kelly Bires:

Kelly Bires (born August 25, 1984 in Mauston, Wisconsin) is a NASCAR race car driver. He raced the #47 Clorox Ford Fusion for JTG Daugherty Racing in the Nationwide Series, and was a member of their driver development program. He became a free agent in 2009 and will compete in some races with Braun Racing. Bires unsuccessfully attempted the 2009 Daytona 500 with Black Jack Racing. Bires also got a ride with Kevin Harvick Incorporated to drive at Nashville Tennessee. He finished 4th place, his second top 5 finish in the Nationwide Series.

Bires began karting at Sugar River Raceway in Brodhead, Wisconsin at age 9. He began competing in national karting events at age 12. He won several regional titles and two national championships.

He became the Great Lakes Allison Legacy Series Rookie of the Year in 2000, and followed up the championship by winning the series in 2001. He next moved up to the Super Late Model racecars at Dells Motor Speedway. He finished fifth in points and was the 2002 Rookie of the Year. He finished second in championship points in 2003. Bires made his first start in ARCA in May 2004. He qualified fourth and finished eighth at Lowe's Motor Speedway. He was the 2006 American Speed Association Late Model Series champion.

In 2007:
He was to the #21 Wood Brothers Racing truck in 19 races, handing over driving duties for the other six races to veteran Mark Martin. He had a tenth place finish at Atlanta. After the departure of Jon Wood due to illness, he left the Truck Series started racing for Tad Geschickter beginning at Nashville Superspeedway. His best Busch Series start was 26th and best finish was 7th in the Meijer 300 presented by Oreo at Kentucky Speedway. He was named the permanent driver of the #47

In 2008:
He was named the permanent driver of the #47 and had six top-ten finishes en route to a 13th place points finish. He lost his job at the end of the season due to a lack of sponsorship.

In 2009:

The Big Announcement:

9/15/09

JR Motorsports Signs Bires To Two-Year Deal Starting in 2010
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Sept. 15, 2009) - Rising talent Kelly Bires has signed to drive a full-time NASCAR Nationwide Series entry for JR Motorsports in 2010-11, general manager Kelley Earnhardt announced today.

A native of Mauston, Wis., Bires has frequented the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series since 2006. In 66 career Nationwide Series starts, Bires has earned three top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. He tallied two of his top-fives this season with a career-best finish of fourth at Nashville Superspeedway on April 11 for Kevin Harvick Inc. and fifth at Iowa Speedway on Aug. 1 for Braun Racing.

"Kelly is a talented young driver, and we want to give him the opportunity to showcase that talent," said Dale Earnhardt Jr., owner of JR Motorsports. "Our whole premise at JR Motorsports from the beginning has been to take up-and-coming drivers, give them the chance to drive good equipment, and help them reach the next level. Kelly has a lot of promise. I noticed his potential earlier this year, and we are glad to have him at JR Motorsports."

JR Motorsports fields the Nos. 88 and 5 teams in the Nationwide Series. It has not been determined which of the two Bires will drive in 2010, as JR Motorsports is still in the process of securing sponsorship for next season.

"I can't thank Dale Jr. and Kelley enough for this opportunity," Bires said. "JR Motorsports is a quality organization. They win races, and they contend for championships. As a driver, that's all you can ever ask for. They have a tremendous infrastructure of support with Rick Hendrick and Tony Eury Sr. These are people who know how to win races, know how to win championships, and know what it takes to be successful."

Bires got his NASCAR start in 2006 in a Camping World Truck Series entry for Wood Brothers/JTG Racing (now JTG-Daugherty Racing). He was scheduled to tackle a partial truck schedule in 2007 but was promoted to the team's Nationwide Series entry after just seven races. In 2008 - his first full-time Nationwide Series attempt - Bires finished 13th in the point standings with six top-10s.

Like many of today's racers, Bires started early. By the age of 17, he had already secured two regional karting championships and two national titles. He entered the Allison Legacy Car Series at the age of 15. In his first season, he captured Rookie of the Year honors. In his second season, he was crowned series champion. Bires made the move to late models in 2002, and in his first season in the ASA Late Model Series, he earned eight wins, four poles, and 15 top-fives.

9/15/09

JR Motorsports Signs Bires To Two-Year Deal Starting in 2010
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Sept. 15, 2009) - Rising talent Kelly Bires has signed to drive a full-time NASCAR Nationwide Series entry for JR Motorsports in 2010-11, general manager Kelley Earnhardt announced today.

A native of Mauston, Wis., Bires has frequented the NASCAR Nationwide Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series since 2006. In 66 career Nationwide Series starts, Bires has earned three top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. He tallied two of his top-fives this season with a career-best finish of fourth at Nashville Superspeedway on April 11 for Kevin Harvick Inc. and fifth at Iowa Speedway on Aug. 1 for Braun Racing.

"Kelly is a talented young driver, and we want to give him the opportunity to showcase that talent," said Dale Earnhardt Jr., owner of JR Motorsports. "Our whole premise at JR Motorsports from the beginning has been to take up-and-coming drivers, give them the chance to drive good equipment, and help them reach the next level. Kelly has a lot of promise. I noticed his potential earlier this year, and we are glad to have him at JR Motorsports."

JR Motorsports fields the Nos. 88 and 5 teams in the Nationwide Series. It has not been determined which of the two Bires will drive in 2010, as JR Motorsports is still in the process of securing sponsorship for next season.

"I can't thank Dale Jr. and Kelley enough for this opportunity," Bires said. "JR Motorsports is a quality organization. They win races, and they contend for championships. As a driver, that's all you can ever ask for. They have a tremendous infrastructure of support with Rick Hendrick and Tony Eury Sr. These are people who know how to win races, know how to win championships, and know what it takes to be successful."

Bires got his NASCAR start in 2006 in a Camping World Truck Series entry for Wood Brothers/JTG Racing (now JTG-Daugherty Racing). He was scheduled to tackle a partial truck schedule in 2007 but was promoted to the team's Nationwide Series entry after just seven races. In 2008 - his first full-time Nationwide Series attempt - Bires finished 13th in the point standings with six top-10s.

Like many of today's racers, Bires started early. By the age of 17, he had already secured two regional karting championships and two national titles. He entered the Allison Legacy Car Series at the age of 15. In his first season, he captured Rookie of the Year honors. In his second season, he was crowned series champion. Bires made the move to late models in 2002, and in his first season in the ASA Late Model Series, he earned eight wins, four poles, and 15 top-fives.

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