'It’s Not Necessary': Dale Earnhardt Jr. Puzzled by NASCAR Boss Jim France’s Desire to Field a Cup Entry

According to a recent report in The Athletic, Jim France — NASCAR’s chairman and CEO since 2018 — had a plan to personally bankroll a Spire Motorsports entry for Sonoma Raceway, with Jack Aitken taking the wheel. However, backlash from within the garage area forced the plan to be shelved.

The proposed Sonoma entry, which would have seen IMSA regular Aitken drive a Spire machine backed by France and linked to Hendrick Motorsports, struck a raw nerve and drew scrutiny across the paddock.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., no stranger to such situations given his ownership of the CARS Tour and a team in the series, weighed in on it.

“Had Jim France and his family owned cars for all of these decades of NASCAR, your grandfather that in, and if that ever ended, we would just be done with it,” Junior remarked on the latest episode of his podcast.

“At this point, it just doesn’t seem like it’s very productive to do it now. And Jim doesn’t need to do it. It’s not like a viable business proposition or opportunity that I think that’s necessary for him as a businessman to do it,” he said. “It’s not necessary because dude owns a sport.”

Offering an alternative path, Dale Jr. suggested France could have concealed his involvement.

That way, Aitken could have still taken the track at Sonoma in a Spire car — with France’s support behind the curtain. This would not have raised eyebrows or invited controversy tied to his personal or financial affiliations with Aitken and his program backers.