“I just can’t believe it.” A truly cheerful moment for Dale Earnhardt Jr. that is enough to be over the moon as JR Motorsports has made it to the Sunday race. The Daytona International Speedway has always been close to the heart of Dale Jr. But, the tragic demise of his father, Dale Sr during the 2001 Daytona 500 etched a few hurtful memories for the entire family. This incident could’ve easily distanced him from the track forever, but rather he chose to embrace the track and is still creating fond memories for the Earnhardt family.

This was evident from the outburst of emotions when JR Motorsports first ever entry, the No. 40 Chevy cleared the Duels and made it to the Daytona 500. Justin Allgaier knew what was at stake and he was committed to delivering the goods for Dale Jr. and Kelley Earnhardt. As the dust settled, the team owners and the drivers the feeling of the great achievement finally sank in. And, Dale Jr. reflected on how special the racetrack has been for his family despite the turbulent times they had been through back in 2001.

Jr.’s positive pursuit inspired by Dale Earnhardt 

The 2001 Daytona race was nothing less than a nightmare; where Dale Sr. battled to defend his son and good friend Michael Waltrip. In a desperate attempt to fend off the late aggressors, Dale Sr. got tangled in a crash with Sterling Marlin and ended up hitting the wall on the last lap. Jr. has bittersweet memories from the 2001 race as he finished runner-up but also had to deal with the jolt of his father’s death. This incident alone could’ve impacted how Jr. felt about the racetrack, but he clearly is not holding onto the past events.

Sharing his true feelings about the Daytona International Speedway, Jr. said, “Daddy loved Daytona…Loved winning here. Just loved to win any race here. He loved to add to that number whatever it was (34 total). Gosh, I loved coming here as a kid. Just a lot of great memories. So when he passed away, I had to make a decision, I had a career in front of me and I was coming back multiple times. I had to figure out a way to be OK with it.”

Dale Jr. dedicated his Daytona 500 win to his dad back in 2004. Over time, he realized there was nothing to blame on the track; instead, he picked up where his dad left off and carried on his legacy. As noted in Jeff Cluck’s X post, he said, “I knew it wasn’t the track that took him, and I knew wherever he was, he still felt the same about Daytona. So, I’ve embraced it. Him losing his life in this property brought this property closer to me. That doesn’t work the same with other people and tragedy, but for me, knowing I had to keep coming here, I made some peace with it, embraced the track and loved it.”

Jr. who has bagged the Daytona 500 victory twice, first expressed his interest in getting into the Cup Series as a car owner again in 2004 in an interview on the SPEED TV. But it took him over decades to mark this milestone for JR Motorsports. But his long determination kicked off with the sponsorship backing from the 11-time Grammy award winner, Chris Stapleton. He will be present on Sunday to see his Traveller Whiskey Blend No. 40 being represented with the hopes of a positive result.

No. 40 Chevy qualifying for the Daytona 500 has for sure brought energy and optimism to the JRM camp .“In our DNA is to earn it, and that’s how we were brought up with Dad. I think everything that we do, you put that hard work in, and it feels better to earn your success,” Kelley Earnhardt Miller shared further. However, Allgaier had to dig deep during the Duels and he had to keep his focus at a time when team owner Dale Jr. was feeling the nerves.

Justin Allgaier decades later in the NASCAR Cup Series race

The moment last year’s Xfinity Series Champion was about to make his way to the qualifying, Jr. was seen clenching his left fingers tightly and waiting for the moment that things go smoothly for the No.40. And when he finally made it, he wasted no second and celebrated with hugs and appreciation to his team alongside with his sister Kelly Earnhardt Miller. After failing to qualify through the timed laps, Allgaier knew he was up against the task in the Duel to advance to the main event. And before he sealed JRM’s fate with the Daytona 500 entry in the Duel, the tension was palpable in the team camp.

“[Dale Jr.] lip was quivering and his hands were shaking before the race. I’ve never seen that from Dale Jr. He told me before the race, ‘Man, I’m nervous, I don’t want to make you nervous, but I’m really nervous. This means a lot to our little team at JR Motorsports.” Justin Allgaier further expressed, “I don’t know why this feels different, why this is more emotional, why this is more pressure and stress…I mean, I think for me, I just don’t want to let Dale down. I don’t want to let Kelley down. I don’t want to let our fans down. Chris Stapleton has been extremely excited about this project with Traveller Whiskey. He’s coming on Sunday, hopefully, and I didn’t want to him to show up and not have a car in the field, right? That’d be pretty weird.”

Allgaier came in with the clutch, after all, knew what was on the line and how big of a deal it was for JRM to compete at the Daytona 500. If the No. 40 team exceeds expectations and brings home a top 5 finish, we just might see more Cup races featuring JRM Chevy in 2025.