‘My Only Goal is to Make Them Proud,’ Allgaier Says of JRM Cup Debut at Daytona

By David Morgan, Associate Editor

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Justin Allgaier and JR Motorsports are wading into uncharted territory this week at Daytona International Speedway as the team looks to make its first NASCAR Cup Series start in Sunday’s 67^th running of the Daytona 500.

But first the No. 40 Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet will have to make the 40-car field.

The team rolled into Daytona on Wednesday to prepare for the two days ahead of qualifying and the battle ahead amongst the nine open cars to secure one of four spots available to the non-chartered cars that have entered this year’s running of the Great American Race.

With backing from Hendrick Motorsports and crew chief Greg Ives at the helm, Allgaier and the entire JRM group are making the most of their debut at NASCAR’s highest level, still the pressure is high for the team to be one of the select few to earn one of the coveted starting spots at Daytona.

“To see Dale Jr. in the garage at 6:00 AM this morning with a smile on his face, I think it puts it into perspective how big of a moment this was not only for Dale and Kelley and LW, but for our company as a whole,” Allgaier said.

“And you know, I think even furthermore, when I look at the men and women that we’ve assembled to be here and be a part of this team and see their smiles today. Most of which have never worked in a Cup Series garage or worked on a Cup Series car in their lives and get the opportunity to come here to the biggest race of the year and to have an opportunity to try to qualify. It’s a big deal. And I think that for me, there’s a lot of stress, a lot of pressure that goes along with that.

“A lot of sleepless nights to try to get ready for this and understand what I can do to be my best. But at the same time, also being very proud of what we’ve accomplished and building a beautiful race car. Chris Stapleton and his team at Traveller Whiskey and how excited they are and just the whole process. I mean, it’s been really, really special and surreal to even get to this point, regardless of how the rest of the weekend goes.”

The journey to make the field begins on Wednesday night during single car qualifying, where Allgaier and JRM can lock themselves into the field by being one of the two fastest open cars. Should they fall short there, everything comes down to Thursday night in the Duels to determine who makes the field and who goes home.

Hendrick powered cars have notoriously been fast on superspeedways, with the power plants out of the HMS stable delivering a number of front row starts, which should give everyone in the JRM camp a sigh of relief.

However, if they fail to deliver on Wednesday night, things will come down to Thursday to punch a ticket to Sunday. Regardless, Allgaier noted that he and the team are prepared either way to tackle whatever may come their way.

“Obviously if you can qualify in and you can make speed [Wednesday], it makes life a lot easier,” Allgaier said.

“But on the other side of that, I think the experience that I have, the experience that Greg has and my spotter Joey Meier, what he is able to do on top of the spotter stand. I mean, those are all things that I think that are very important. As a Chevrolet, we’ve got a lot of cars in the field that are Chevys and, you know, you cannot do this alone. There’s no way to superspeedway race by yourself. So, we’re hopeful that all plays into our favor, but we also know that this is arguably one of the toughest open fields of the last couple of years.

“And we picked a heck of a year to try to make this attempt. So, there’s a lot that goes into it.”

While the focus is on making the field, Allgaier explained that he has allowed his mind to wander toward Sunday and what the feeling would be like standing on the grid with everyone associated with JRM as they get set to make their first start in the Cup Series.

Since arriving at JRM in 2016, Allgaier has been with the team through all of the ups and downs, wins and losses, the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Fresh of his Xfinity Series championship last November, Sunday could very well be another monumental moment in the company’s history.

“I have, because I have the confidence in our program to know that we’re gonna be able to go do this now,” said Allgaier. “If we don’t, it’ll be really, really disappointing because when you allow yourself to kind of think about what the future could hold you sometimes make that pain even bigger and greater.

“That being said, you know, Dale and Chris, the excitement that they’ve already had, I can’t even imagine what Sunday would be like, right? It would be really, really special, but at the same time, I’m gonna do what I gotta do and go out there and race hard.

“My only goal is to make them proud. And sometimes making them proud doesn’t necessarily mean making the race. Making them proud means you left it all on the table. And when I walk out of here Thursday night, I’ll know that a hundred percent was given.

“And if I’m lucky enough to race in the Daytona 500 on Sunday, I’ll walk out of here Sunday night knowing that I’ve given a hundred percent. That’s all you can give.”