“The Great American Race” is only 32 days ahead of us. And within such short notice, it’s common for teams to start announcing last-minute entries into the Daytona 500. Since yesterday there has been quite a lot of hype around the debut of Dale Earnhardt Jr’s JR Motorsports in the Cup Series. Both Kelly Earnhardt and Dale Jr had notified a major announcement today which left everyone speculating – be it the return of Martin Truex Jr or the debut for Daniel Ricciardo, it was a rumor fest.

But finally, the true story has come forth in which we will be seeing a NASCAR champion getting behind the wheels for JRM all thanks to Rick Hendrick and his friendship with a 10x Grammy winner.

Justin Allgaier marches forward Dale Earnhardt Jr’s JRM into Daytona

The Associated Press broke the news which was confirmed by Adam Stern on Twitter. His tweet read: “JR Motorsports enters Justin Allgaier into Daytona 500 in partnership with Chris Stapleton” confirming the debut for JRM in the Cup Series along with NASCAR’s reigning Xfinity Winner Justin Allgaier. The tweet also confirmed JRM’s partnership with the famous whiskey brand of famous musician and songwriter Chris Stapleton.

Justin Allgaier, the reigning Xfinity Series champion, will pilot the JRM Chevrolet, sponsored by Traveller Whiskey, the acclaimed brand created by 10-time Grammy Award-winning artist Chris Stapleton. This unexpected collaboration came about through the influence of Rick Hendrick, a close friend of both Earnhardt and Stapleton.

All the credit for this sponsorship goes to Dale Earnhardt Jr‘s business partner Rick Hendrick who introduced Stapleton to Dale Jr, and now this mere introduction had budded into a business partnership as said by Stapleton himself: “We had this whiskey and I always have ”pie in the sky” dreams of things to do and we knocked on the door a little bit… If I’m being 100% honest, I just thought it would be cool to see whiskey on a car. And he brought up Dale Jr. and I was like ‘Why wouldn’t we do that if we can?’ This is a lot of my audience, for both whiskey and country music, and what (Earnhardt) does in auto racing.” Stapleton told AP.

A high stakes debut for Dale Jr’s JRM

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For Dale Earnhardt Jr., this represents a long-held dream. “I shared with Rick that for a very long time that I had a dream, at one time in my life, of entering the Daytona 500 as a car owner,” he told AP. “Rick presented the opportunity to connect with Chris and his team, they were interested in marketing in our sport, and Rick knew that I was wanting to fulfill this opportunity. It was like two people that wanted the same thing.”

JRM, known for its dominance in the Xfinity Series with drivers like Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Tyler Reddick, has never before attempted a Cup Series race. While the focus is on qualifying for the Daytona 500, Earnhardt acknowledges the pressure. “I have warned them [the team] that my sister and I will be hovering from the moment the car is unloaded at Daytona Beach International Speedway through every mile it turns on the track,” he stated. Matt Weaver confirmed that Justin was Dale Jr’s pick because it’s an extension of their championship but that he was also the best pick for Chris Stapleton’s Traveller Whiskey.

Allgaier, a seasoned driver with previous Cup Series experience, is eager to take on the challenge. “This is an incredible honor to be driving JR Motorsports’ inaugural entry into the Cup Series,” 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 Daytona 500 is shaping up to be an unforgettable event, and the unexpected entry of JR Motorsports adds a new layer of excitement to the “Great American Race.”