When the opportunity to field a team in the Daytona 500 came by for Dale Earnhardt Jr., he was confident that Justin Allgaier was the man he needed to rely on. The Xfinity Series champion had a great record in qualifying and was his best shot at confirming a JR Motorsports entry in the Great American Race. But after Wednesday night, the threat of disappointment is as real as it gets.
Advertisement
Allgaier ran the 33rd fastest time in qualifying and failed to secure a seat as one of four non-chartered entries. Martin Truex Jr. and Jimmie Johnson capitalized on his incompetence and found their places. The JR Motorsports driver now has to look forward to the Daytona Duels to force his way into the field for Sunday.
Finding himself in a tricky spot, he hopes to find support from the Chevrolet bandwagon going forward. He told the press, “As Chevrolet, we got a lot of cars in the field that are Chevys. You cannot do this alone. There is no way to superspeedway race by yourself. We’re hopeful that all plays into our favor…”
Big media crowd around @J_Allgaier at Media Day. Allgaier pilots the Cup series debut for @JRMotorsports as he attempts to qualify the #40 car for the #DAYTONA500 here is what he told media about tonight and his teams attempt to make the 500.. pic.twitter.com/9azBb1c3nm
— Claire B Lang (@ClaireBLang) February 13, 2025
He continued to point out that this is one of the toughest years to compete as an open entry. As the 38-year-old and his team face the upcoming challenge, his outlook remains unchanged. He knows what it has taken for his benefactor to reach this point and is excited to see how he can shape the rest of the weekend.
Dale Jr. doesn’t hide his feelings after Allgaier’s disappointment
Allgaier was within 0.08 seconds of not having to worry about the Daytona Duels. The result disappointed Dale Jr., and he blended in with the crowds after Allgaier completed his lap. He later posted on X, “Damn it woulda been nice to lock in tonight. But we get to come back tomorrow and race our way into the Daytona 500 in a dual [sic]. Living the dream.”
Allgaier was the third quickest of the non-chartered entries. He now has several ways to qualify for the main race. He will make it if he finishes highest among the non-chartered cars in his duel. He will also make it if Johnson or Truex Jr. finishes the highest in their respective races. But the job is easier said than done.
He will start the 17th of the 23 cars in the first duel on Thursday. The other non-chartered cars in his group are Truex Jr., Helio Castroneves, Chandler Smith, and JJ Yeley. Dale Jr. will hope to avoid disappointment in what is JR Motorsports’ first attempt at entering a Cup Series race.
