Livescore
Initially, it was one of those “what if” stories that promised to garner excitement among fans of NASCAR’s elite Cup Series. As of Jan. 15, a potential idea that’s been in the works became reality.
JR Motorsports announced through a press release that NASCAR Hall of Famer and two-time DAYTONA 500 winner Dale Earnhardt Jr., along with 10-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and musician Chris Stapleton, will field the inaugural entry for JRM in the 2025 running of the DAYTONA 500.
The driver for the one-race venture is 2024 Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier, a longtime driver for Earnhardt Jr. and sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller. In partnership with Buffalo Trace Distillery, JRM will field a No. 40 Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet, inspired by their Blend No. 40.
“We’ve been waiting for the right moment for JR Motorsports,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “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.”
Stapleton added his thoughts in a company release by saying in part, “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 a five-time NASCAR Xfinity Series Most Popular Driver voted by fans of the series. Allgaier is the all-time NXS series leader in top-10 finishes, and JRM’s all-time leader in wins. Additionally, he is a previous competitor in NASCAR’s prestigious Cup Series, having raced there full-time in 2014 and 2015. Allgaier’s most recent start at the Cup level came during the 2024 season when he drove for Hendrick Motorsports and 2021 Cup Series Champion Kyle Larson at Charlotte Motor Speedway, finishing 13th in the 600-mile 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 makes this even more special,” Allgaier said. “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 2025 Daytona 500 will be the first time that Earnhardt Jr. and Kelley Earnhardt Miller have entered a race in the Cup Series as team-owners. Under their leadership in the NXS, JRM has collected 88 wins and four championships with drivers Chase Elliott, William Byron, Tyler Reddick and most recently with Allgaier.
Allgaier and JR Motorsports will attempt to qualify for the 500 beginning on Wednesday, Feb.12, at 8 p.m. Allgaier must also enter one of two 150-mile qualifying races set for Feb. 13, at 7 p.m., followed by NASCAR’s most prestigious race on Sunday, Feb. 15, at 2:30 p.m.
The Illinois native will have to qualify for the Daytona 500 through speed in time trials. A pole position win or outside front-row start would seal his starting spot or he could make the field by posting a strong finish in one of the qualifying races. The Chevrolet Camaro entered will be equipped with Hendrick Motorsports engines for practice sessions, qualifying efforts and the 500.
“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,” Allgaier said. “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.”
Earnhardt Miller has been working hard to help put together a potential Cup Series entry dating back to last season. When Stapleton contacted Rick Hendrick, a close friend that shares a deep love for music and guitars, about the possible Cup Series entry, the pieces of the puzzle fell into place and the Earnhardts saw their dream come to fruition.
“It was a conversation that Chris and Mr. [Rick] Hendrick were having,” Earnhardt-Miller told NASCAR.com regarding the partnership with Stapleton. “And of course, Mr. Hendrick knows what we’ve talked about over the last several years about wanting to potentially Cup race. So, he passed the opportunity over to us and told us to take the reins and see what we could do with it. So, we were able to land it and put it together.
“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. 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.”
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chris Stapleton team up for Daytona 500 entry
Read the full article here
Discussion about this post