Dale Earnhardt Jr. fulfilled his dream of entering JR Motorsports into the NASCAR Cup Series this year. His driver, Justin Allgaier, qualified for the main event through the Duels and secured a top-10 finish in the team’s first-ever top-tier event at the Daytona 500. And, recent developments suggest there is a big chance that Dale Jr. might enter his JRM car in more Cup races this season.
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Traveller Whiskey, which sponsored JRM’s entry at Daytona, is keen for more action. Its successful debut as a sponsor at Daytona, with visibility and a decent result to boot, has been the clincher. The JRM #40 car featured a livery that mirrored the hues of Traveller Whiskey’s bottled products.
Andrew Duncan, the global brand director of American whiskey for Sazerac, while not revealing specific sales figures, confirmed that the return on investment from their NASCAR debut surpassed expectations. The ROI was assessed through several metrics, including the volume of in-store activations, the media coverage, and the overall sentiment of those engagements. The company is now keen to extend its reach within the fanbase.
Reportedly, discussions are underway regarding future promotional strategies. The additional races JRM would take part in would not only enhance their whiskey brand’s visibility but also benefit Junior’s team as well.
“I think we’re looking at options. We’ve seen enough positive fan response from NASCAR to tell us that the NASCAR fan likes what Traveller Whiskey stands for and what we brought to the Daytona 500,” Duncan remarked.
The Sazerac brand director also emphasized that the decision-making process would require mutual willingness and alignment from both parties to promote the brand. With the kind of gains JRM enjoyed at Daytona beyond the obvious racing aspect, Junior and Co. will be more than willing.
JR Motorsports reported that the merchandise sales linked to the Traveller program have been great, with Allgaier becoming the top-selling Cup Series driver of the year on NASCAR.com. That’s a big achievement considering he participated in the top tier only at the Daytona 500.
In addition, sales of Traveller’s diecast model cars, produced in partnership with NASCAR’s licensed partner Lionel, are anticipated to rank among the top five for the year. E2 Apparel, collaborating with Dale Jr.‘s JRM, has also had a lot of success with the Traveller shirt, which has become its best-selling T-shirt since 2019.
NASCAR President Steve Phelps also expressed a desire to see JR Motorsports take a full-time position in the Cup Series. However, despite widespread support, the prohibitive cost of obtaining charters remains a significant barrier to the team’s progress.
Dale Jr. had expressed his interest in expanding, yet he admitted that even if he were financially capable, he would not invest all his resources in purchasing a charter.
For the moment though, the fans are simply looking forward to the prospect of JR Motorsports participating in additional Cup races this season.
