Justin Allgaier has the chance to make history. The reigning Xfinity Series champion will be attempting to compete at the 2025 Daytona 500, which will be JR Motorsports’ debut race in NASCAR’s premier series. Few drivers deserve the opportunity more than the 38-year-old, who has shown great consistency at Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team for almost a decade. The Illinois native knows what it takes to compete in the season-opener, having made two appearances at ‘The Great American Race’ so far with HScott Motorsports, but didn’t manage a top-25 finish on either occasion.

However, Allgaier spiraled before being told about his one-off Cup Series appearance. The racing driver recounted the experience in a candid interview, highlighting the range of emotions he went through during the conversation with JR Motorsports’ hierarchy.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s driver receives a surprise

It’s an opportunity he won’t be taking for granted. Justin Allgaier finished 2024 on a high after winning the coveted Xfinity Series championship for the first time in his career. However, it seems like the new year has potentially started on an even more special note, as the veteran racer will be driving JR Motorsports’ No. 40 Chevy in their debut Cup Series attempt at Daytona International Speedway. It’s a historic moment for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team and potentially the first of many more appearances at NASCAR’s highest level.

However, Allgaier went through a great deal of anxiety before being told about his Cup Series participation. Recounting the experience, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s champ said, “Obviously, we won the championship so there is a lot going on. On a random afternoon, I get a phone call like, ‘Hey, can you come up to Kelley’s office’. It was Kelley, L.W, and Dale, and few of the management folks from Junior Motorsports. They all had this somber look on their face, I was like, ‘Oh man, what did I do wrong? Did I say something wrong?’ I don’t know.”

However, the veteran racer’s mind was at ease when Dale Earnhardt Jr. and co. explained the team’s Cup Series plans, having already bought a car as well as a sponsor being onboarded for the Daytona 500. Justin Allgaier didn’t get the hint, despite the mountain of evidence leading up to the big announcement and the racer said, “For some reason in my little brain, I kept thinking that they were just informing me of the plans of what Junior Motorsports was doing before they announced it.”

Ultimately, the Illinois native was told that he would be the one driving the Cup Series car, making the driver go from feeling anxious and puzzled to experiencing pure joy. However, Justin Allgaier has a big challenge ahead of him, as he will need to qualify in one of the four ‘open’ spots for the Daytona 500. The experienced racer can take solace in the fact that Greg Ives will be atop the pit box, as the crew chief has plenty of experience in helping his drivers qualify for the season opener at Hendrick Motorsports. Ives was the race engineer at HMS for Jimmie Johnson’s team when they won five consecutive championships and that’s just the first half of his resume.

After moving to JR Motorsports in 2012, Ives worked and won with some of the best racers of the modern era. He took a 19-year-old Chase Elliott to the Xfinity Series title in his rookie season, becoming the first driver to ever accomplish that feat. That was also JR Motorsports’ first Xfinity championship. So Ives clearly has experience in notching up firsts and with Allgaier, he will look to notch up a win in JRM’s first-ever Daytona 500 appearance. However, Allgaier is wary of the competition for the four open spots.

Allgaier is not underestimating the challenge ahead of him

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It’s not going to be easy. The Daytona 500 is one of the most prestigious NASCAR races, which means competition will be high to compete in the season-opener. As many as eight teams are expected to challenge for the four ‘open’ spots in the crown jewel race, with drivers such as Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson also expected to try their luck. Given the circumstances, the pressure will be high on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team, especially because JR Motorsports has more expectations to live up to compared to others.

Revealing the emotions that Allgaier experienced after being told about the opportunity, the driver candidly said, “I had a big smile on my face, obviously, they got a big smile on their faces. It was a really really cool moment. I’m super excited about the opportunity. Also knowing that there are a lot of really good cars at the Daytona 500 this year in the open side of things. It’s not going to be easy. We have our work cut out for us. How do we go to Daytona and put on the best show that we can and obviously try to qualify for the Daytona 500?”

Allgaier made one Cup Series appearance last year, driving for Hendrick Motorsports No. 5 Chevy at the Coca-Cola 600 in Kyle Larson’s absence, who was attempting the ‘double’. Despite the poor weather, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s driver finished the race 13th, his best result since 2016. While it might be a fairytale result if he does manage to secure a win at Daytona International Speedway, Justin Allgaier’s name will remain etched in JR Motorsports’ history as being part of their first Cup Series attempt, irrespective of the result.