Bass Pro Shops, JR Motorsports Strengthen, Extend Relationship for the Future

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Nov. 2, 2022) — The deep and long-standing relationship between Johnny Morris and Bass Pro Shops and Dale Earnhardt Jr. and JR Motorsports will continue in 2023 with a new and dynamic partnership that extends from the NASCAR Xfinity Series to the grassroots of stock car racing.

There’s also a lot of history involved as well.

On Tuesday, JR Motorsports announced a landmark renewal of its partnership with the outdoor retail giant that will feature Bass Pro Shops colors on JRM cars in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and regional Late Models with drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr., Josh Berry and Carson Kvapil.

On Saturday, Noah Gragson and the No. 9 Bass Pro Shops/TrueTimber/Black Rifle Coffee team at JRM will race for the NXS championship at Phoenix, and the announcement on Tuesday transitions the partnership to a new level with the addition of the storied Late Model program.

That includes Earnhardt Jr. driving the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Late Model for JRM at the annual Florence 400 on Nov. 19 at Florence (S.C.) Motor Speedway, the successor to the legendary Myrtle Beach 400. The gold paint scheme, one of the more iconic schemes in recent history, honors the NASCAR Cup Series car his father drove in the 1998 NASCAR All-Star Race.

Earnhardt Jr. will also race a No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro from the JRM stables, one of two NXS starts the NASCAR Hall of Famer will make in 2023, with a new paint scheme featuring the CLUB Card from Bass Pro, a membership-based program which helps the conservation movement and is near and dear to Morris’ heart. Morris is an avid conservationist dedicated to the preservation of America’s outdoors.

Morris was on hand via cell phone for the announcement, in addition to a Zoom link playing out to Bass Pro employees.

“It’s a happy day,” Morris said. “We have a lot of our store managers and a lot of people from here at Base Camp who wanted to be with you to celebrate this happy day. Our brands are everything to us, and our Club is very important to our customers for conservation. Today’s announcement is an alignment with our Club and some very, very great friends for many years. We’re honored to be participating.”

The relationship between Morris and the Earnhardt family is a long and fruitful one, as Morris and Dale Earnhardt Sr. were long-time friends and hunting partners.

“Johnny and Bass Pro Shops has meant so much to our family and he had a great relationship with my father,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “This paint scheme means as much to Johnny as it does to us and all the Earnhardt fans out there who remember this paint scheme. It’s a thrill for us to be able to decal the car this way. It’s going to look amazing on the track.”

The future is very much in Earnhardt Jr.’s mind, with Kvapil’s 20-race sponsorship for 2023 in the Late Model ranks.

“I’m excited for this partnership to continue on into 2023 for Carson and everything he’s doing to get to the next level and the next level after that,” he said. “He’s on the same career path that Josh and so many other drivers have been on to make it to that next level and on up to the Cup Series. We believe in Carson, and it will be great for Johnny, Bass Pro Shops and all those folks that Johnny talks about back at Base Camp, the employees and individuals who will get to know Carson and what he’s about. Their interests align very closely.”

Kelley Earnhardt Miller, CEO of JR Motorsports, remembers Morris with affection as well.

“Johnny is a remarkable man, a man of his word,” she said. “Conservation is so important to him, and obviously he loves hunting and fishing. We go back with our dad, and one of my fondest memories of Johnny is a trip we took to the Bahamas with my dad. We are so fortunate to have him be a partner with JRM and support us as he has in the past and to continue that support with Josh and Dale and Carson. We can’t thank him enough. I’m proud to have these relationships, proud to run these colors.”

For Berry, who will carry Bass Pro Shops colors in 11 NXS races in 2023, it’s a chance to continue a meteoric rise through the stock car racing ranks.

“We’re in a great position to continue on this path and we’re thankful to Johnny and Bass Pro Shops for coming on board and making that possible,” Berry said. “It means a lot to me personally to have a brand like this support me and continue this program along. It really pulled at my heart to see that they were able to bring this together and support Carson. He’s been doing a great job with the Late Model program.”

Berry, who will serve as Earnhardt Jr.’s crew chief at Florence, will drive the gold No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Late Model the following week at the Thanksgiving Classic at Southern National Motor Speedway in Kenly, N.C.

“This is a really exciting day for Dale, Carson, myself and all of us to be able to continue this partnership with Bass Pro Shops and Johnny,” Berry said. “It means a lot to me to be able to drive a car like this. I’ve never been able to drive a No. 3 with an iconic paint scheme like that and it means a lot to me.”

The extensive nature of the partnership between the Earnhardt family, JR Motorsports, Morris and Bass Pro Shops helps secure the future of the racing team across many levels, Earnhardt Jr. said.

“I am really thrilled about this relationship with Johnny and how it’s going to grow from what we had this year and in years previous,” he noted. “This really touches on all things across the board for JRM and a lot of our initiatives. I get to race a Bass Pro Shops car for the first time in the Xfinity Series and at the grassroots level with our Late Model, and I’ll gain a lot of enjoyment out of that, but I also love that Johnny and his team want to support a lot of other things that we’re doing in terms of helping Carson along his path and helping Josh realize his dream as well.

“It really does touch a lot of different levels at JR Motorsports and we’re very, very thankful for this partnership. It puts a lot of great-looking cars on the track with what you have at Bass Pro Shops. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”