$300M NASCAR owner Dale Jr. authorizes Justin Allgaier to “mash the gas” and go full throttle at the 2025 Daytona 500

Dale Jr. gave the green light to Justin Allgaier to "mash the gas" in the Daytona 500. The team owner told his driver not to overlook fuel saving and hit the full throttle to gain positions in the season-opening race.

For the unversed, JR Motorsports, owned by the $300-million worth NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. (as per Celebrity Net Worth), is locked into the Daytona 500 after Allgaier finished ninth in the Duel 1. Allgaier drove the No. 40 Chevrolet Camaro in the team's debut in the Cup Series.

Speaking about the team strategy, Dale Jr. granted the No. 40 team the authority to put the pedal to the metal on Sunday.

"I am lobbying for the rest of the weekend with Greg Ives [No. 40 team crew chief] to let him [Justin Allgaier] mash the gas on Sunday. We're going to the front," the team owner stated.

While fuel saving is essential in superspeedway races like the Daytona 500, Dale Earnhardt Jr., a two-time winner of the "Great American Race", said he wouldn't mind losing by running out of gas.

"If we lose the Daytona 500, it'll be because of fuel mileage," Dale Jr. added.

Justin Allgaier chimed in and agreed on the strategy, saying:

"I think we would both be okay with that."

Dale Jr. concluded:

"I would rather lose the race because the cautions didn't fall perfectly than because I was sitting in 20th and it was time to go and I couldn't go."

Justin Allgaier is one of the four open car drivers to qualify for the Daytona 500. Helio Castroneves, meanwhile, had a DNF in the Duel 1 but would still compete in the race through a provisional spot from the Open Exemption Provisional (OEP).

As a result, the starting grid is expanded to 41 entries.

The 2025 Daytona 500 is scheduled for February 16. The start time has been adjusted to 1:30 p.m. ET (from 2:30 p.m.) to account for potential rain later in the day.

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Dale Jr. shared photo of when he asked Justin Allgaier to join JR Motorsports

Ahead of the historic Daytona 500 entry, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a photo with Justin Allgaier. In the photo, Dale Jr. asked Allgaier to race for his NASCAR Xfinity Series team, JR Motorsports.

The JR Motorsports team owner wrote on the social media platform:

"The moment I asked @J_Allgaier [Justin Allgaier] about coming to race for @JRMotorsports [JR Motorsports]."

Justin Allgaier has been driving for Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s team since the 2016 season, replacing Regan Smith in the No. 7 Chevrolet. Their most significant achievement was winning the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship, a first for the driver and fourth for the team.

JR Motorsports won the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship last year - Source: Imagn

Allgaier will return to the No. 7 Chevy for the 2025 season, starting on Saturday in the United Rentals 300 at Daytona. He will compete alongside young drivers Carson Kvapil (No. 1), Sammy Smith (No. 8), and Connor Zilisch (No. 88).