TRACK – Daytona International Speedway (2.5-mile superspeedway)
NCS RACE – DAYTONA 500 (200 laps / 500 miles)
TUNE IN – FOX, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90, HBO Max at 2:30 p.m. (ET)
- JR Motorsports and 11-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and musician Chris Stapleton, will be making their return to the NASCAR Cup Series for the 2026 running of the DAYTONA 500. Following a historic top-10 finish in their maiden voyage in “The Great American Race,” this successful pairing, in conjunction once again with Buffalo Trace Distillery, will field a Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet for the second time in JRM’s illustrious history. In a nod to the signature Blend No. 40 found in in every bottle of Traveller, the team will again field the No. 40 car driven by 2024 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Champion Justin Allgaier, who will return behind the wheel for JRM’s DAYTONA 500 entry.
- Allgaier scored a hard-fought top-10 finish in last season’s running of the DAYTONA 500, taking the checkered flag in ninth.
- Allgaier previously made starts in the DAYTONA 500 in 2014 and 2015, respectively.
- JRM’s quest for the DAYTONA 500 marks the second time that Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kelley Earnhardt-Miller have entered a race in the Cup Series as team-owners. Under their leadership in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, JRM has been a pillar of success, earning 105 wins, a record 17 of which coming during the 2025 season, and four championships with drivers Chase Elliott, William Byron, Tyler Reddick and most recently with Allgaier.
Justin Allgaier: “This weekend in Daytona is going to be an extremely special time. To have the opportunity to once again be behind the wheel of a JR Motorsports Cup car is truly amazing. Everyone has been working their tails off on our Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet and I know that we are going to have the speed we need to be locked in. Once we accomplish that, I know that we are going to be contenders. Both on Saturday with our BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet and on Sunday. It’s truly going to be a great time, beginning with our BRANDT Chevrolet telling the story of how corn is utilized to make whiskey to then build up to our Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet taking the green flag. I just can’t say thank you enough to everyone involved. Traveller Whiskey, Dale (Earnhardt Jr.), Kelley (Earnhardt-Miller), Chris Stapleton, Rick Brandt and everyone at JRM for all their hard work to get us to this point. We’ve always had strong superspeedway cars and between Andrew (Overstreet, crew chief No. 7) and Greg (Ives, crew chief No. 40), I know that we are going to have a great shot for an incredible weekend.”
JR Motorsports O’Reilly Auto Parts Team Preview
TRACK – Daytona International Speedway (2.5-mile superspeedway)
NOAPS RACE – United Rentals 300 (120 laps / 300 miles)
TUNE IN – CW, MRN, SiriusXM Channel 90 at 5:00 p.m. (ET)
- Carson Kvapil will kick off his sophomore season in the NOAPS at Daytona after finishing his rookie season in fourth in the Championship standings.
- This will be the 22-year-old Mooresville natives third start at Daytona where he has amassed one top-five and two top-10s with a best finish of fourth in this race last season.
- In nine career starts on tracks two miles and greater, Kvapil has two top-five and five top-10 finishes with his best finish being a runner-up at Talladega in the fall of 2025.
- Bass Pro Shops will continue to ride along with Kvapil in 2026 with their first of 13 primaries this weekend.
- Allgaier kicks off his quest for a second NOAPS title at “The World Center of Racing” with cornerstone partner BRANDT Professional Agriculture onboard his No. 7 Chevrolet.
- In 30 career NOAPS starts at Daytona, Allgaier has earned one win, nine top fives and 15 top 10s.
- Allgaier’s lone victory at the famed superspeedway came in dramatic fashion, as the JRM driver captured the checkered flag in a photo finish during the summer event in 2023.
- The Illinois native enters the 2026 NOAPS campaign fresh off three wins, 15 top-fives, 20 top-10s and a third-place finish in the championship standings in 2025.
- Sammy Smith’s third season with JRM gets underway this Saturday at Daytona.
- Smith has seven starts on the 2.5-mile superspeedway in his NOAPS career. He has qualified in the top five three times and has a best finish of second, coming in the fall of 2025.
- The 21-year-old put together his best NOAPS season yet in 2025. Smith tallied one win, eight top-fives and 18 top-10s.
- Daytona will be the first race that Smith and his new crew chief, Cory Shea will be working together. Shea sat on top the No. 9 box in a part-time capacity in 2025, earning two wins in the process.
- Pilot will share the TV panel with R&J Trucking, a leader in the bulk commodities hauling industry. It is an Ohio-based company which has been providing reliable and timely deliveries since 1960.
- Rajah Caruth begins the 2026 season with a fresh outlook as he joins the NASCAR O’Reilly Series full time for the first time in his career, opening the year in the United Rentals 300 at Daytona.
- Caruth steps into the series following a successful 2025 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series campaign that saw the young driver score one win, five top-fives and 13 top-10s.
- Daytona presents an early opportunity for Caruth, who has three NCTS starts at the track, highlighted by a third-place finish in 2024.
- Caruth begins the 2026 season under the tutelage of crew chief Mardy Lindley. Lindley previously served as Connor ZIlisch’s crew chief in 2025.
Carson Kvapil: “I am excited to kick off my sophomore season with JRM at Daytona this weekend. I’m really looking forward to seeing what this No. 1 team can do in 2026. I know Rodney Childers and this group are going to give me a fast car in Daytona and all season long. It will be important to keep the car clean and be around at the end of the race. With my first full time season under my belt, I feel a lot more confident. It will be important to build off that confidence from last year and start strong in 2026. I can’t thank Johnny Morris and everyone at Bass Pro Shops enough for their continued support. It wouldn’t be possible without them.”
Sammy Smith: “I’m ready to get the 2026 season started at Daytona with this No. 8 Pilot Chevrolet team. We’ve been putting in the work this offseason and I’m looking forward to seeing what comes of it under the leadership of my new crew chief, Cory Shea. He worked with great drivers last year on the No. 9 car so I know there’s a lot I can learn from him. Cory doesn’t get worked up, he stays pretty even in different situations and I think that’s what I need. We finished one spot outside of Victory Lane last fall at Daytona so we’re looking for that redemption Saturday.”
Rajah Caruth: “Daytona is one of those races where preparation and teamwork matter more than anything. Starting the season strong would mean a lot for me and everyone at HendrickCars.com, JR Motorsports, and the whole No. 88 team. Mr. H and Ms. Linda have given me incredible support, and working with Mardy Lindley and this group gives me a lot of confidence heading into the weekend. Superspeedway racing always brings challenges, but our focus is staying smart, keeping the car clean, and putting ourselves in position at the end. If we do that, we’ll have a shot when it counts.”
JRM Team Updates
- JR Motorsports at Daytona International Speedway: JR Motorsports has competed at Daytona
International Speedway, the organization’s winningest track, a combined 124 times in the NOAPS. In those starts at the 2.5-mile superspeedway, the organization has recorded nine wins, 33 top-fives and 51 top-10s. The average finish is 15.8. - Souvenir Rig: JRM drivers Carson Kvapil, Justin Allgaier, Sammy Smith, Rajah Caruth and Wyatt Miller will be signing autographs at the JR Motorsports / Legacy MC souvenir rig on Saturday, Feb. 14 from 1:40 p.m. to 2:10 p.m. ET.