Justin Allgaier shares weight of expectations on not ‘letting down Dale Jr.’ after historic Daytona 500 Qualification

In a nerve-wracking finish, Justin Allgaier secured JR Motorsports' a place in The Great American Race for the first time in team's history. After a three-wide contest between himself, Martin Truex Jr., and J.J. Yeley, the Illinois native came out victorious and finished Top 10 on Thursday's 60-lap qualifying race, thus securing his place in Sunday's Cup Series event.

This bold move has earned him, unofficially, a 19th-place start on the Daytona 500 this Sunday at 1:30 pm ET. After the race, Allgaier shared his thoughts on such a historic event for both him and JRM. He said that he hadn't the words to describe the feeling and that, while there's a lot of people you don't mind letting down, NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. isn't one of them.

"I don't know that there are words that can describe it (the feeling of qualifying for the main event). It may not seem like a big feat, I mean when you look at how many cars are locked into this race every year, it doesn't really seem like a lot of a feat; but at the same time, the emotions of this, and not wanting to let Dale and Kelly and all KW down. There's a lot of people you don't mind letting down, but Dale Jr. is not one of them," Justin Allgaier said to the NASCAR interviewer after the quali.

With JRM normally contending for the second-tier category, Xfinity Series, the legend himself said he did not think it was possible. He said it's been a difficult road, that he loves the challenges, and that he wouldn't want it any other way.

"I did not think that was possible but he got up there and made something work... I love the challenges, I wouldn't want it any other way; this was hard, emotionally, but I can't believe we get to race on Sunday," Dale Earnheardt Jr. said to Jamie Little after the session.

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Justin Allgaier looks to improve his Cup Series track record

After 82 races with only one Top 10 result for Justin Allgaier, this year could be his break-out season and he certainly has a golden opportunity on Sunday at Daytona Beach, Florida. He's been through seven teams since his debut in 2013 and his best overall result has been 29th place, back in 2014 with HScott Motorsports.

In contrast, his performance in the Xfinity Series has been rewarded with a Championship last year and two runner-up seasons, all three with JR Motorsports. He is 10th all-time for Xfinity Series wins (with 25) and holds the record for most Top-10 finishes (with 282). He has never finished lower than seventh in points in any of his 14 full-time Xfinity seasons.