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It was always going to be Justin Allgaier. When Dale Jr. realized that competing in the Daytona 500 could be a realistic possibility, the 50-year-old had only one driver in mind for JR Motorsports’ Cup Series debut. Allgaier, who won the Xfinity Series championship in 2024 has been chosen as a ‘continuation’ of his title win celebrations, as well as his Cup Series experience after making 82 appearances at the highest level.

With the stakes higher than ever, plenty of thought went behind who will compete in the No. 40 Chevy for the team co-owned by Dale Jr. and Kelly Earnhardt, as well as Rick Hendrick. The brother-sister duo explained their decision to pick Allgaier in the latest iteration of the Dale Jr. Download podcast.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has faith in Justin Allgaier

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It’s a monumental occasion. JR Motorsports will be fielding a Cup Series entry for the first time in the team’s history, with Justin Allgaier attempting to compete in the 67th iteration of the Daytona 500 when the season begins on February 16th. The team will be partnering with 10-time Grammy Award-winning musician Chris Stapleton, with his company Traveller Whiskey sponsoring the No. 40 Chevy and Greg Ives serving as crew chief. It has been more than a decade since the ‘Earnhardt’ name has backed a Cup Series car, and Dale Jr. and his sister Kelly needed to some crucial decisions right before the qualifying began.

Sharing some behind-the-scenes information about the selecting process, Kelly Earnhardt-Miller chimed in and revealed, “We really exhausted a list which Justin was part of the list… We kept coming back to the fact that… we need to perform you know, no doubt about it… but we need this to be successful all the way around.” With Justin Allgaier, JR Motorsports’ hierarchy is assured that they get a solid driver both on and off the track, who will represent the team and its sponsors while checking all the boxes.

Sharing his thoughts on the decision, Dale Earnhardt Jr. said on his podcast, “We’re going to the Daytona 500, you want a driver obviously that can go out and do a good job and he’s very capable, but I think in our situation it’s never been more paramount or more important that the job the driver does outside the car has to be done well because this is a one-shot for Traveler right? They need a great experience… It wasn’t as simple as ‘Hey, who do we think can win the Daytona 500?’.” Securing a sponsor for a car to drive at the Daytona 500 is a huge deal and therefore selecting the driver to pilot it cannot be glossed over. Allgaier will be doing more than just driving a car with Traveler Whiskey as a livery, he will be representing that brand as a person off the track and Dale Jr. feels he was the perfect choice.

 

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Is Justin Allgaier the right choice for JR Motorsports' historic Cup Series debut at Daytona?

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Not only will Allgaier be required to qualify for the race, which will be a challenging situation, but he will also be representing Stapleton’s brand ‘Traveller Whiskey’. With just four spots open for open-category competitors, the 38-year-old will need to put his best foot forward to qualify for ‘The Great American Race’. The sponsors will also have a set of requirements from the driver, whether it’s in the form of interviews or other promotional material. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his sister Kelly Earnhardt have faith in Allgaier in what could be the biggest race in JR Motorsports’ history.

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Allgaier expresses gratitude for the unique opportunity

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s dream might finally come true. The two-time Daytona 500 winner has been wanting to see JR Motorsports in the Cup Series for years, but expensive charters have been a recurring stumbling block for the team. However, the 2025 season-opener presents a realistic possibility to make that dream a reality, even though Justin Allgaier has an uphill task on his hands. The competition will be tough, with as many as eight teams vying for a spot in the open category. However, the North Carolina native has experience in his arsenal, having made two appearances in ‘The Great American Race’ for HScott Motorsports in 2014 and 2015.

Sharing his thoughts about the prospect of competing in a one-off Cup Series event, Justin Allgaier said, “It’s been really special. To be at an organization like this and to be able to make a team debut at the Daytona 500, that’s special. Obviously, we have to qualify our way in. We have a lot of work to do. It’s going to be difficult. But there wouldn’t be anybody that I’d rather tackle this opportunity with than Dale [Earnhardt Jr.] and Kelley [Earnhardt Miller] and LW [Miller, JRM director] and everybody at the race shop.”

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It seems like the JR Motorsports hierarchy also has immense faith in Allgaier, with Kelly Earnhardt-Miller saying, “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.” The veteran lifted his team’s fourth Xfinity Series triumph at Phoenix Raceway last year, a long-awaited triumph for the 38-year-old, who had made seven Championship 4 appearances. Will he be able to live up to the expectations that Dale Earnhardt Jr. has from the racer? Time will tell.

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Is Justin Allgaier the right choice for JR Motorsports' historic Cup Series debut at Daytona?

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