Denny Hamlin Addresses Major Concern Amid Calls for Dale Earnhardt Jr to Bring his Team to the Cup Series

Dale Earnhardt Jr last raced in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2017. Since then, he has reduced his appearances to managing his JR Motorsports and making the occasional Xfinity cameo.

Now, Dale Jr has admitted that he would love to see the JR Motorsports team graduate to the Cup Series. Already, the outfit is one of the best teams in NASCAR’s second-tier, but the former Daytona 500 winner is dreaming bigger. However, Denny Hamlin was right there to serve him and the fans a bit of a reality check.

Many fans on Twitter wanted the NASCAR legend to make the JR Motorsports move happen. For that, the stock car series has to expand the team charter system. In light of this, 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin hated to burst people’s bubbles, but he had some reservations.

Hamlin said, “What about all the teams that just spent a lot to get in?”

“It will be hard to establish FMV. Each transaction has had other factors attached to it. You can’t dilute the first 36 also. It’s just not as easy as you think. That’s why other leagues charge a large amount for expansion teams.”

READ MORE: Dale Earnhardt Jr Wants Martin Truex Jr to Kickstart JR Motorsports’ NASCAR Cup Series Bid

“You have a point with your first statement but you gotta give credit to those who made the financial investment years ago. I think we all agree that Dale Jr would be a great asset to cup ownership but the path in probably needs to be the same as it was for everyone else no?”.

How did Dale Earnhardt Jr respond to Denny Hamlin?

Surprisingly, Dale Jr. agreed with his insinuation that the solution will not be fair

For a long time, Earnhardt Jr has dodged questions about a JR Motorsports promotion to the Cup Series. Last year, he began to be a little more receptive. Ahead of last week’s race at the Nashville Superspeedway, he suggested that he would like Martin Truex Jr to drive for his team.

A more realistic scenario could see him promote one of two of his current Xfinity crop along with the team. Dale Jr. confessed that the process is not easy, but they were working hard to make it happen.

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There were suggestions for NASCAR to expand the team charter system from 36 to 40. The idea is for the Cup Series to try and go back to 43-car fields. Of course, all of these are just talks, and nothing concrete has come up yet.