JR Motorsports enters Justin Allgaier at the Daytona 500 in partnership with Chris Stapleton

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The NASCAR team owned by Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. will attempt to make its Cup Series debut in the Daytona 500 featuring a champion driver and a partnership with a Grammy Award-winning artist.

JR Motorsports entered the defending Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier to the season-opening “Great American Race” next month in a Chevrolet sponsored by the whiskey brand created by 10-time Grammy winner Chris Stapleton. Traveler Whiskey is a collaborative blend created by Buffalo Trace Distillery with Stapleton.

Allgaier will have to qualify for the Daytona 500 – a race his boss has won twice – either by speed in the time trials or via one of the qualifying races. This is the first time in JRM history that the team has competed in a Cup Series race, and Earnhardt said the team will focus on qualifying via speed powered by a Hendrick Motorsports engine.

The deal came together when Stapleton, who maintains a friendship with Rick Hendrick, approached Hendrick about a NASCAR collaboration with Traveler Whiskey. Hendrick put Stapleton in touch with Earnhardt because he also owns a stake in JRM.

“We drank that whiskey and I always have dreams of things to do and we kind of knocked on the door,” Stapleton told the Associated Press. “If I’m 100% honest, I just thought it would be cool to see whiskey on a car. And he brought up Dale Jr. and I was like, “Why wouldn’t we do that if we can?” That’s a big part of my audience, both for whiskey and country music, and for what (Earnhardt) is doing in auto racing.

The third-party introduction helps Earnhardt and his sister, Kelley Earnhardt-Miller, attempt to realize a dream for their racing team.

“I shared with Rick that I had dreamed for a very long time, at one point in my life, of competing in the Daytona 500 as a car owner,” Earnhardt told AP. “Rick offered me the opportunity to network with Chris and his team. They were interested in marketing our sport and Rick knew I wanted to pursue this opportunity. It was like two people wanted the same thing.

The Earnhardts led JRM to 88 Xfinity Series victories with drivers Chase Elliott, William Byron, Tyler Reddick and Allgaier last November. JRM enters its 24th year of overall competition with four cars in NASCAR’s second-tier Xfinity Series.

JRM has never attempted to enter a Cup race. The Earnhardts expressed interest in moving to Cup competition, but were hesitant to purchase the eight-figure charter needed to compete.

Earnhardt said there has been no discussion about JRM’s future Cup plans beyond trying to compete in the Daytona 500. It will be a high-pressure situation for the Greg Ives-led team, as Earnhardt warned them that he and his sister would be moving away from the At that point, the car was being unloaded at the Daytona Beach International Speedway with every mile on the track.

Stapleton also plans to attend what will be his first Daytona 500. He and Earnhardt said the musician was closely involved in the design of the car, which Stapleton saw in person for the first time on Wednesday.

“I’m a little retro, I like things that hark back to the past,” Stapleton said. “So I was looking for a little bit of that flavor in the car, but also something that really blended JR Motorsports and Traveler Whiskey. It had to feel like both of those things and I think we achieved that.

In addition to promoting his whiskey, Stapleton hopes the Daytona 500 will become a lasting memory of his accomplished career.

“I wanted to build something – I wanted to see the car and I want to see it work. And that would be victory for me,” Stapleton said. “And I want the moment. It’s like going to the Super Bowl and staying on the sidelines. This is what I want. I want the moment, the moment of the synergy that happens.

“Whatever happened, we still did it.”

Allgaier is the reigning Xfinity Series champion and former Cup Series driver who raced the Daytona 500 in 2014 and 2015. His most recent appearance in a Cup car was last May as a replacement driver for Kyle Larson as Larson attempted to compete in both the Coca-Cola 600 and the Indianapolis 500 on the same day.

Allgaier started the Coke 600 for Larson and was credited with a 13th-place finish when the race was canceled due to rain.

“It’s an incredible honor to drive JR Motorsports’ first Cup Series entry,” Allgaier said. “Competing in the Daytona 500 has been a goal of this company for a long time and I know we will have everything we need to fight for victory. It’s going to be special, that’s for sure.

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AP Auto Racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing