JR Motorsports to Attempt NASCAR Cup Debut with Allgaier in Daytona 500

Nov 9, 2024; Avondale, Arizona, USA; NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Justin Allgaier (7) during the Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Nov 9, 2024; Avondale, Arizona, USA; NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Justin Allgaier (7) during the Championship race at Phoenix Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

JR Motorsports will officially attempt to make its maiden start in the NASCAR Cup Series as the team announced on Wednesday afternoon that it will field an entry for the season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway with defending NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier as the driver.

Accoriding to Dale Earnhardt Jr., the team's co-owner, the planets finally aligned for his team to attempt a NASCAR Cup Series event.

“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.”

The Associated Press was the first to break the story.

Allgaier will pilot the No. 40 Chevrolet, and will have primary sponsorship from Traveller Whiskey, which is a brand collaboration between Buffalo Trace Distillery and 10-time Grammy Award-Winning artist Chris Stapleton.

“Traveller Whiskey joining JR Motorsports for their inaugural entry into the Cup Series at the Daytona 500 feels like a very natural partnership,” said Stapleton. “I’m honored to be a part of this historic moment with Dale and Kelley, and excited to see Justin race the No. 40 Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet in Daytona.”

Greg Ives, a longtime crew chief in NASCAR, will serve as the crew chief for the team at Daytona. At this time, JR Motorsports doesn't have any other NASCAR Cup Series starts planned for the 2025 season. JR Motorsports is a race team co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his sister Kelley Earnhardt-Miller.

Allgaier, who has 82 NASCAR Cup Series starts to his name, has yet to reach victory lane in NASCAR's premier division. But before he can chase a victory in The Great American Race, he'll have to first find a way to lock himself into the field. But regardless how it turns out, Allgaier is humbled to have been selected as the driver for JR Motorsports' first Cup Series attempt.

“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.”

The 36 Chartered entries will have guaranteed starting spots in the Daytona 500 field, which will leave just four "Open" slots for JR Motorsports and the other teams looking to make the field to obtain. Helio Castroneves will also be guaranteed a 41st starting spot by way of a new "Open Exemption Provisional" if he and his No. 91 Trackhouse Racing team need to fall back on it.

There is no such luxury for Allgaier and JR Motorsports, who will look to clock their way into the field during Daytona 500 qualifying (the two fastest "Open" entries guarantee their spot in the field). If they fail to lock in during qualifying, they'll revert to the Duel Qualifying Races, where they'll attempt to secure the first-ever NASCAR Cup Series start for the JR Motorsports team.

While he has yet to reach victory lane in the NASCAR Cup Series, the 38-year-old Allgaier is no stranger to victory lane. The native of Riverton, IL has racked up 25 wins in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and he finally snatched his first series championship with a runner-up effort in last November's NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway.

Allgaier made one NASCAR Cup Series start a season ago as he filled in for Kyle Larson in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Larson missed the race due to a weather delay at the Indianapolis 500, which Larson was competing in for the first time in his career. After starting at the rear of the field, Allgaier competed admirably on his way to a 13th-place finish in the weather-shortened Coca-Cola 600.


Published |Modified
Toby Christie
TOBY CHRISTIE

Toby Christie is the Editor-in-Chief of Racing America. He has 15 years of experience as a motorsports journalist and has been with Racing America since 2023.