Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s driver Justin Allgaier started his 2025 NASCAR season with a bang in the Cup Series. Although his finish in the Daytona Xfinity race could have been stronger (18th place), his top-10 finish in the Daytona 500 has, for the moment, mitigated the disappointment from the Xfinity event.
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Looking forward, Allgaier is heeding sage advice from his wife, Ashley, on how to tackle the new season following his first Xfinity Championship win last year. Reflecting on this guidance, he shared:
“I had a great piece of advice from my wife. She gets so mad at me because I tell this, but it is the truth and I love it. She said enjoy the championship while you can because when you get to Daytona you’re a zero again.” Now, that was a brutal reality check for Allgaier, and his wife went on to further clarify what she meant by it.
“And she said, I don’t mean you personally are a zero, but she said you have zero points when you get Daytona. Like they don’t give you an extra five bonus points in Daytona because you won the championship last year.”
Ashley’s take is really refreshing and so on-point, as the competition won’t ease up, and as Allgaier’s biggest supporter she wants him to stay focused. Right after speaking about his wife’s expectations of him, Allgaier also revealed his stance on how he views his competition.
“When you have success, when things go your way and you win a championship, and in your mind [you think], things are going to be easier, and they are really not. There are more talented race car drivers coming through the pipeline than there have ever been.” said the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Champion.
Success on the track demands consistent effort, whether it’s maintaining peak physical condition to endure the heat inside the car or competing on the racetrack. And this mentality of his was reflected in his debut performance at the Daytona 500.
Allgaier’s successful debut stint at Daytona 500 with the JR Motorsports team
Although Allgaier had previously competed in the Daytona 500 in 2014 and 2015 during his full-time Cup Series stint with HScott Motorsports, finishing in P27 and P37 respectively, his return to the iconic race this time around marked a big improvement.
Driving the #40 Chevy for JR Motorsports, Allgaier not only secured a spot within the 41-car field of the Great American Race but also bagged a top-10 finish.
Reflecting on the team’s performance, Allgaier took a moment to express his satisfaction, stating, “I think we checked all the boxes. 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.”
Navigating through an explosive final lap at the Daytona 500, Allgaier managed to finish P9, securing the team’s first top-10 finish in its debut race.
However, the achievement was hard-earned, especially considering that his entry into the Daytona 500 was uncertain until the qualifying rounds. With only one additional spot up for grabs in his Duel the following day, Allgaier raced his way into the main event.
Despite being penalized on pit road and getting entangled in a wreck towards the end of the race, Allgaier avoided further mayhem and locked in a strong finish.
