JR Motorsports announced today that it will be reuniting with one of its former champion drivers for the NASCAR Xfinity Series season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 16, and it will happen in the company’s debut with the iconic No. 8 car.
Chase Elliott, the 2018 Most Popular Driver in the NASCAR Cup Series and winner of the 2014 NXS championship for JRM, has been tabbed to drive the No. 8 AfterShokz Chevrolet in the event, which airs at 2:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1.
“This is more than just putting a driver in a car,” said Kelley Earnhardt Miller, JRM general manager. “Chase is family to us and an integral part of our history. He helped kick start our run of championships back in 2014 and has driven our cars to victory in several prestigious events, including a win at Daytona in 2016. We jumped at the chance of having one of our own return for this race.”
AfterShokz, an award-winning headphone brand known for its patented bone conduction technology and current partner of Elliott’s, will be featured on board the No. 8 Chevrolet for the event.
“I’m looking forward to getting back behind the wheel for JRM in Daytona,” Elliott said. “Kelley, Dale and the entire organization have been so great to work with over the years. We won this race back in 2016 and this year we’re looking to get back into victory lane with AfterShokz.”
Elliott’s five career NXS victories have all come with JRM. Three of those wins came during his storybook championship season of 2014 which featured many milestones, including his high school graduation and establishing himself as the youngest driver to win a championship in any of NASCAR’s top-three national touring series. He also took home rookie of the year honors that year.
In 2016, Elliott transitioned to Hendrick Motorsports to begin his full-time Cup Series career but still competed in a handful of NXS races for JRM.
“AfterShokz is thrilled for the opportunity to expand our personal partnership with Chase by sponsoring the car with the iconic No. 8 for its first race with JRM,” said AfterShokz COO Bill Kimball. “Daytona is gearing up to be a very big weekend for the AfterShokz brand.”
Elliott will kick off the season in the No. 8 car that will be piloted by a committee of drivers for the bulk of 2019. The list of drivers that will wheel the No. 8 include Jeb Burton, team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., Spencer Gallagher, Ryan Preece, Zane Smith and Ryan Truex.
JRM’s four-car lineup for Daytona will feature Elliott in the No. 8 AfterShokz Chevrolet, Michael Annett in the No. 1 Pilot Flying J Chevrolet, Justin Allgaier in the No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet and Noah Gragson in the No. 9 Chevrolet.
JRM PR
