rewrite this title “We don’t do this for money”: Kelley Earnhardt echoes Heather Gibbs’ NASCAR team philosophy

JR Motorsports CEO Kelley Earnhardt Miller has shared that her team’s slim profit margins are in line with those of Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR). She also said their focus is always on stability.

The discussion came during the 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports lawsuit against NASCAR, where the fight over charter terms and revenue sharing has pushed team finances into the spotlight. JGR co-owner Heather Gibbs testified in court last December and said that her team runs on about a 2 percent margin despite employing around 240 people and relying on 24 sponsors to stay competitive.

In the latest episode of Business of Motorsports, Earnhardt reflected on her NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts team’s philosophy.

“I’ve never really looked at our profit margin because I’m just happy if it’s in the black, right? Like it can be zero, it can be $10,000, it can be $100,000. And I’m just happy that it’s in the black,” she said (12:50 onwards).

“JR Motorsports doesn’t do this to make money, right? We started our team because of the legacy of our family and the passion of racing. And we get in here and we’re like, if we from the very first days, if we were able to just ride that fence on the line of of slightly profitable or not losing our butt.”

Heather Gibbs told a similar story. JGR began as a passion project for Joe Gibbs after his coaching career with the Washington Redskins. What started as a single-car operation grew into one of NASCAR’s biggest organizations but its goal has remained the same.

“He [Joe Gibbs] didn’t want to just be an owner in something that was fun. He wanted to win. And I think for us, that’s probably the most important thing,” she said (15:30).

Heather gave an example of how JGR, which has collected five NASCAR Cup drivers’ championships in over 20 years, delayed installing a sign outside its headquarters to save money since it would not make the cars any faster.

“I’m just happy if it’s in the black” – Kelley Earnhardt reveals JR Motorsports’ profit margins

Kelley Earnhardt took over as CEO of JR Motorsports in 2012 after joining the team as general manager in 2005. During the same episode, the 53-year-old revealed that JR Motorsports runs on a 1.5 percent profit margin.

“I looked at ours and we’re about a one and a half percent. So, I feel you,” Kelley Earnhardt said (13:10).

Earnhardt co-owns JR Motorsports with her brother and former NASCAR Cup driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. The team has collected four driver’s championships in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in about 20 years. It also debuted in the Cup Series’ Daytona 500 last year in the No. 40 Chevy.

Edited by Palak Gupta