“Truly an honor”: Justin Allgaier reacts following major Daytona 500 announcement with Dale Jr.’s team

Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s co-owned Xfinity Series team, JR Motorsports, is all set for its Cup Series debut next month at the Daytona 500 and will field reigning Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier on the track. Reflecting upon the exciting news, Allgaier's primary sponsor shared a clip of the driver showcasing his gratitude for their decade-long partnership on X.

On Wednesday, January 15, the team owners held a press conference and revealed their entry into the Cup Series in partnership with 10-time Grammy Award winner artist Chris Stapleton. Allgaier will drive the #40 Chevy Camaro ZL1 sponsored by the Traveller Whiskey, representing the blend utilized by Buffalo Trace Distillery and BRANDT Professional Agriculture.

JR Motorsports has placed the BRANDT logo on the right side over the window for the Cup Series race. BRANDT has sponsored Justin Allgaier since 2011, with the duo joining JRM in 2016. Reminiscing about their decade-long history, Allgaier said:

"Team BRANDT, we're going back to the Daytona 500 in the Cup Series. I cannot say thank you enough for all the support that you guys have given me over the years. It is truly, truly an honor to carry these colors on this race car. It's going to be a lot of fun and a lot of work ahead of us; we're going to have a great time."

Allgaier has to qualify for the 67th edition of the Daytona 500 by either speed in time trials or via one of the qualifying races. It will be the first time JR Motorsports will focus on qualifying with speed.

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"I’m blessed to get to do what I love to do": When Justin Allgaier opened up about his job

In 2021, JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier was featured in an interview with Jeff Gluck, a reporter for The Athletic, and opened up about his job. Allgaier answered the 12 customary questions, and one of the questions was whether he ever lied about his occupation.

Allgaier highlighted that he never lied about his job but often downplays it, adding (via the New York Times):

"I don’t ever lie, but I tend to downplay what I do. A lot of times I say I work in racing. And then people ask, “Where do you work?” “I work for JR Motorsports.” And sometimes it gets to the point of, like, “Well, what do you do?” “I drive the car.” “Oh, no way!” It always surprises a lot of people."

"But on the other hand, I love what I do. And I’m blessed to get to do what I love to do. I don’t ever want to make it sound more glorious than what it is. Because it takes everybody that’s on the race team to do what we do. But on the other hand, it’s always fun to see people’s reaction," he added.

Justin Allgaier won his maiden championship title in the 2024 Xfinity Series season, holding back the former Stewart-Haas Racing driver Cole Custer. Despite not winning the final race at Phoenix Raceway, Allgaier had enough points to clinch the championship.