By David Morgan, Associate Editor
“My only goal is to make them proud,” Justin Allgaier said last week ahead of the 67th running of the Daytona 500, where he would pilot the No. 40 Chevrolet for the NASCAR Cup Series debut for JR Motorsports.
After bringing the car home with a ninth-place result on Sunday, it certainly seems like he lived up to those words.
Starting in 19th place, the Riverton, Ill. native bided his time in the pack and managed to stay out of trouble for most of the day, though he did catch a piece of the multi-car crash with five laps to go in regulation that sent Ryan Preece airborne.
Nonetheless, Allgaier and his JRM team were in position in overtime, jumping from 16th to inside the top 10 when the leaders crashed on the final lap.
Allgaier would climb from his car after the race with a smile from ear to ear, exchanging high fives with his entire crew, along with team owner Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
“I think we checked all the boxes,” Allgaier said. “Really proud of JR Motorsports and everybody on this team. We hit all the markers. We had DVP. We had pit stops. We had craziness in picking lines. A lot of uncertainty on my part, just knowing the guys you are around.
“But all-in-all, it was a solid night. Missing the crash there at the end was cool. I assumed the caution was out and I didn’t know we were racing back to the line. That was cool to race back to the line and get a top-ten.
“Just want to thank everybody at Travellers Whiskey, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kelly Earnhardt Miller, and everybody that let me be a part of this. Thank you to everybody at Team Chevy and the Hendrick Engine Shop. This is a big moment for JR Motorsports, and we are excited about what the future holds for our company.”
Allgaier added that he was especially thankful for the fanbase that supported the JRM effort throughout the weekend to make it even more special.
“The fans that supported this program, the merchandise, the die cast cars, the things that got bought this week, it’s been one of the more wild experiences that I’ve ever been a part of in my entire life,” he said.
“And it was really, really cool to be just a small part of this whole situation, to give me the opportunity to come do this. I’m thankful forever.”
Phoenix: Dale and the Championship flag.
Daytona: Dale and the Cup car. pic.twitter.com/Ykk3gkRrHA
— JR Motorsports (@JRMotorsports) February 17, 2025
After helping the crew push the car back to the hauler after the race, Earnhardt noted that he didn’t have any real expectations for how they would fare in Sunday’s race, but was very happy to come away with the result they did.
“We showed up with our first race to run in the most elite form of stock car racing, what kind of expectations can you have, in terms of being really competitive in the race? I would say that we’ll be very happy with the top 10,” Earnhardt said.
“We’ll be really happy we got to duke it out with ’em all out there tonight. I guess if you told me I was gonna finish 10th two months ago, I would’ve really been thrilled with that. Or top 10. So happy with the result. Everything about the experience was good. Even the challenges that we faced.”
What’s Next?
So, what’s next for the JRM Cup program going forward? If you ask Earnhardt, anything’s possible.
“I want to be here and I think Kelley wants to be here and I think we can be successful here,” Earnhardt said.
“And I think that with the new charter model, it’s more economical to be here. And so, I feel like with our ability to draw interest in terms of sponsorship and support, it’s an economical model for us with the new charter agreement. And I feel like that the charters will continue to increase in value.
“So, if there’s somebody that watches what we’re doing here that’s not involved in the sport, but would invest, we would be a good partner to consider. Because we know we have a good business model in the Xfinity Series. We know we have the ability to bring sponsor interest to our teams to be able to help fund our operation.”
Earnhardt did preface his outlook for the future with a note that the biggest thing to overcome for JRM to have a long-term future in Cup would be the cost of a charter, currently valued in the tens of millions of dollars, explaining that shouldering the entire cost on his own would not be an option he would consider.
“The overall hurdle is the initial investment in the charter,” he said. “And I can put some money in, but I cannot, I will not, even if I had it, I would not buy the entire thing myself. I can’t risk my kids’ inheritance and future on some idea, right?
“That’s a selfish thing. But I would certainly want to be an investor in any charter that we would be involved in. And the charters, I think are at the value now, the way you almost have to have partners to get in if you’re somebody like myself. But we’ll see.
“I mean, I told Kelley that this could create some new conversations with people we haven’t had conversations with yet. We’ve been on the phone and at the table with other people that were interested in investing in charters that didn’t work out. But we could have some brand new conversations, so you just wait and see.
“If it’s meant to be, it’ll happen.”
Be the first to comment