
By David Morgan, Associate Editor
A dream fulfilled.
It’s no secret that Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and sister Kelley Earnhardt-Miller have had their eyes on JR Motorsports making the jump to the NASCAR Cup Series in some capacity for a while now, just waiting for the right opportunity to come along.
On Wednesday, that opportunity was revealed to be the team making its Cup Series debut with an entry in the 2025 Daytona 500.
Partnering with country music superstar Chris Stapleton’s Traveller Whiskey brand, the team will field the No. 40 Chevrolet with JRM veteran driver Justin Allgaier getting the nod to pilot the machine in their attempt at the Great American Race.
It also continues the whirlwind for Allgaier, who won his first Xfinity Series championship at Phoenix last November, breaking a seven-year long drought. Along with marking his return to the biggest race of the Cup Series season since his last full-time season in 2015.
“We’ve been waiting for the right moment for JR Motorsports,” said Earnhardt Jr. “With Justin winning the Xfinity Series championship and Chris Stapleton’s undeniable star power, the planets aligned for this perfect opportunity to enter this year’s Daytona 500.”
Allgaier has been a mainstay at JRM since joining the team full-time in 2017, scoring 22 wins under the team’s banner, along with a win at Daytona in 2023.
Since his last full-time season in the Cup Series, Allgaier has also made sporadic appearances in NASCAR’s top division, most recently in a substitute drive in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in last year’s Coca-Cola 600 during Kyle Larson’s attempt at the Indy/Charlotte Double.
“This is an incredible honor to be driving JR Motorsports’ inaugural entry into the Cup Series, and to do it with not only Dale and Kelley, but Chris Stapleton and Traveller Whiskey makes this even more special,” said Allgaier.
“Entering into the DAYTONA 500 has been a goal of this company for a long time and I know that we are going to have everything we need to go out and contend for the win. This is going to be special for sure.”
Earnhardt expanded further on the choice to put Allgaier in the seat for the company’s Cup Series debut, noting that the combination of the known commodity of Allgaier’s on-track performance and his ability to provide a great experience for his sponsors, made him the logical choice.
“For me, there’s a lot of layers to this. Obviously JR Motorsports, myself and Kelley (Earnhardt Miller) entering a Cup car in any race is a big deal for us. But this is also a bit of a continuation, at least for me personally, of celebrating Justin’s (Allgaier) championship – achieving a goal that, like you said, we’ve been after for a long tim,” Earnhardt explained.
“We’ve came so close and we’ve had some really, really tough, heartbreaking moments, but it’s really strengthened our bond and partnership. And so when we were starting to talk about doing this, I think me and Kelley both knew that we had to consider Justin as the driver. And as all of that played out toward the end of last year, it was a no-brainer that that was what we needed to do….
“We know what Justin’s capable of doing outside of the car, as well as inside the car. And so we know that as a driver and through marketing engagement, that Justin will make sure this is a great experience for Traveller, Chris and his team.”
As one of several open cars attempting to make the Daytona 500, Allgaier and JRM will have to either qualify in via their speed in pole qualifying on the Wednesday night prior to the race or in the Duels the following night to set the remainder of the field.
If the No. 40 car puts up a fast enough time among the open cars in qualifying or places well enough in the Duels, Allgaier and JRM will be able to take their place on the grid for Sunday’s main event.