JR Motorsports officially became part of the NASCAR Cup Series field in 2025, with Justin Allgaier finishing P9 in his No. 40 JRM Chevrolet. He raced as the highest-ranked open driver in the Duel qualifying races. This year, Dale Earnhardt Jr. wants to achieve bigger things and he’s admittedly nervous about it.
It was obvious for Dale Jr. and his sister Kelley to return to the Daytona 500, considering it the most important race of the season.
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Still, while Junior admitted to feeling nervous about trying the race again, Kelley revealed on a recent episode of The Dale Jr. Download that she wasn’t too worried about JR Motorsports’ second attempt at the 500.
Kelley said on Dirty Media, “I’m not an anxious person at all. I’m super calm. I feel like, especially when you’re going to do something for the second time, I feel more prepared, more ready. I know what to expect.”
“I know how tough it was last year against the other competitors to get into this race and everything. And so, now I have a little bit of an understanding of what we’re going to go through and what might or might not happen.”
“And I always have high expectations, obviously, to do well and compete in the race. I’m kind of that kind of person. I don’t get too excited. I have a little saying on my social media that says don’t worry about what you can’t control,” She following.
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Dale Jr., on the other hand,admitted to feeling nervous about the Daytona 500. His concern stems from Chevrolet’s redesign of the Camaro ZL1 for the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season and the unveiling of a sleeker, more aerodynamic body intended to take to the track. His concern centers on the unknowns that come with a brand new body.
Every time a manufacturer introduces a new body, it doesn’t make it to Daytona and perform better. The teams remain in discovery mode, seeking to understand what makes this body perform well on a track like this. When a manufacturer introduces a new body design, teams spend the first few races playing catch-up, trying to understand how it performs under pressure.
The challenges go beyond power and handling and include finding the sweet spot where aerodynamics meets balance. Manufacturers also tend to focus on optimizing new bodywork for the sport’s most visited tracks, which are the intermediates, which is why Junior is worried.
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