JR Motorsports to attempt 2026 Daytona 500 with Justin Allgaier

JR Motorsports (JRM), co-owned by NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. and sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller, is going Cup racing again next year.

The highly successful NASCAR Xfinity Series team (soon to be rebranded as the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series) made its Cup debut in the 67th running of the Daytona 500, earlier this year.

Justin Allgaier, who won the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series title with JRM, drove the No. 40 Chevrolet and made the show as an open entry via the Duel qualifying races. They went on to score a top ten finish, placing ninth in the Daytona 500 after avoiding a wild last-lap crash. It was Allgaier's third start in the 500, but his first in a decade as he has been competing full-time in the Xfinity Series.

The No. 40 will be back again in the 68th running of NASCAR's crown jewel event, again partnering with Country music artist Chris Stapleton and his brand, Traveller Whiskey.

The team has existed in the secondary division of the sport for two decades, winning four driver's titles (Chase Elliott 2014, William Byron 2017, Tyler Reddick 2018, and Allgaier in 2024). 

This past year, JR Motorsports won 17 of 33 NXS races, and put three of its drivers into the Championship 4. They fell short of the crown, but it was still a historic season for the organization.