MOORESVILLE, N.C. (April 26, 2022) -- Today, JR Motorsports announced it will field a fifth car in five additional NASCAR Xfinity Series races this season. With primary sponsorship from HendrickCars.com, current Cup Series stars William Byron, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson will combine to make the starts in the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro.
Elliott, who won the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series championship with Hendrick Motorsports, will kick things off at Darlington Raceway (May 7). Byron will take the wheel of the No. 88 at Texas Motor Speedway (May 21) and New Hampshire Motor Speedway (July 16). Larson, the defending NCS champion, sees action at Watkins Glen International (Aug. 20) and Darlington Raceway (Sept. 3).
JRM owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been a longtime partner with Hendrick Motorsports owner and Hendrick Automotive Group CEO Rick Hendrick with four franchises located in Tallahassee, Florida: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Cadillac and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Buick GMC. Hendrick is also a minority owner of JRM.
"The NASCAR platform has been instrumental in helping us build HendrickCars.com into a national brand, and we look forward to continuing that momentum through this expanded effort," said Greg Gach, president of Charlotte-based Hendrick Automotive Group. "We are committed to our racing programs and supporting our Hendrick Motorsports teammates whenever we can, and we know these additional races will benefit our drivers and teams. We're also excited to work with Dale Jr. on this opportunity. He's a terrific partner whose dealerships have created tremendous value for our General Motors customers. It's a win-win for everyone."
HendrickCars.com is Hendrick Automotive Group's online destination for new and pre-owned vehicle shopping, locating centers for service and collision repair, exploring career opportunities, and learning about vehicle investment protection. It also sponsors Larson's No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in the Cup Series in addition to NHRA driver Greg Anderson and other racing efforts at the grassroots level.
All three drivers have previously driven for JRM. Byron and Elliott are both past NXS champions and multi-time winners with the organization, while Larson made one start for JRM's Camping World Truck Series operation in 2015.
The news brings the No. 88 team's tally to nine events in 2022, up from the four previously announced starts. In the two races to date this season, the team has one top-10 finish with Miguel Paludo at Circuit of the Americas.
Crew chief duties for the No. 88 team will be announced at a later date.