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Dale Earnhardt Jr. reveals he's 'nervous' for JRM 2026 Daytona 500 entry

Brian Jones Profile Picby: Brian Jones7 hours agobrianjones_93
Justin Allgaier (2)
Feb 16, 2025; Daytona Beach, Florida, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Justin Allgaier (40) during the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is ready to see JR Motorsports (JRM) back in the Daytona 500 next year, but he is concerned about one thing. On Dale Jr. Download, Earnhardt explained why he’s “nervous” about his team entering the biggest race of the NASCAR season.

“I’m nervous because we’re going to have a new body,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said. “Anytime a manufacturer gets a new body, they don’t go to Dyatona and perform better. You’re figuring out kind of what makes that body perform at a track like that. I don’t know details, I just shoot it straight. Every time a manufacturer changes the body, they’re trying their best in every way, when a new body is coming in, to make their cars more competitive at the tracks that we race the most.

“They’re always trying to put a character line in there or fudge the quarter panel, or whatever the nose in such a way they’re working with the teams to go, ‘Hey man, this is what we need, this would make us better. Well, let’s see if we can get it passed through. Will NASCAR accept it?’ NASCAR will run it through some tests and arrow and stuff like that to make sure it’s not like this massive advantage comparable to the other manufacturers.”

Justin Allgaier will compete in the Daytona 500 for JRM

This week, JRM announced that Justin Allgaier will drive the No. 40 Chevrolet at the 2026 Daytona 500 in February. Allgaier competed in the race last year and earned a P9 finish.

“These races are definitely really interesting,” Allgaier said in a press release. “You have to be on your toes at all times. For us, we just need to be smart all week long and avoid any potential trouble that may come out there when you are two-, three- and sometimes four-wide. In the end, we just need to get ourselves in the best position possible to draft our way to the front. The lines change so quickly, but if we can find ourselves in that right line toward the end, I see no reason why we won’t get an even better result this year.”

JRM is owned by Earnhardt, his sister, Kelley Earnhardt Miller, Rick Hendrick, and L.W. Miller. The team competes primarily in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and the full-time drivers are Allgaier, Sammy Smith, Carson Kvapil, and Raja Caruth.