Good things come with time, and this is truly proven with JR Motorsports. After successful NASCAR Xfinity Series seasons with drivers like Chase Elliott in 2014, William Byron, in 2017, and Tyler Reddick, in 2018, everyone expected a Cup entry from JRM. However, after their star driver wrapped the 2024 season with a championship, JRM was ready to launch Justin Allgaier at Daytona International Speedway as their debutant. Amidst all the pre-entry prep and announcement, Kelley Earnhardt Miller took a moment and shared a potent message that reflects the value of Earnhardt’s legacy in the NASCAR community.
Kelley Earnhardt, known for her strong commitments and guiding personality as the leading CEO of JR Motorsports, never misses a chance to express her bold opinions on her core beliefs. As the excitement uproars in the JRM house, her spirited words made it clear how NASCAR is purely their journey to cover.
What did Kelley Earnhardt remind everyone before their Cup Series debut?
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It was an old dream of Dale Earnhardt Jr. to progress JRM to the Busch team (Now Xfinity) and Cup team back in 2004. Kelley Earnhardt reposted a tweet from nascarman, that consisted of an interview between Dale Jr. and SPEEDTV.Com host, Dev Despain from 2004. In that interview, Dale Earnhardt Jr. said, ” I’m just kinda letting the JR Motorsports thing grow at its own pace… if it becomes a Busch team or Cup team, so be it.” 21 years later, they have conquered the Xfinity Series and now gearing up to enter the Cup.
Going ahead with the same pursuits, the JRM team revealed the white and orange-colored, No.40 Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet that will grace the Daytona International Speedway in a few weeks. However, another post aired from JRM is worth taking a look at.
JRM posted a picture tagging Kelley along with the Jr., as the picture displays the latest designed car at the forefront, then Kelley standing behind the bonnet as Jr. stands behind her. But the crux was in the text on the post that read, “WE’RE A FAMILY OF RACERS, THIS IS OUR LIFE. THIS IS OUR PASSION.” below it says, [ —KELLEY EARNHARDT-MILLER, CEO, JR MOTORSPORTS ]”. A strong message, highlighting the determination and drive JRM has to take part in NASCAR’s biggest race.
It was in the CUPSCENE.COM’s video on ‘JR Motorsports Daytona 500 Announcement Jan. 2025′, where the host asked Kelley what it means to her to be a part of this endeavor from Earnhardt’s side. To which she replied, “We’ve been talking about the opportunity to be in the Cup Series, and obviously, we’re a family of racers, this is our life, this is our passion, and so to be able to have a Cup entry at the Daytona 500, a place that’s really special to us, a place where the Earnhardts have a lot of history and a lot of success,” Kelley added further “Both my dad and dale, you know, it’s just really kind of full circle and you know a situation this is the perfect situation.”
The Daytona 500 is way more than just a competition. It’s a personal aspiration for the Earnhardt family to earn the wins at it. After the Earnhardt family lost their 7-time Cup series champ in pursuit of his second victory at the track in a crash in 2001, this has become emotionally attached to Dale Jr. The JRM co-owner claimed 2 renowned victories on the Florida race track in 2004 and 2014. In one of the interviews, Jr. also mentioned, “I wanted to continue to embrace it and continue to try to do good things there and add to Dad’s legacy and be proud of his legacy there.”
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Being the daughter of the NASCAR legend, Dale Earnhardt, Kelley is no different from his father and brother. She had spent most of her time watching races and going through race tracks. Even after Jr. stepped up in the racing and she took over the responsibilities of JRM as a general manager, had a big role to play off the raceways. Moreover, even she had a similar taste in racing.
In a 2010 interview with ESPN, Kelley’s cousin, Tony Eury Jr. shared, “She was very good at what she did,” he further added, “I raced her several times over at Tri-County (a short track in western North Carolina). We thought she probably had as much or more talent than any of them.” Kelley also said once, as per NASCAR’s 2016 news media, “When I raced, gosh, being a girl was really hard. I raced against, you know, 40- and 50-year-old men,” she said. “And some young ones, too, but not quite as young as they race against today in the Late Model Stock Series. But it was difficult.”
Like the mother, her daughter, Karsyn Elledge, began her journey with karting, and with time, she secured her first victory at Millbridge Speedway on April 19, 2018, and made her debut in Chili Bowl Nationals the next year. Racing truly seems like a family affair now for the Earnhardt family. Every step thrills JRM management as the debut nears. When one side of the happiness is extreme, jostling to qualify grabs the entire attention of Justin Allgaier’s performance. How much stress is he ready to take it?
How is Justin Allgaier preparing for the Daytona 500?
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Justin Allgaier last raced full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2015. Starting from 2009 as a part-time driver, he had a journeyman experience. But with years of experience with JRM since 2016, he proved his mettle in the Xfinity series in 2024 by finally clinching the title in his 7th attempt. This race is of utmost significance for the JRM and they have no doubts about Allgaier’s abilities.
Kelley expressed her confidence in Allgaier and told NASCAR.com “There’s nobody like Justin who knows our organization, who knows our needs, who can meet those needs and really deliver for this partner all year long… So it was just really the perfect storm. You know, you had a partner that was interested and excited and wanted to be at the Daytona 500 and you had a team in JRM with a driver like Justin who wants to be there.”
Justin will be piloting the No.40 Chevrolet and he said, “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.” He added, “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.” Country music star and 10x Grammy winner Chris Stapleton will be sponsoring the car. His whiskey brand ‘Traveller Whiskey’ and its Blend No.40 will be on the livery as it takes center stage at the ‘Great American Race’.
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However, Allgaier is well aware of the challenges he faces in qualifying for the event. “We have our work cut out for us, but at the same time, I think that’s what’s going to make this all the more fun… I think it’s going to be very difficult to qualify on time if I’m thinking about who’s there. You have Jimmie and Martin, both of which are extremely accomplished, very successful race car drivers. They’re going to be very difficult.” Allgaier is not wrong here. Other notable entries for the season-opener include 7-time Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and 2017 champion Martin Truex Jr. They will be driving for Legacy Motor Club and TRICON garage, respectively. Johnson is a two-time (2006 and 2013) Daytona 500 winner while Truex Jr. is still hunting for his first win.
The expectation will be there for Justin to qualify and get to race. But with the constant pressure also building, Justin has prepared himself for the monumental effort it will take. Well, it’s gonna be exhilarating to see the JRM’s No.40 running around the speedways with Kelley, Dale Jr and the team rallying them on. How excited are you for the 2025 Daytona 500? Do let us know!
