Dale Earnhardt Jr was emotional after Justin Allgaier raced the JR Motorsports car into the Daytona 500 for the first time on Feb. 13. The NASCAR legend tells why.

Where else do you go and barely make the field and cry tears of joy?” The answer is Daytona, the place that means so much to the Earnhardt family.

At the track that bursts with triumph and tragedy for his family, Earnhardt celebrated Thursday night when JR Motorsports and driver Justin Allgaier qualified for Sunday’s season-opening race.

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

Earnhardt Jr. is no stranger to having success at Daytona. The NASCAR Hall of Famer has won the Daytona 500 twice. It was an emotional night for JR Motorsports and the sport as a whole. All feels right in the NASCAR world with the team competing in the Daytona 500.

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.