The day that all life long Dale Earnhardt Jr fans have been waiting for is now upon us. It is no longer a dream, but a reality!

See y’all in Daytona. pic.twitter.com/iCvILhtw1W

— JR Motorsports (@JRMotorsports) January 15, 2025

Jr Motorsports is teaming up with 10 time Grammy winning Country music superstar Chris Stapleton to field a historic entry in the upcoming 2025 Daytona 500.

Defending NASCAR Xfinity Champion and JR. Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier will piloting the #40 Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet.

For Dale Jr. fans young and old, this is something that we have been waiting for for many years, as when Dale Jr. retired from full time NASCAR competition in 2017 he was one of the most popular drivers of all time, as well as winning the Daytona 500 in 2004 and 2014. He was a master of the speedway tracks such as Daytona and Talladega, so he knows a thing or two about what it take to win at what is called the Super Bowl of NASCAR.

Driver of the #40 Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet Justin Allgaier in the press release was quoted as saying ““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”.

Jr. Motorsports has fielded teams in the Xfinity Series for over 24 years totaling 88 wins and 4 championships and have had drivers such as Chase Elliot, William Byron, Martin Truex Jr, Brad Keselowski to name a few. But have a Cup car under the Jr. Motorsports banner is a dream come true.

In a press release from Jr. Motorsports co-car owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. was quoted as saying  “We’ve been waiting for the right moment for JR Motorsports,” said Earnhardt Jr. “With Justin winning the Xfinity Series championship and Chris Stapleton’s undeniable star power, the planets aligned for this perfect opportunity to enter this year’s Daytona 500.

I hope that this will be the beginning of something special for Jr. Motorsports as once Dale Jr left full time NASCAR Cup racing, I have must admit I had lost interest. But, as I told my NASCAR friends that whenever Jr had a car in Cup Series that I would gladly pay attention and root for the driver of that car.

So, not only does Jr Motorports have an entry in the 2025 Daytona 500, but they have a driver that is more then capable of winning the best race in auto racing.

The No. 40 Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet will attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500 on Feb 12 and hopefully on to the 67th running of the “Great American Race” on Sunday Feb 15, 2025.