"There's not a more deserving guy" - NASCAR fans praise Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s early arrival at Daytona 500 garage

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was one of the first names to be present at the Daytona International Speedway as JR Motorsports' hauler arrived for the upcoming Daytona 500 on Wednesday. Renowned NASCAR journalist Jordan Bianchi, who was also there at the venue, clicked a photo of him with the car and posted it on social media. Upon seeing the photo, NASCAR fans hailed Earnhardt Jr.'s passion and efforts ahead of the big race.

JR Motorsports' hauler arrived at the iconic track early in the morning, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. stood at the venue and overlooked everything as the truck unloaded their first-ever Cup Series ride. The ride was inside the garage before sunrise, and works to fit the car were already underway.

Bianchi, from his official X account, shared a photo where Earnhardt Jr. was standing beside the #40 Chevrolet with a wide smile. He donned a blue polo shirt and jeans and paired them with a cap. Here's what Jordan Bianchi wrote on X:

"Proud team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. was in the garage right when it opened at 6 a.m. to watch his car unload. The Daytona 500 is the first Cup Series race JR Motorsports has entered."

As the post went up on social media, fans began to react to it and hail the former NASCAR driver. Here are some reactions taken from the micro-blogging site, X, formerly Twitter:

Reacting to the post, a fan wrote, "There's not a more deserving guy. Hope nothing but success for him, Justin, and the team."

"We need this energy in the Cup Series full time," another fan wrote.

Another fan wrote, "NASCAR so badly needs his team in the cup series!"

"Best looking car this week! Betcha Jr. didn’t sleep a wink," wrote a fan.

Another fan wrote, "Big day for @DaleJr. Fielding a car in Cup. Hope it works out and it gets into the race Sunday."

"Awesome for the sport. Wishing nothing but success for JR Motorsports," wrote a fan.

As the car was ready within hours, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the #40 ride for a drive around the iconic 2.5-mile speedway.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. revealed how Daytona 500 opportunity came calling

In a recent interview with Fox Sports, Dale Earnhardt Jr. unraveled how the Daytona 500 idea turned out to be a reality. The former NASCAR driver stated that Chris Stapleton, an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist as well as the creator of Traveller Whiskey (JR Motorsports' #40 entry's sponsor) came up with an idea, and it instantly materialized.

NASCAR Xfinity Series team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr and sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller celebrate after winning the 2024 Xfinity Series championship - Source: Imagn

Here's what he said about this,

"I don't want to do it any more than I want to do it now. I've always wanted to do it." Earnhardt Jr said. "I don't know that we ever had a plan that we were going to enter the 2025 Daytona 500. Chris and his team came to us with an idea, and this is the way stuff kind of comes together sometimes."

However, he confirmed that JR Motorsports does not have a plan to field their car in the Cup Series after the Daytona race. At least for now.

"There's no conversation or plan beyond the Daytona race, but as we always have been, we have been open to opportunity and possibility. It's got to make sense," he added.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. co-owned JR Motorsports are set to field their first ever Cup Series entry in the upcoming Daytona 500 at the Daytona International Speedway on February 16. The team will field the #40 Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Justin Allgaier, their star driver who won the 2024 Xfinity Series title.