JR Motorsports sees a second chance to make a first impression at the Daytona 500

JR Motorsports will make its second start in the Daytona 500 this Sunday, but it will be the first time the team has raced in the Daytona 500.

“I feel like this year,” said Justin Allgaier, “I can go through the duels, and we can work on the car in a way different capacity that allows us to go for the 500 and really makes us feel like we’re competing for a win and a great position.”

That statement needs some further context.

It starts with Allgaier qualifying his way into the field on speed as one of the two fastest Open teams that NASCAR locked into the Daytona 500 during single-car qualifying Wednesday night. A year ago, Allgaier and the No. 40 team failed to do so and had to race their way into the Daytona 500 through their qualifying duel.

But even after making the 2025 field, the team still faced many battles, and through determination and some racing luck, they finished ninth. Ultimately, the experience was seen as an accomplishment of setting out to qualify for the race, which they did.

Sunday will feel and be very different now that Allgaier is locked in and the team is better prepared for round two. And there should be a far greater expectation of seeing Allgaier as a contender.

“I think last year when we made our qualifying run, we knew that inherently there were some things that speed-wise we needed a little bit and when we got the duels, it was really even more evident,” Allgaier said. “And there is only so much you can do once you’re at the racetrack, and Greg (Ives, crew chief) did a great job of making adjustments, and we worked on all the different things we could last year, but we just felt like we were a little bit off, and we fought like crazy to have the speed that we had. This year, we obviously feel like we have a lot more raw speed and were able to do what we did in qualifying, and we hope that translates to a fast race car in the race, but we won’t know until that moment comes.

“But I think what we went through last year and what we learned, especially with the fuel-saving strategy and pit stops and with things we were up against, it was an uphill battle because it was the first time and because there was so much newness that this year we can overcome that a lot easier,

"So, yeah, I think we just naturally want more out of ourselves. We came, we saw, we conquered last year. It was great; got a top 10 out of it. But I think if you look at the way the race went, it ended probably better than it should have. It can go the exact opposite of that Sunday, but I really feel like we’ve done all of our homework, and we put all the eggs in the basket of just being better, and to Dale (Earnhardt Jr.)’s point, last year we had fun because it was stressful, but it was fun when it was over. I think we have the opportunity to go out there and have a lot of fun again this year, but we’re more willing to go out there and try to win the race than we were last year.”

Earnhardt credited the engine Hendrick Motorsports built for the entry for helping in the team's effort. Allgaier was the second-fastest Open driver in qualifying and ended up 14th overall (and fourth fastest of five alongside the Hendrick Motorsports drivers) of the 45 entries. He ran a lap of 182.923 mph.

“(They) really, really delivered this year,” Earnhardt said. “Over what we had last year, I think it’s leaps and bounds better, and that was a massive asset tonight for sure.”

On the team side, the core group is about 80% of the same members who went through the experience last year with Allgaier, Ives and JR Motorsports. That, too, is an advantage as they approach their second go-around, having already experienced the pressure of 2025 just trying to make the race, and now focusing on racing and potentially winning it.

“We have this kind of eclectic group of racers, and last year when we went through this, it was a different emotion for everybody, but everybody was like, ‘I want to go back,’” said Allgaier. “Everybody put their hand up and was like, ‘Hey, if we do this again, I want to come back.’ Those same group of guys and girls that do it this week, they all have the same nerves, but yet they’re like, ‘We’re ready, we’re more prepared, we feel like it’s better. Loading the truck was easier. We knew where everything went.’ All the little detail stuff.

“When you don’t know or have the unknowns like we did last year, it’s hard to really fine-tune and figure out where you need to put yourself. So, when you know what you’re up against, these teams, the teams that do it every week, it’s understated how detail-oriented they are and how hard it is to come in here and do a one-off and compete because it’s incredible. … Our guys just having that one race last year made a huge difference in how 2026 went.”

Allgaier will race for his official starting spot in the Daytona 500 in the Thursday night duel race. He finished ninth after starting 19th last year.