"I'm Honored to be a Part of This Historic Moment": Chris Stapleton Sets His Sights on the 2025 Daytona 500

The Great American Race is gearing up for another go around as preparations begin for the 2024 running of the Daytona 500.

One of the most revered weekends on the NASCAR annual calendar, this year's edition will see a special country megastar among its ranks in Chris Stapleton.

While it could be fun to imagine Stapleton doing the actual racing, the 10x Grammy award-winner has instead partnered with Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s JR Motorsports to field the operation's inaugural entry into the Daytona 500.

In partnership with Buffalo Trace Distillery, JRM will be entering their No. 40 Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet for its first running of the beloved race, with reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion Justin Allgaier behind the wheel.

The car that Allgaier will hopefully steer to victory is inspired by the Blend No. 40 utilized in every bottle of Stapleton's Traveller Whiskey, which launched in January of 2024.

“Traveller Whiskey joining JR Motorsports for their inaugural entry into the Cup Series at the DAYTONA 500 feels like a very natural partnership,” Stapleton explained. “I'm honored to be a part of this historic moment with Dale and Kelley, and excited to see Justin race the No. 40 Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet in Daytona.”

“We’ve been waiting for the right moment for JR Motorsports,” NASCAR Hall of Famer Earnhardt Jr. shared. “With Justin winning the Xfinity Series championship and Chris Stapleton’s undeniable star power, the planets aligned for this perfect opportunity to enter this year’s Daytona 500.”

Though marking the first time that Earnhardt Jr. and JRM have entered a race in the Cup Series as team-owners, the team has thus far achieved much success in the MXS, earning 88 wins and four championships with drivers Chase Elliott, William Byron, Tyler Reddick and Allgaier.

“This is an incredible honor to be driving JR Motorsports’ inaugural entry into the Cup Series, and to do it with not only Dale and Kelley, but Chris Stapleton and Traveller Whiskey makes this even more special,” Allgaier added. “Entering into the DAYTONA 500 has been a goal of this company for a long time and I know that we are going to have everything we need to go out and contend for the win. This is going to be special for sure.”

Fans will be able to catch the No. 40 Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet all week long at Daytona International Speedway beginning on Wednesday, February 12. The highly-anticipated 67th running of the Daytona 500 will commence on Sunday, February 15 at 2:30pm ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.

For more on Chris Stapleton, see below: