JR Motorsports and Justin Allgaier will attempt to make the 2025 Daytona 500. Allgaier will race the #40 Chevrolet with sponsorship from Chris Stapleton’s Traveller Whiskey. Greg Ives will be the crew chief.
See y’all in Daytona. pic.twitter.com/iCvILhtw1W
— JR Motorsports (@JRMotorsports) January 15, 2025
JR Motorsports and Justin Allgaier will attempt the 2025 Daytona 500
In an exciting and somewhat unexpected announcement, JR Motorsports, their 2024 Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier, and support from country musician Chris Stapleton’s whiskey brand Traveller. Veteran crew chief Greg Ives will be the crew chief of the car. The #40 will be used and is a reference to the blend of the whiskey.
A look at the JR Motorsports No. 40 Cup car for Justin Allgaier. The number corresponds with the whiskey blend. pic.twitter.com/vlELfuJyHR
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) January 15, 2025
Chris Stapleton is a 10-time Grammy Award winning country musician. In the press release Stapleton said “Traveller Whiskey joining JR Motorsports for their inaugural entry into the Cup Series at the DAYTONA 500 feels like a very natural partnership. 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.”
Dale Earnhardt Junior also said in the press release, “We’ve been waiting for the right moment for JR Motorsports, 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.”
About the Entry:
Allgaier is a veteran of the NASCAR garage. He began his career with Team Penske in the Xfinity Series, earning three wins. He ran the full Cup season in 2014 and 2015, with HScott Motorsports. In 2016, he would find his home at JR Motorsports, with partner Brandt. Since arriving at JRM, he has scored 22 victories and the 2024 Championship.
Greg Ives is a veteran of JRM and Hendrick Motorsports. He won the Xfinity Championship with Chase Elliott in 2014 and was crew chief for Earnhardt Jr in the Cup Series. He would crew chief for Alex Bowman from 2018 to 2022. Now he is the part part-time crew chief on the Hendrick #17 Xfinity entry.
Dale Earnhardt Jr’s JR Motorsports have long been teetering on Cup Series racing. Junior has long discussed that he wants to go Cup Series racing, but the charter prices are too much for him. That is what makes this unexpected. According to Jenna Fryer, Stapleton reached out to Rick Hendrick, who put him in touch with Junior.
Dale Earnhardt Junior has won this race twice, first in 2004 and then again in 2014 for Rick Hendrick.
Both Earnhardt Jr. and his sister Kelly Earnhardt-Miller have said that they have no plans besides the Daytona 500 for additional races in the Cup Series.
READ MORE: Championship Glory For Justin Allgaier, But How Much Does He Have Left?
Can Allgaier and JRM make the field?
With backing from Hendrick Motorsports, who have earned the pole position for eight of the last ten Daytona 500s, it is without a question that this entry will have the speed. Allgaier has two Daytona 500 starts in his career. But with the large amount of open cars running this year; a Martin Truex ride is still yet to be announce, and Jimmie Johnson is rumored and more yet to be announced, is someone going to be left out? Or will a wreck in the duels end someone’s weekend early?
A Hendrick engine is a huge help to get you into the show, but what are the other guys going to show up with?
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