JR Motorsports finally made their long-awaited NASCAR Cup Series debut in the 2025 season-opening Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, and they did so with Justin Allgaier behind the wheel of the No. 40 Chevrolet.
Allgaier, who won last year's Xfinity Series championship for the Dale Earnhardt Jr.-owned team, qualified for the Daytona 500 on the strength of his result in his Duel at Daytona race; the No. 40 Chevrolet was not already locked into the field since it is not a chartered entry.
Allgaier placed ninth in his Duel race, which ordinarily would have netted him two points, and he finished Sunday's 201-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) high-banked Daytona Beach, Florida oval in ninth as well, which would have netted him 28 more.
So why was Allgaier officially scored with zero points in the Daytona 500?
As a full-time Xfinity Series driver, Allgaier is ineligible for Cup Series points. Allgaier can only score points while behind the wheel of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet in the Xfinity Series, so he was credited with zero points in the Daytona 500 as opposed to the 30 he would have scored.
The same restriction does not apply to the No. 40 team, however. Even though JR Motorsports compete full-time in the Xfinity Series and have no plans to compete full-time in the Cup Series this year, the No. 40 team did officially leave the "World Center of Racing" with 30 points to their credit in the owner standings.
That tally is good for 13th place, which actually has the team above the provisional playoff cut line. Having said that, the team is not playoff eligible since it is not a full-time team; neither is the team in eighth place, the No. 84 Legacy Motor Club team, after Jimmie Johnson's third place effort in the "Great American Race".
JR Motorsports have not entered their No. 40 Chevrolet in this Sunday afternoon's Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, and their future Cup Series plans remain up in the air. Fox is set to provide live coverage beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET, so begin a free trial of FuboTV now and don't miss it!