DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Justin Allgaier and the No. 40 JR Motorsports crew must race their means into the 2025 Daytona 500 by the use of Thursday night time’s Duel at Daytona.
Allgaier’s single-car qualifying velocity (180.495 mph) was thirty third quickest total on Wednesday, third of the 9 Open entries. Former champions Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson have been the 2 quickest Open vehicles who have been beforehand not locked into the Daytona 500. Allgaier will begin seventeenth in Thursday’s first duel (7 p.m. ET, FS1, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
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The reigning NASCAR Xfinity Collection champion is hoping to wheel the No. 40 Chevrolet into Sunday’s “Nice American Race” (2:30 p.m. ET, FOX, MRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) to earn JR Motorsports — co-owned by NASCAR Corridor of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. and sister Kelley Earnhardt Miller — its inaugural begin in a NASCAR Cup Collection race.
If Johnson and/or Truex end first amongst Open groups of their respective duels, Allgaier and Corey LaJoie might lock into the occasion on time. The opposite 5 Open drivers should end first amongst Open groups of their duel — a 60-lap qualifying race — to advance.
“I imply, clearly you wish to qualify your means in,” Allgaier stated Wednesday night time. “You wish to be locked in. You wish to have all of the pleasantries of figuring out that you just’re in, proper? However on the similar time, we knew that it was going to be an uphill battle. The fellows that you just’re racing towards — I imply, Jimmie and Martin each laid down unimaginable laps and did precisely what they wanted to do.
“I have a look at the have a look at the lap. I imply, I’ll return and research it and check out to determine what we would have liked to do to be higher, however we did the most effective job we thought we might do, and it simply got here up somewhat bit brief.”
The Open contenders in Allgaier’s Duel embody Truex (beginning twelfth), four-time Indianapolis 500 Hélio Castroneves (twentieth), Chandler Smith (twenty second) and J.J. Yeley (twenty third).
Together with plenty of group members and representatives from sponsor Traveller Whiskey, Earnhardt Miller watched with nerves from pit street as Allgaier accomplished his lone lap of the night. A day that started by unloading the tan-and-orange Chevy at 6 a.m. with pleasure ended with a tinge of hysteria with no ensures but of a spot on the beginning grid.
“It’s bizarre as a result of we stated weren’t gonna be dissatisfied — like we have been OK if we don’t make it or no matter. However I’m not likely OK about it,” Earnhardt Miller informed NASCAR.com with fun. “Like, you get out right here and also you do it and also you simply see you’re simply off that a lot. However we’ve one other shot tomorrow. We’re quick, we’re good. Now tomorrow will simply be as much as a variety of variables round different folks and all the pieces.
“I hate that we’ve to undergo that half, however it’s what it’s, and we knew that coming down right here. But it surely’s been actually thrilling all day.”
Certainly, because the group pushed via technical inspection earlier than a ten:05 a.m. follow, there was a buzzing anticipation that surrounded the JRM occasion. At the moment, the thrill stemmed from enthusiasm and optimism. The optimism nonetheless exists, but it surely’s now accompanied by a nervous stress as an alternative.
“It positively modifications the race for tomorrow for us,” Allgaier stated. “In the event you get in on time, you is usually a little extra fluid within the duels and work on various things that I feel we’re in all probability going to work on tomorrow, now. Now, we’ve to be aggressive. We’ve got to race our means in, proper? So we’ve bought to be aggressive, however on the opposite aspect of it, we don’t have a backup automotive. And for those who wreck, it doesn’t actually matter for those who’ve bought a backup or not as a result of for those who wreck, you’re in all probability not gonna make the race. These are the issues that I’ve to be conscious of. …
“The rationale why followers and drivers and groups all love and hate this place is as a result of the worry of the unknown, proper?”
With that comes a fragile steadiness Earnhardt Miller and Co. will attempt to navigate: trusting Allgaier and the group round him to excel whereas understanding others on the race observe might dictate his destiny.
“That’s Daytona, proper?” stated Earnhardt Miller, who has helped head JRM because it debuted as an Xfinity group in 2005. “I say it yearly concerning the Xfinity vehicles: You attempt to come right here with no expectations, after which that means, you’re not dissatisfied whenever you go dwelling on a wrecker, otherwise you’re simply tremendous thrilled that you just made it via and otherwise you received. And I feel we’ve to take a look at this the identical means. We will’t management all the pieces else, so it will likely be what it’s.
“And any person already is aware of. It’s already decided someplace, is the way in which I really feel about it. So let’s see what occurs.”
