“He’s totally into this deal”: Dale Earnhardt Jr. sings praises of $25M worth Grammy winner’s passion for JRM’s Daytona 500 debut

Former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. partnered with 10-time-Grammy award-winning singer Chris Stapleton to field JR Motorsports' debut entry in the NASCAR Cup Series at the 67th running of the Daytona 500. Earnhardt Jr. was full of praise for fellow JRM partners as he shared a post on social media platform X on February 16, 2025.

“The man @ChrisStapleton has not left the pit box today when the race has been green. He's totally into this deal. It's been fun. He was very involved from day one. Design of car and all,” read the post uploaded by Dale Earnhardt Jr.

JR Motorsports announced its entry for the 2025 Daytona 500 on January 15, 2025, and made the official announcement for the partnership with $25 million-worth musician Chris Stapleton (via Celebrity Net Worth) and the sponsorship by Buffalo Trace Distillery. The No. 40 JRM entry was sponsored by the distillery’s Traveller Whiskey as the number of the car was inspired by its iconic Blend No. 40.

The No. 40 Chevrolet entry was driven by JRM’s star driver Justin Allgaier, who won the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship and finished 2023 as the runner-up. It was the perfect opportunity for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and JRM to field the 38-year-old on the grid for the Daytona 500.

Allgaier lined up P19 on the grid following an above-average qualifying session for a team making its NASCAR debut. The JRM driver was outside the Top 20 during the final restart, but an almighty crash involving Austin Cindric and Denny Hamlin put him inside the Top 10.

Allgaier avoided the mayhem that followed after the crash and finished the debut NASCAR race for JR Motorsports in P9.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s driver on how the Chris Stapleton partnership made the Daytona 500 debut “even more special"

NASCAR: DAYTONA 500 - Source: Imagn

As Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s team announced its debut in the NASCAR Cup Series, Justin Allgaier came out and expressed his gratitude towards the team's owners, sponsor Buffalo Trace Distillery, and Chris Stapleton for giving him the opportunity to race at the Daytona 500. The statement made by Allgaier published on JRM’s official website read:

“This is an incredible honor to be driving JR Motorsports’ inaugural entry into the Cup Series, and to do it with not only Dale and Kelley, but Chris Stapleton and Traveller Whiskey makes this even more special.”

“Entering into the DAYTONA 500 has been a goal of this company for a long time and I know that we are going to have everything we need to go out and contend for the win. This is going to be special for sure.”

The crash after the final restart gave the lead to William Byron, who had an uncontested run to the chequered flag while Jimmie Johnson moved up from outside the Top 10 to P3.