Justin Allgaier will attempt to make the field for the 2025 Daytona 500 in what will amount for the first-ever NASCAR Cup Series race attempt for JR Motorsports, a team co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kelley Earnhardt-Miller.
“We’ve been waiting for the right moment for JR Motorsports,” said Earnhardt Jr. in a press release. “With Justin winning the Xfinity Series championship and Chris Stapleton’s undeniable star power, the planets aligned for this perfect opportunity to enter this year’s Daytona 500.”
The news of Allgaier attempting the Daytona 500 with JR Motorsports was first broken by the Associated Press on Wednesday.
Allgaier, who will pilot the No. 40 Chevrolet, will have primary sponsorship from Traveller Whiskey, which is a collaborative blend of whiskey created by Buffalo Trace Distillery with Grammy Award-winning artist Chris Stapleton.
“Traveller Whiskey joining JR Motorsports for their inaugural entry into the Cup Series at the Daytona 500 feels like a very natural partnership,” said Stapleton. “I’m honored to be a part of this historic moment with Dale and Kelley, and excited to see Justin race the No. 40 Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet in Daytona.”
Allgaier is very appreciative of the opportunity to attempt to lock the JR Motorsports entry into a NASCAR Cup Series event.
“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,” 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.”
Greg Ives, a veteran NASCAR Cup Series crew chief, will serve as Allgaier’s crew chief.
JR Motorsports released a rendering of the paint scheme that Allgaier will utilize at Daytona International Speedway in February:
A native of Riverton, IL, Allgaier is coming off of his first-career NASCAR Xfinity Series championship, which he achieved with a runner-up finish in last season’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway. Allgaier, 38, is a 25-time race winner in NASCAR Xfinity Series competition and has made 82 starts in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Filling in for Kyle Larson, who missed the Coca-Cola 600 in favor of the rain-delayed Indianapolis 500 last year, Allgaier finished 13th in the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
While Allgaier will have the distinct honor of trying to be the first driver to ever secure a NASCAR Cup Series start for JR Motorsports, he’ll have to earn his way into the field as JR Motorsports will be one of several “Open” entries vying for the four open spots in the Daytona 500 field.
The 36 Chartered entries will be guaranteed a starting spot, which leaves just four spots to be claimed by an Open entry, and one additional spot for Helio Castroneves in the form of an Open Exemption Provisional should Castroneves and the No. 91 Trackhouse Racing team need to fall back on it.
