JR Motorsports plans to return to the 2026 Daytona 500 with a clear target. The group confirmed Justin Allgaier in the No. 40 Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet. The team entered the 2025 race as an open entry and earned its spot through the Duels. Allgaier finished ninth after avoiding late trouble.
The result pushed the group to line up another attempt. Kelley Earnhardt Miller said the second entry feels special. Allgaier said he feels honored to drive for Traveller Whiskey again. The partnership with Chris Stapleton’s Traveller Whiskey provided strong attention in 2025. The group plans to repeat the same approach in February 2026.
JR Motorsports Builds Toward A Second Daytona Start
The team views Daytona as the best place to run an open car. Dale Earnhardt Jr. explained the thinking on his show. “Well, Kelley will tell you that we race. We got a chance to go race, so we race. We wanna race,” Earnhardt said on Dale Jr. Download.
He added why the event remains the best financial option for an open team. “The Daytona 500 is the most important race of the season, and I would say that for an open team or anybody that wants to enter the race, that probably is the best opportunity financially to do it and not lose money. It costs a significant amount of money to run any race, Talladega or whatever. If you wanna go run in the middle of the year or a couple of races throughout the year, harder to make the financial work in them other events. This one, we are presented with the opportunity to go do it. We got some partners that wanna go help us fund it.”
The team expects Allgaier’s Daytona experience to help again. He won the 2024 O’Reilly Auto Parts Series title. He reached the 2025 race through the Duels and delivered a clean run. The 2026 Duels run on February 11. The main event runs on February 15.
Crew Interest Rises Inside The Shop
The energy inside the shop plays a major role. Earnhardt said the employees treat the entry like a project they own. “Our shop gets excited about it. They feel like it is their effort,” Earnhardt said. He added that well-known names follow the build. “You see Rodney Childers chiming in on social media, and you see our employees get pumped about the idea because it is their car. It is our flagship.”
Earnhardt told fans he hopes to keep the same lineup from 2025. “More than likely, I do not know for sure one hundred percent, but if I had it my way, we would go with the same components, people, and personnel as we did last year. Justin is gonna drive the car. Last year, we had Greg Ives as the crew chief. We had Barry Hoover come out of retirement, my old car chief guy. I would have everything as it was. That was a fun group of people. They all wanted to be there; they all cared about it. That hopefully comes together.”
What To Expect In February 2026
JRM must qualify on speed or through the Duels since the entry holds no charter. The team aims to bring the same structure that helped secure ninth place in 2025. Traveller Whiskey returns with support. The group expects a familiar driver, familiar leadership, and a focused shop.
You should expect a lean effort built on parts, people, and preparation. The entry process begins in February. The team plans to bring a car ready for the race and ready for Daytona’s demands.
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