Over the years, the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series has become expensive for teams to continue participating in. Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently spoke about the same.

In terms of viewership. O'Reilly recorded a solid number at the recently held race at Charlotte. CW averaged 945,000 viewers for the race, peaking at 1,444,000 right before the red flag. Moreover, the CW pre-race show drew 819,000 viewers, the second-highest pre-show number ever.

Despite the rise, some teams have been struggling to stay afloat in the competition due to the rising costs. During his media availability at the Nashville Motor Speedway, Dale Jr., who owns JR Motorsports, was asked if he liked the way the series is now. 

"I think selfishly, I love the series the way it is," he said (via Cup Scene on YouTube). "I know nothing can stay the same forever, but I do love the cars. And, so I think the series is doing a lot of great things. Our numbers on CW continue to rise. You hear fans talk positively about the competition and the show. And, we get a couple Cup guys come drive our cars, and they really enjoy what they experience. So, yeah, if it ain't broke, don't fix it kind of thing. But, you know, there's a runway."

However, he also pointed out the changes needed, including rising costs of running the current cars.

"But I hope we can find a way to keep it as close as it is today and continue to modernize it and make it affordable for our teams that are a part of it," Dale Jr. added.

The NASCAR Hall of Famer had spoken about this issue earlier in the year when NASCAR proposed introducing EVs. He highlighted how the teams needed to find affordable car parts while still keeping the modern tech. 

The purse money shared among the teams for their participation can prove insufficient to help them stay afloat. For example, during the race at Darlington, the purse money was $1,653,590, while it takes nearly $130,000 to $160,000 to run the operation in the series. For backmarker teams, this can prove detrimental.

Beyond JR Motorsports, some teams have already felt the blow of rising costs, with one shutting down mid-season. 

Am Racing Shuts Down Operations

AM Racing entered the O’Reilly series in 2023 for a full-time run. They ran three full seasons, with the highlight being Harrison Burton giving them a podium in 2025, and also making the playoffs.

However, 2026 wasn't as pretty. Before the race at Rockingham earlier this year, the team suddenly withdrew its participation from the event.

In mid-May, Motorsport.com reported that AM Racing had completely ceased its operations. This left full-timer Nick Sanchez, who piloted the No.25 Ford Mustang, without a seat.

Moreover, it also meant Ford no longer had a full-time driver in the NOAPS. AM Racing was one of only two teams, besides Hettinger Racing, that Ford had in the series.

A few weeks later, even Hettinger withdrew from a race, the one in Texas. This meant Ford lost out on potentially competing for the championship.

The increasing costs of keeping the operations running have been very difficult for smaller teams in the NOAPS. And AM Racing has been impacted by this issue. 

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Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Yask Kotak