JR Motorsports has checked off the first steps en route to a redeeming season. The stinging finish at Phoenix wasn’t what Dale Jr. had in mind with three drivers in position to win the title. So 2026 started early in the garage. After welcoming Rodney Childers and finalizing a roster capable of wins and development, JRM now has a complete Crew Chief lineup.

With Childers leading No.1, here’s what the lineup looks like for the rest of the four entries:

No. 7 – Andrew Overstreet
No. 8 – Corey Shea
No. 9 – Phillip Bell
No. 88 – Mardy Lindley

JR Motorsports’ No. 1 car, piloted full-time by Carson Kvapil in 2025 for 7 top 5s and 14 top 10s, was previously led by Overstreet. But when Childers was released by Spire earlier this year, Dale Jr. jumped on the first opportunity. “Rodney’s resume and career speak for themselves,” he said in a statement in September.

Childers racked up 40 Cup Series wins and guided Kevin Harvick to the 2014 championship during his tenure at Stewart-Haas Racing. In fact, from 2014 to 2023, he helped Harvick to 37 wins, 148 top-fives, 230 top-10s, and five Championship 4 appearances. For 2026, he will be tasked to partner with both Kvapil and Connor Zilisch in his first-ever stint in the Xfinity Series.

That also means Overstreet — who spent his first full-time year advancing Kvapil to Championship 4 in a winless season — will be pairing with Justin Allgaier on No.7. It could come off as a risky move, assigning a new partner to a championship hopeful, but the team’s sticking with it.

Shea, on the other hand, will be moving up from part-time to work with Sammy Smith’s No.8. While Bell will have his hands full on No.9 part-time drivers ( Shane van Gisbergen and Ross Chastain) as of now, Mardy Lindley, the most experienced of them all in JRM, will be pairing with Rajah Caruth (only confirmed driver as of now) on No. 88.

After watching the championship slip away last season, Dale Jr. says they are preparing for an offseason of hard work and dedication to try to position themselves to achieve it all next year. “Anytime you don’t get the result you need, you cannot wait to go back and try again,” he expressed earlier this month.

While the garage has been humming in preparation for the same, getting back to dominate Xfinity (rebranded as O’Reilly Auto Parts Series), looks like Dale Jr. won’t be giving up on that one all-important race in the Cup Series.

Dale Jr. looks to be eyeing Daytona 500

Between Dale Jr. and his father, the Earnhardt family has 51 total wins at Daytona. Jr. himself has won two Daytona 500s, alongside two summertime 400-milers. Needless to say, it has been a large part of the Earnhardt story.

“I didn’t really know exactly how badly I wanted to do this or wanted to be a part of something like this,” he had expressed after Allgaier had managed to make it to Daytona 500 in its first attempt this year. Having gotten a taste, a few leaked emails say, JRM might be trying for a spot once again.

The circulating messages strongly suggested that the team would be teaming up with Traveller Whiskey to field a Daytona 500 entry for Justin Allgaier in 2026. It did not really come as a surprise, given the history and Allgaier’s 9th-place finish. (Update: JRM has confirmed that they will indeed be going for ‘another round’ in Daytona).

Looks like the JRM garage has gotten busy.