Justin Allgaier, who has raced in only seven NASCAR Cup Series events since 2016, is stepping into Cup in the 500. It's a big deal for him, but even more so for his team owner, Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. blinked back tears as the moment socked him at Daytona International Speedway — a track bursting with triumph and tragedy for his family — that he was, with a country star and a NASCAR champ in tow,

Man, we got here, and we got a taste of it,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said about Justin Allgaier qualifying for the Daytona 500.

"Where else do you go and barely make the field and cry tears of joy? Nowhere," Earnhardt said of the fabled speedway and race.

The final few laps and even the very end of the 2025 Daytona 500 were marred by massive crashes that wiped out several race leaders in the late stages. While most fans have laid the blame at the drivers,

With a famous last name and a resume worthy of it, Dale Earnhardt Jr. pondered if owning a NASCAR Cup Series team was truly his destiny. JR Motorsports, the Xfinity Series team he and Kelley Earnhardt Miller have helmed since 2005,

We’re talking about both NASCAR Xfinity Series championships and some incredible seasons at Dale Earnhardt Inc. in the old Budweiser No. 8 car — including an emotional Daytona 500 triumph in 2004. Hoover was there when Earnhardt Jr.