Kelley Earnhardt reminisces about the uncertain early days of JRM after Connor Zilisch’s ‘unbelievable’ achievement 

Kelley Earnhardt’s recent Instagram story celebrated a pivotal moment in JR Motorsports’ journey, as the team celebrated its 100th win in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The post is about how far the organization has come, becoming one of the top-performing teams in the series.

The original post Kelley Earnhardt shared came from the official JR Motorsports Instagram account, which had uploaded a photo commemorating the team’s 100th Xfinity Series victory. Kelley Earnhardt reshared the image on her own story. On her story, she wrote,

“Unbelievable. For two people that didn't really have a plan, it's worked out pretty well! Congrats to EVERY SINGLE PERSON that has come through our doors, drivers, sponsors and our employees!”

Kelley Earnhardt's story on Instagram. Source: via Instagram, @kelleyearnhardtmiller

Kelley's post commemorates a big chapter in JR Motorsports' history. The team became only the fourth organization to win 100 races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The win also puts JR Motorsports just one behind Richard Childress Racing for third on the all-time wins list in the series, trailing only Roush Fenway Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing.

The 100th win came at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Connor Zilisch, at just 19 years old, beat out Sam Mayer and took the checkered flag. It was Zilisch’s third consecutive win and his sixth overall — all with JR Motorsports.

Zilisch wasn’t even two years old when Mark Martin got JR Motorsports its first Xfinity win back in 2008. That race, held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, was the beginning of the organization’s winning tradition. Over the years, some major moments followed — Brad Keselowski’s win for the U.S. Navy, Regan Smith’s near-photo finish at Daytona, and Dale Jr.’s win at Richmond in 2016.

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“Always have presence and confidence”: Kelley Earnhardt’s role in shaping JR Motorsports

Kelley Earnhardt is the business strategist behind JRM’s growth. As co-owner, she helped shape JRM into one of NASCAR’s most competitive and teams. Her contribution has been widely recognized in the industry, especially as a leading female figure in a male-dominated sport.

Kelley the daughter of racing legend Dale Earnhardt and sister of Dale Jr., has a racing background of her own. She competed at short tracks like Hickory and Myrtle Beach in the 1990s and later moved to management. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, she managed Dale Jr.'s racing career and led the business side of JR Motorsports. In a 2013 interview with MomandMore.com, Kelley Earnhardt gave advice to women in male-dominated industries:

“Always have presence and confidence. From handshakes to speaking up and don’t be afraid to interject yourself into conversations.”

She focused on the importance of asserting oneself confidently through both body language and dialogue. In a 2018 conversation with Graham Bensinger, she recalled the challenges she faced during her early days in racing.

“It was such a different time for me when I raced in the mid 90s. Women, it was still weird to go to the race shop… That was their time to go do 'Guy Talk' and the girls weren't supposed to be around or listen.”

She added, “Society was kind of that way too, a girl wasn't supposed to be driving race cars, that was for boys.”

Kelley's leadership was also instrumental in bringing Danica Patrick into NASCAR. Today, as JR Motorsports celebrates its 100th Xfinity Series win, Kelley Earnhardt’s change from racer to executive is a major reason the team has reached this level.