The reality about JR Motorsports’ 2026 Daytona 500 announcement disclosed

JR Motorsports announced its bid for the 2026 Daytona 500 with an X post, but it wasn't all smooth sailing behind the scenes. The team had accidentally leaked the news with a merchandising email sent several hours beforehand.

JRM's Justin Allgaier will return to Cup Series competition with the No.40 Chevrolet, sporting Chris Stapleton's Traveller Whiskey as the primary sponsorship. As such, the team opened its store with official Traveller Merch, and the same was featured in an email sent to subscribed fans.

At the time, there was no news of JR Motorsports' Cup return, and fans immediately took notice. JRM scrambled to control the leak by releasing a promotional video to officially announce the news.

JR Motorsports had a fairly successful bid in the 2025 Daytona 500. Although Allgaier couldn't qualify on speed, he made it through by competing in the Duel races. The 39-year-old notched up a P10 finish by race's end.

For team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr, the crown jewel event marked the start of a new ambition.

“It really was good for me … to come here and experience this to see if it was truly something that I felt like I wanted. I think this helped me understand that I do want to be here personally. I do feel like it’s what I should be striving for,” he said (via Forbes)

JR Motorsports ended the 2025 season without a title, despite having three cars in the final four. Justin Allgaier finished third, while Connor Zilisch bookended a ten-win season in second.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr. hints at JR Motorsports' redemption year in 2026

Despite the title loss, Dale Earnhardt Jr. remained optimistic about the 2026 season. In an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR radio, Earnhardt vowed to come back strong next year.

"I'm ready for next year to get started. We've got a lot of things going that we're really excited about, just ready to get back to the racetrack and redeem ourselves. You know, anytime you don't get the result you need, you can't wait to go back and try again. So, I know we'll have an off-season of hard work and dedication to try to position ourselves where we come back here and get it done next year," he said.

JR Motorsports' third championship driver, Carson Kvapil, finished the lowest among the final four contenders. Moreover, Kvapil couldn't secure enough sponsorship for 2026, leaving his driving duties split between multiple cars of the JRM stable.

Nonetheless, he'll still run a part-time schedule with the No.1 Chevrolet that he'll share with Connor Zilisch. Rodney Childers has been confirmed as the team's crew chief. Notably, Kvapil entered the sport as a champion of Earnhardt's co-owned CARS Tour Racing Series.