Justin Allgaier will need to earn his Daytona 500 starting spot in the Duel at Daytona on Thursday to score JR Motorsports' first Cup start.

With a full moon overhead and the sun yet to crest the horizon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. stood near his team’s hauler Wednesday morning and watched as JR Motorsports’ first Cup car was unloaded in the Daytona International Speedway garage.

The 2025 NASCAR season has kicked off at the Daytona International Speedway. There were 45 cars aiming for the prestigious spot in the race, which is often referred to as the Great American Race. Among these was the No. 40 Chevrolet, driven by Justin Allgaier, and representing Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s JR Motorsports.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a two-time Daytona 500 champion. He’s competing in the race in a new way in 2025, and the entire sport is excited for it.

After a productive practice session and a hot lap in qualifying, Dale Earnhardt Jr. will watch Justin Allgaier race his way into the Daytona 500. At least, that’s the only plan as of right now. The first NASCAR Cup Series race for JR Motorsports is not off to a great start.

Seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson and 2017 champion Martin Truex Jr. both ran lap times fast enough to lock themselves into the season opener at Daytona Int’l Speedway. Allgaier’s No. 40 Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet narrowly missed locking in on speed by 0.080 seconds, which was a difference of 0.290 MPH.

Co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr., JR Motorsports is set to make its NASCAR Cup Series debut at the 2025 Daytona 500 with a little help from country music superstar Chris Stapleton. The Daytona 500 will take place on Feb.

Daytona 500 is this weekend and it could get political down in Florida. President Trump, fresh off a historic Super Bowl 59 appearance, is expected to attend the big race on Sunday afternoon. The 47th President of the United States has reportedly been planning to attend the biggest NASCAR