With an possession group that features Dale Earnhardt Jr. and sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller, JR Motorsports has been a staple within the NASCAR Xfinity Collection for practically 20 years. To-date, JRM has 4 driver’s titles, profitable in 2014 with Chase Elliott, 2017 with William Byron, 2018 with Tyler Reddick, and lastly, 2024 with Justin Allgaier.
2024 was Allgaier’s first Xfinity championship after 14 full-time seasons of competitors and now, he’ll get the prospect to tackle NASCAR’s crown jewel occasion as the newest introduced in a stacked open subject of drivers. The deal got here as a little bit of a shock to Allgaier, who did not count on to be provided the prospect to pilot JRM’s first ever Cup entry when he was introduced into the JRM workplace.
Justin Allgaier, JR Motorsports, BRANDT Chevrolet Camaro
Picture by: Danny Hansen / NKP / Motorsport Photographs
“It is a large alternative,” stated Allgaier in a Wednesday press convention. “I take plenty of strain on myself in that second to see this group compete on the grand scale of the Cup Collection. One thing that I’m stunned has by no means come to fruition earlier than this level.”
Allgaier went on to speak concerning the battle to make the five hundred with as much as 9 open entries probably preventing for the ultimate 4 spots on the grid, bearing on how he practically crumbled beneath the strain in final yr’s Xfinity title-decider earlier than making a outstanding comeback to safe the crown.
“Phoenix is a good instance of what to not do in these moments,” laughed Allgaier. “I feel one of many issues for me that has been extremely necessary — I feel your mindset must be to try to go qualify. That must be primary. That is the best method to do it as a result of then you’ll be able to race the Duels in a distinct capability. You possibly can permit your self to do some bit extra studying and a number of the issues which might be going to be keys for the race within the 500 … In case you do not qualify in and you must race your approach in by way of the Duels, I feel your mindset modifications. All of us perceive what can occur within the Duels … we have seen it time and time once more. I keep in mind watching final yr with Jimmie Johnson attempting to race his approach in and I keep in mind pondering to myself if you happen to have been in that place and you realize you are going to need to go for it, you must throw warning to the wind and attempt to see what you’ll be able to accomplish.”
A really succesful crew chief main the hassle
Allgaier shall be piloting the No. 40 JR Motorsports Chevrolet with veteran crew chief Greg Ives atop the pit field. Of notice, Ives has been the crew chief for eight Daytona 500s, placing his automotive on the entrance row an astonishing six occasions.
“I noticed what number of occasions he is certified a automotive on the entrance row at Daytona,” smirked Earnhardt Jr. when requested concerning the choice to usher in Ives. “It is like, ‘you bought any magic left Greg? Let’s go to the observe and see what we are able to do.’ However being an open automotive, there’s some challenges to see what we are able to do to get into the sector. It will not be straightforward. There’s some very robust competitors. I used to be assured that Greg understood higher than anyone the issues we’d all want to collect into place to go there with one of the best alternative we may. And me and him are simply actually nice mates and I belief him wholeheartedly. And I do not suppose he’ll be too irritated with me standing over his shoulder all through the entire course of, asking him every kind of foolish questions.”
Backing from a rustic music legend
The automotive comes with sponsorship from singer Chris Stapleton’s Traveller Whiskey model. Stapleton was current for the announcement, saying that it hasn’t totally sunk in but as he embarks on this new journey.
“I used to be pondering, what’s the coolest factor we may do with the whiskey model,” defined Stapleton. “Properly possibly we must always put it on a race automotive and I occur to know Rick Hendrick [owner, Hendrick Motorsports]. Rick hooked me up with Dale and this chance got here up and I believed we received to try this. I went and talked to my companions and stated ‘hey, we received to make this occur. Let’s make this occur.’ They usually agreed. That is the absolute best approach we may introduce our model to the followers of the game and past that, it is simply tremendous cool to see it on the automotive. Selfishly, that is one of many issues I wished out of it essentially the most. Simply to see this factor occur and now, actuality is setting in. Like oh, we’re getting into a automotive into the Daytona 500. It will be plenty of enjoyable. I am excited to see what occurs … the entire expertise of it.”
Allgaier has two earlier begins within the Daytona 500, working the occasion in 2014 and 2015. He has 82 whole Cup begins whole, however his most up-to-date look got here in final yr’s Coca-Cola 600, subbing for Kyle Larson within the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet whereas he was competing within the the Indy 500.
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On this article
Nick DeGroot
NASCAR Cup
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Justin Allgaier
JR Motorsports
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