Dale Earnhardt Jr., sister Kelley explain origin of Daytona 500 entry with Chris Stapleton

JR Motorsports announced this past Wednesday that reigning Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier will attempt next month’s Daytona 500.

Allgaier will pilot 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. Speaking on “The Dale Jr. Download,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his sister, Kelley Earnhardt, explained how the deal came to be.

“An opportunity came knocking which was Traveller Whiskey. Which Chris Stapleton is a part owner of that of that venture,” Kelley Earnhardt said. “I’m sure fans have noticed they’ve done some things around the races, advertising and what not. And so, they wanted to make a pretty big splash and wanted to be in the Daytona 500. We were lucky enough to give them an awesome plan on partnering with JR Motorsports. And here we are ready to make it happen.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. described Stapleton as “very involved” in the process, from the paint scheme to branding.

“This was a long process, one that I watched from my perspective not being in the office every single day from nine to five seeing all of the details, the back-and-forth, the conversation with Traveller,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. “But Chris is very involved. He’s been very involved with design of the paint scheme, the branding and all the things you would hope in terms of a partner in engagement and curiosity. He’s checking all boxes. So, that’s been really one of the nice things about this.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. explains reasoning for picking Justin Allgaier to run Daytona 500 for JR Motorsports

At some point throughout the discussions with Traveller Whiskey, JR Motorsports needed to pick a driver. They landed on Allgaier, not just for performance reasons, but for everything he brings off the racetrack.

“We are going to have Justin Allgaier drive the car. And I think when we sat down and really thought about it, one of the things that I appreciate about Justin is not only is he fast and not only has he helped us have a lot of success here at JR Motorsports, but his professionalism off the racetrack with our partners,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. “He does a great job with his crew, engaging with his team, keeps a pretty solid attitude outside the car and inside the car. So, if you’re going to go 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 that the job the driver does outside the car has to be done well because this is a one shot for Traveller. They need a great experience. They’re not just looking for performance on the racetrack. They need a lot of things to happen. And they’re a lot of things they want to accomplish that won’t happen on the racetrack. Justin is a guy that can really help us get to that mark. It wasn’t as simple as, ‘Who do we think can win 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.