JR Motorsports unveils Chris Stapleton sponsored paint scheme for Justin Allgaier's Daytona 500 run

JR Motorsports announced Wednesday that it has entered reigning Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier into next month’s Daytona 500.

Shortly after Jenna Fryer of The Associated Press broke the news, JR Motorsports unveiled the No. 40 Chevrolet Allgaier will pilot. Allgaier’s attempt to make the field is in partnership with 10-time Grammy Award-winning artist Chris Stapleton, whose whiskey label Traveller Whiskey sponsors the JR Motorsports Chevrolet.

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

Stapleton played a significant role in the design of the racecar.

“I’m a bit of a retro guy, I like things that are kind of a throwback,” Stapleton told Fryer. “So I was looking for a little bit of that flavor in the car, but also something that really blended JR Motorsports and Traveller Whiskey. It had to look like both of those things and I think we achieved it.”

How the JR Motorsports, Justin Allgaier Daytona 500 deal came together

The deal for JR Motorsports to enter a car in a Cup Series race for the first time 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.

“I shared with Rick that for a very long time that I had a dream, at one time in my life, of entering the Daytona 500 as a car owner,” Earnhardt said. “Rick presented the opportunity to connect with Chris and his team, they were interested in marketing in our sport, and Rick knew that I was wanting to fulfill this opportunity. It was like two people that wanted the same thing.”

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.