Despite narrowly making the 41-car field in the Great American Race, JR Motorsports and Justin Allgaier enjoyed a successful NASCAR Cup Series debut.
Aboard the No. 40 JRM Chevrolet, Allgaier survived a last-lap melee in the Daytona 500 to finish ninth, the team’s first top-10 finish in its first start.
“I think we checked all the boxes,” Allgaier said. “Really proud of JR Motorsports and everybody on this team. We hit all the markers. We had DVP. We had pit stops. We had craziness in picking lines. A lot of uncertainty on my part, just knowing the guys you are around. But all-in-all, it was a solid night.”
It was a long road for Allgaier and the No. 40 team as they were unable to lock into the Daytona 500 during qualifying on Wednesday night. With only one additional open spot available in his Duel the following day, Allgaier was able to race his way in.
While the 500-mile event wasn’t a smooth race from start to finish for Allgaier, who endured a pit road penalty and was caught up in a wreck in the latter part of the race, he was able to miss the chaos and solidify a stout finish.
“Missing the crash there at the end was cool,” Allgaier said. “I assumed the caution was out and I didn’t know we were racing back to the line. That was cool to race back to the line and get a top 10.
“Just want to thank everybody at Traveller’s Whiskey, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kelly Earnhardt Miller, and everybody that let me be a part of this. Thank you to everybody at Team Chevy and the Hendrick Engine Shop.
“This is a big moment for JR Motorsports, and we are excited about what the future holds for our company.”
With co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. on-site for every milestone moment of the team’s foray into the Cup Series, the successful finish was one for the memory bank for Allgaier.
It’s unknown what may lie ahead for JRM in the Cup Series. However, its run on Sunday night may be an inclination to compete in more events in the near future.
“This is the best part about racing, man,” Earnhardt began. “The moments of getting the car to the track and unloading it. Going through the processes of putting it out there and racing it. Whether you’re driving it or owning it or whatever.
“When it’s all over with, when your heart’s in it, you wanna make sure it gets back to the house in one piece… so, this is a good experience.
“I’m enjoying it. Hope to get to do it again. I think we hit it out of the park in terms of our activation with Traveller (Whisky). I Think JR Motorsports did what they always do and that’s engagement and marketing better than anybody in the sport or as good as anybody,” Earnhardt continued.
“We’ll see if that is exciting for them, if they wanna continue doing this or do it again sometime this year. Or somebody else calls us on Monday that has some other ideas.
“We’re always ready. Have been for years. So, we’ll see.”
