Dale Jr. tells sister Kelley Earnhardt what he “personally hopes” for JR Motorsports’ future

JR Motorsports is just a month away from its debut in the 2025 Daytona 500. On that note, team co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. appeared in a recent episode of his NASCAR podcast and revealed his feelings ahead of his team’s upcoming bid for the “Great American Race.”

Justin Allgaier, who drives the No. 7 full-time for Dale Jr’s Xfinity Series team, will pilot the No. 40 entry this time, under the banner of JR Motorsports with a primary sponsorship from Traveller Whiskey. Allgaier has made appearances in the Crown Jewel race twice before.

Dale Jr. isn’t nervous about it either. He hopes that this race translates into more opportunities at the Cup level for JR Motorsports. During a recent episode of the Dale Jr. Download. Dale Earnhardt Jr. told his sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller,

“We're in a position where we can't go down. We're starting at the bottom, I personally hope that this is the start of more opportunities for us to compete at the Cup level.”

Dale Jr. continued,

“Should it be a situation where it's very challenging, it would only motivate us to continue to go back. When we don't entirely succeed at something, we retool and try again.”

Dale Jr. himself is a two-time Daytona 500 winner, with the most recent one coming in 2014. This victory also broke a 55-race winless streak for the Hall of Famer. Last year, Hendrick Motorsport ace Chase Elliott paid tribute to Dale Jr.‘s triumph with his No. 9 UniFirst Chevy Camaro at Darlington Raceway.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. joins forces with Grammy-winning songwriter for their upcoming Daytona venture

The opportunity to run the Daytona 500 this year came quite unexpectedly to Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his team. Chris Stapleton, a 10-time Grammy-winning singer and songwriter, approached them with a sponsorship for the famed 500-miler and Dale Jr. instantly knew that this was exactly what his team needed.

“We’ve been waiting for the right moment for JR Motorsports,” said Earnhardt Jr. “With Justin winning the Xfinity Series championship and Chris Stapleton’s undeniable star power, the planets aligned for this perfect opportunity to enter this year’s Daytona 500.”

For Stapleton, it is a matter of honor. He said,

“Traveller Whiskey joining JR Motorsports for their inaugural entry into the Cup Series at the DAYTONA 500 feels like a very natural partnership, said Stapleton (via JR Motorsports). "I’m honored to be a part of this historic moment with Dale and Kelley, and excited to see Justin race the No. 40 Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet in Daytona.”

Fans can watch the race scheduled for Sunday, February 16 live on FOX from 2:30 pm ET onwards. Besides that, radio updates will be available on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.