Dale Earnhardt Jr. explains why JR Motorsports selected car No. 40 in Daytona 500
JR Motorsports announced Wednesday that reigning Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier will attempt next month’s Daytona 500 piloting the No. 40 Chevrolet in partnership with 10-time Grammy Award-winning artist Chris Stapleton.
Stapleton’s whiskey label Traveller Whiskey will sponsor the JR Motorsports Chevrolet, and it marks the first time JR Motorsports has entered a car in a Cup Series race. As for the No. 40 and how a “car as smooth as Tennessee Whiskey” came to be, Earnhardt explained in detail on the “Dale Jr. Download” released Thursday.
“It’s a connection to the blend No. 40 that Traveller’s utilizes in every bottle, so much like High Rock is 88 proof,” Earnhardt said. “There is a connection to the product, and I’ll be honest with you, I was indifferent. In a lot of scenarios, I would have been very matter of fact or opinionated about a specific number, but this is a moment where we’re kind of diving into a very limited pool of opportunity in terms of what number you can run. This the Cup Series; They’re all pretty much spoken for.
“And I think too, it’s Justin and him coming off the championship and this feeling still like an extended celebration of that and it’s Traveller’s first experience and allowing them to have a little skin in the game in terms of they were involved, they were very particular about the design of the car, and we all compromised a bit. Them having this number they identify with is I think fair and important.”
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The deal came together when Stapleton reached out to Hendrick Motorsports owner Rick Hendrick about a collaboration with Traveller Whiskey. Hendrick put the “White Horse” singer in touch with Earnhardt, as he also has an ownership stake with JR Motorsports. Earnhardt, a two-time Daytona 500 champion, has long had a dream of entering the “Great American Race” as a car owner. Thanks to Hendrick and Stapleton, that dream will become a reality on Sunday, Feb. 16.
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JR Motorports is embarking on its 24th year of Xfinity competition. The team has won four Xfinity titles — 2014 (Chase Elliott), 2017 (William Byron), 2018 (Tyler Reddick) and 2024 (Allgaier). The Earnhardts have previously expressed interest in moving up to Cup, but Earnhardt said there’s been no discussions for other ventures beyond the Daytona 500.
Allgaier, 38, competed in both the 2014 and ’15 Daytona 500. He finished 27th in 2014 and 37th the following season. A regular for JR Motorsports in Xfinity since 2016, Allgaier has finished seventh or better in the points standings in 14th total full-time seasons in the series.
Allgaier finally captured his first Xfinity championship in 2024. He started last season’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte in place of Kyle Larson, who arrived late from the Indy 500. He earned a 13th-place finish after NASCAR called the race due to rain.
“This is an incredible honor to be driving JR Motorsports’ inaugural entry into the Cup Series,” 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.”