DAYTONA BEACH — Dale Earnhardt Jr., like his father earlier than him, bagged a number of trophies for profitable races at Daytona. However he by no means appeared to get pleasure from himself right here as a lot as he did this previous February, when he didn’t evenaround the two.5-mile tri-oval.
And now he’s going to
Commercial
JR Motorsports, the Xfinity Collection crew co-owned by Junior and his sister Kelly Earnhardt-Miller, will once more subject a No. 40 Chevrolet for driver Justin Allgaier and try to make the . In one other repeat effort, the single-car effort will companion with music star Chris Stapleton, carrying sponsorship help and branding from the crooner’s Traveller Whiskey.
As all the time, the Daytona 500 will kick off the 2026 common season. The 68th version is scheduled for Feb. 15.
Daytona an enormous deal for Dale Earnhardt Jr.
JR Motorsports has been a longtime fixture, and four-time champion, in NASCAR’s Xfinity Collection, which is rebranding this coming 12 months because the O’Reilly Auto Components Collection. Allgaier, the 2024 collection champ, piloted the crew’s Cup Collection debut within the 2025 Daytona 500, however solely after barely qualifying for The Nice American race within the 150-mile Duel three days earlier.
Commercial
On that Thursday evening, everybody realized simply how a lot it meant to Junior for his crew to make the Daytona 500 in its first try.
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 13: NASCAR Corridor of Famer and JR Motorsports proprietor, Dale Earnhardt Jr. celebrates with Justin Allgaier, driver of the #40 Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet for qualifying for the Daytona 500 after the NASCAR Cup Collection Duel 1at Daytona Worldwide Speedway on February 13, 2025 in Daytona Seashore, Florida. (Photograph by Chris Graythen/Getty Pictures)
“Man, we received right here and we received a style of it, and holy moly,” Junior stated after the Duel. “I didn’t actually know precisely how badly I needed to do that or needed to be part of one thing like this till we began going by means of it,
“We race. We like to race, and racing is difficult, and I wouldn’t have it every other approach. This was tough emotionally, however rattling it, it’s enjoyable when it really works out.”
Three days later, Allgaier completed ninth within the large race.
For the Earnhardts, 51 complete wins at Daytona
The Earnhardt title has been an enormous a part of the Daytona story for over 40 years. Dale Sr. received all kinds of races at Daytona — a report 34 in all — and his long-sought Daytona 500 victory in 1998 is among the many best Daytona highlights of all time.
Commercial
Junior, like everybody else, was no match for his dad’s Daytona report, nevertheless it wasn’t with out attempting. He received two Daytona 500s, together with two of Daytona’s summertime 400-milers. Within the Xfinity Collection, the place he was a two-time collection champ, he received six instances at Daytona, together with 4 straight between 2002-04.
Junior additionally received 5 of the Thursday qualifying races and received twice within the preseason Shootout, now referred to as the Conflict, giving him 17 Daytona wins total.
As a crew proprietor, JR Motorsports has 9 Daytona victories within the Xfinity Collection.
