Most Successful JRM Late Model Season Primes Search for New Sponsor

The JRM Late Model program had its most successful season ever in 2016, amassing 16 victories and an owner championship. Now the team is seeking sponsorship to continue the momentum for 2017.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Dec. 7, 2016) – On the heels of its most successful season to date, JR Motorsports’ Late Model program is seeking sponsorship to continue the momentum for 2017.

JRM’s two-car team with drivers Josh Berry, Christian Eckes and Scott Bishop, amassed 16 victories and won the CARS Late Model Stock Car Series owner championship, all of which should be solid selling points in the search for new sponsors for 2017 and beyond. Longtime backer Speedco will not return after five seasons, in which the team earned two track championships, won 38 races and set the all-time victory mark for the CARS LMSC series.

“Our Late Model program at JR Motorsports is what this company was founded on, and finding a sponsor to keep it moving forward is the primary task we face in 2017,” said Kelley Earnhardt Miller, general manager at JRM. “Our ongoing mission with the Late Model program is to give deserving young drivers and sponsors an opportunity to show what they have in a competitive environment, and that’s exactly what interested companies can expect."

Earnhardt Miller pointed out that the Late Model program is a vital part of the overall JRM mission and receives a lot of attention from Dale Earnhardt Jr.

“The Late Model program is the foundation of JRM, in the purest sense, and we aim to keep it that way,” she said. “Dale Jr. follows the weekly results even as his schedule grows from year to year, and if you see his Twitter feed, you’ll know he celebrates with Josh, Christian and [team manager] Bryan Shaffer on a week-to-week basis.”

Berry said he was glad that Speedco had such a great run with him and JRM.

“It’s been a great run with Speedco, and they’ve been a great partner,” Berry said. “I am so glad we were able to give them a great send-off with the way we performed this season on the track. We are looking forward to a 2017 season that’s even better, and the key to that is finding the right partner to help get us there.”

Berry earned 14 victories in his 24 starts and finished in the top five 21 times while driving the No. 88 Speedco Chevrolet. Five of those victories came at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway, the legendary short track just up the road from Mooresville. Berry won five CARS Late Model Stock Car series events as well, including one at Hickory, to further increase his lead in the all-time CARS LMSC victory category. Despite missing one CARS LMSC event to race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for JRM, Berry’s triumph at Southern National in November clinched the CARS owner championship in the season-ender at Southern National Motorsports Park. He also finished third in series points despite missing that race in July.

Berry’s other victories came at North Carolina’s Concord Speedway, Tri-County Speedway and Southern National Motorsports Park and Myrtle Beach Speedway and Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina. He also made two NASCAR Xfinity Series starts, finishing ninth at Iowa and 13th at Kentucky in JRM’s No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro.

Christian Eckes made the most of his debut season with JR Motorsports, winning the season-ending Myrtle Beach 400 with a last-lap, fourth-corner pass of Berry. In 23 starts, the now-16-year-old New Yorker earned 14 top-five and 18 top-10 finishes and finished fourth in the CARS LMSC driver point standings, just behind Berry. Eckes won the season-ending Myrtle Beach 400 by passing Berry off Turn 4 on the final lap, and earlier this week captured the prestigious Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Fla. to cap the season on a high note.

Scott Bishop, paired with sponsor TrueTimber®, filled in for Berry while he was racing in the NXS series, and the South Carolina driver won at Orange County (N.C.) Speedway in a NASCAR Whelen All-American Series event. Bishop compiled three top-five and six top-10 finishes in six starts, including an eighth-place run at Orange County in July that helped Berry earn the CARS LMSC owner title.

For the season, the trio of Berry, Eckes and Bishop combined for 53 starts, the 16 victories, 38 top-five and 45 top-10 finishes. All represent gains over the team’s 2015 results. “We had a great year,” said Berry. “We had a lot of victories at a lot of different tracks, but the level of consistency we were able to establish this year was incredible. With the exception of three or four races, where we had trouble, we were either finishing in the top three or were in position to finish there. Even the days when we weren’t really that good, we were able to finish pretty well.”

Both Berry and Eckes tackled the annual ValleyStar Credit Union 300 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway and ran well before separate incidents ended their runs. Berry started ninth and led the race for 20 laps just past the mid-race break, but contact from behind by Phillip Morris booted him up the track and into a spin. Berry lost track position in the melee, and was involved in a multi-car crash while battling back toward the front. Eckes had a mechanical issue and was forced from competition after 77 laps.

“It was just a fantastic season all around for Josh and Christian, and Scott Bishop and TrueTimber® stepped in to help Josh out in the CARS owner battle,” said JRM’s Director of Motorsports, L.W. Miller. “In years past, we’ve run really well and had a lot of great seasons where we’ve won races and championships. I can’t say enough about them putting together one of the top Late Model teams in the Southeast.”