After years of anticipation, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s dream of entering the NASCAR Cup Series as a team owner is finally coming true in a few hours with JR Motorsports’ debut at “The Great American Race.” But as the engine roars to life, the number held for this momentous occasion signifies a strong ground to look into an interesting passion reason revealed by the insiders.

The proud team owner has entrusted Xfinity star Justin Allgaier to pilot the No. 40 Chevy Camaro. Given how NASCAR teams are very particular about the numbers of their race cars, the selection of #40 was a bit surprising on Dale Jr.’s part. But as it turns out, the #40 number is a part of the sponsorship deal that JRM is having with Chris Stapelton and his whisky brand. 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and JRM were committed to add value to their sponsor

The reason why it took so long for the JRM to enter the Cup Series was the financial requirement to pave the way into this. Time and again, Jr. had expressed his wish to enter Cup racing, but only if the idea made sense financially.“If I owned a charter and had one right now on this table, I would want to own it forever.” These were his thoughts last year. However, he could field a JRM car as an open entry for marquee races. And with country singer Chris Stapleton extending his support allowed Dale Jr. to finally take his team to Cup racing in 2025. Of course, they had their say when it came to choosing the number on the race car, and it aligns well with their new product. 

It became clear when Bob Pockrass reposted a fan’s simple question – “Any idea why they chose #40?” Pockrass followed up, revealing the answer: “Of the blends the whisky company had made to develop the brand, they chose the 40th blend. So they are using the number 40 for that.” And that’s where Chris Stapleton Whisky brand enters the picture. The country music star, the man behind the smooth taste of Traveller Blend No. 40, is sponsoring Justin Allgaier’s Chevy car for the Daytona 500. Stapleton, clearly eager to see his brand make a splash in NASCAR, expressed his interest to Rick Hendrick. That led to a key meeting between Stapleton and Dale Earnhardt Jr., a partnership that Stapleton himself sees as a natural fit. It’s a collaboration built on shared passions.

Sharing his thoughts on this collaboration Jr. stated, “It’s a connection to the blend No. 40 that Traveller’s utilizes in every bottle, so much like High Rock is 88 proof. There is a connection to the product, and I’ll be honest with you, I was indifferent… It’s Traveller’s first experience and allowing them to have a little skin in the game in terms of they were involved, they were very particular about the design of the car, and we all compromised a bit. Them having this number they identify with is I think, fair and important.”

As the moment approaches for Justin Allgaier to get behind the wheel of the orange and white Chevy, Dale Earnhardt Jr. is standing firm on his commitment to his long-awaited dream and on what he considers his responsibility as a team owner. Here’s a glimpse of it!

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Dale Jr. wants to be involved with the entire process ahead of the mega-event

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has made it clear that he intends to be involved in every small step of JR Motorsports’ inaugural Cup Series race. As Greg Ives, the team’s crew chief, has observed, Dale Jr. has been proactive from the start, visiting the shop, examining the car’s every detail, asking pertinent questions, and immersing himself in the process. Even Jr. couldn’t contain his excitement as he shared details about gearing up for the big event while speaking on Dale Jr. Download.

“Let’s talk about this on a very personal level, between you and me. I’ve reached out to the crew chief, ‘What’s the status.’ He’s like, ‘well, I’m already building the chassis.’ I’m like, ‘Alright, I want to come see that. I want to see this process come together,’ right? I’ve told Amy, ‘I want to be there, as soon as the car gets pushed out on pit road. I want to be there in the garage when they’re rolling it out of the hauler.’ Want to see it and want that for you [Kelley Earnhardt-Miller] too. I want to do those things with you. I’m really looking forward to that, regardless of the end result.”

He didn’t just say it; he meant it. As evidenced by Bob Pockrass’s recent tweet showing Jr.’s car being prepared in the garage at 6:00 AM, he was seen supervising every step of the process, the tweet caption read, “Dale Earnhardt Jr. watches the JR Motorsports car -its first Cup car -get unloaded and pushed into its garage this morning at Daytona. He had said he wanted to be there and watch. And that’s what he did.”

Given how successful JRM has been in the Xfinity Series, there’s pressure on Justin Allgaier’s shoulders to qualify for the Great American Race. If the driver does make it to the 40 or 41 driver field and delivers a solid result, who knows we might see more from JRM in the Cup Series.