The No. 40 JR Motorsports Chevrolet will ride again as JR Motorsports returns to the NASCAR Cup Series and the season-opening Daytona 500.
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According to a Friday announcement, the team and Justin Allgaier will once again attempt to qualify for the Daytona 500 in February 2026. JR Motorsports also announced that Grammy Award winner Chris Stapleton will also return with his Traveller Whiskey Brand sponsoring the effort.
How about another round in Daytona? 🥃 pic.twitter.com/jQFh6aXHjR
— JR Motorsports (@JRMotorsports) November 14, 2025
JR Motorsports did not yet provide any details about the crew chief who will lead the No. 40 team. Last season, Hendrick Motorsports' Greg Ives took over the pit box, marking a reunion between the veteran crew chief and the driver he once guided, Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Last season's Speedweeks served as the first time that JR Motorsports attempted to qualify for a Cup Series race. The team did not have an easy path into the biggest race considering that more than 40 entries showed up. This meant that Allgaier had to beat out multiple other drivers in either single-car qualifying or one of the Duel races.
The veteran driver and the No. 40 team checked off the goal. Allgaier spent the first Duel race battling JJ Yeley for one of the final spots in the Daytona 500 field. He crossed the line ahead of the veteran driver and qualified for the Daytona 500. The other open driver in the Duel race, Chandler Smith, was eliminated from contention in an early wreck.
"I've been in the sport for 21 years, and at Hendrick Motorsports," Ives told this author after qualifying for the Daytona 500 in February 2025. "You take it for granted being locked in and being part of the Daytona 500. And this is a new experience for me."
Simply making the show was only one step for Allgaier and JR Motorsports. They then had to go out and perform in the biggest race of the Cup Series season.
Allgaier ran a solid race at Daytona International Speedway. He avoided incidents, kept the car clean, and ultimately crossed the finish line in ninth place. Now one year later, he will have the opportunity to go out and try to surpass this mark.
