The big debut nearly got leaked! Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team JR Motorsports recently revealed that it was aiming to make its Cup Series debut at the season-opening Daytona 500 race. Country singer Chris Stapleton’s brand Travellers Whiskey will sponsor the effort, with Xfinity Series champion Justin Allgaier driving the No. 40 Chevy at ‘The Great American Race’. The announcement was arguably the biggest one in the team’s history, but a blunder nearly revealed the information prematurely.
Speaking to his sister Kelley Earnhardt-Miller, Dale Jr. candidly disclosed how their entire marketing plan almost went wrong because of a website mishap. Thankfully, the issue was rectified almost immediately, resulting in no harm done concerning the announcement.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. expresses relief despite marketing blunder
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It’s a dream come true for Dale Earnhardt Jr. The veteran racer owns JR Motorsports along with his sister Kelley Earnhardt-Miller and Rick Hendrick, and the team has developed into a powerhouse in the Xfinity Series. Driving the No. 7 Chevy, Justin Allgaier won the championship in NASCAR’s second tier, the fourth title the team has won since 2008. However, Junior has always had his eyes on the Cup Series, but expensive charters were a recurring stumbling block in making his ambitions a reality. That was until Travellers Whiskey came into the picture to sponsor a one-off race with JRM.
Despite a big reveal being planned to announce the news, the information almost got leaked prematurely. Revealing the details on the Dale Jr. Download podcast, the veteran driver said, “There was a quick moment a couple of days ago where our website went live with a sweepstakes or some part component of this whole marketing plan with the car, and Justin and Chris Stapleton. I know that our team was like, ‘Oh no, get that back behind closed doors’. I sat there and looked on the internet all day long waiting for the first person. The one person that saw it, found it, and screenshotted it and was like, ‘Hey, what’s this?’ It didn’t happen.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. got lucky. To get away with such a blunder in the Internet age is quite an achievement, with news spreading far and wide on social media instantly. The leaked information would have ruined JR Motorsports’ marketing plan for the announcement, which was arguably the biggest NASCAR-related news that was shared during the offseason. However, all’s well that ends well as the team was able to execute their plan perfectly, despite the occasional hiccups along the way.
USA Today via Reuters NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Ford EcoBoost 400-Practice, Nov 17, 2017 Homestead, FL, USA NASCAR Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. 88 speaks during a press conference, PK, Pressekonferenz before practice for the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homstead-Miami Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports, 17.11.2017 10:16:11, 10418624, Dale Earnhardt Jr, Ford EcoBoost 400, Ford EcoBoost 400-Practice, NASCAR PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJasenxVinlovex 10418624
Now that the announcement is out of the way, JR Motorsports will be focusing on qualifying for the Daytona 500. With the absence of a charter, Justin Allgaier will be competing in the ‘open’ category for ‘The Great American Race’. The 38-year-old will need to post a fast time during the qualifying or ace the Duel races to secure one of the four available spots or claim a transfer position. The expectations will be high from the North Carolina native, particularly after his historic Xfinity Series triumph last year.
Until 2024, Justin Allgaier was touted as the ‘Denny Hamlin of the Xfinity Series’. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver has amassed the most Cup Series wins (54) without a championship and Allgaier was going down a similar path. 2024 marked his 7th appearance in the Championship 4 after falling short in each of his last 6 attempts. However, despite restart penalties, crashing out in practice, and going down a lap, Allgaier willed his way through the field to secure the championship in historic fashion. As he prepares for his Cup Series entry with JRM, Kelley Earnhardt elaborated on the meticulous planning that went into place to keep his participation under wraps.
Kelley Earnhardt-Miller reveals uncertainty ahead of announcement
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It was never going to be easy. When Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team was making plans to reveal their Cup Series debut, there were plenty of things they were forced to keep in mind. Whether it’s the marketing strategy surrounding the reveal or the sponsorship requirements from Stapleton’s Travellers Whiskey, a lot of coordination was required to pull off a reveal of such a magnitude. JR Motorsports competing in NASCAR’s premier series has always been Dale Jr.’s ambition, and the 50-year-old along with his sister wanted their plan to work flawlessly leading up to the announcement.
Sharing some of the challenges they faced ahead of the big reveal, Kelley Earnhardt-Miller said, “One of the interesting things, that probably the average fan doesn’t think about that we had to juggle is point-of-sale stuff in the stores, that sell products like High Rock and Travellers and the timing of all that around the announcement. When that stuff goes in the stores because they had to ship that material, put everything together, websites, all the POS (Point of Sale) materials and stuff that will go into the stores and then hope store managers and people like that just leave it in the backroom until we announce the whole program you know.”
Revealing how nervous she was, Kelley Earnhardt-Miller went on to say, “It’s like, ‘Oh gosh, please let this work’. Like we hope it’s going to work. You got to be prepared.” Ultimately, it all came together, much to Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his sister’s relief. Remembering the little details leading up to the announcement would have undoubtedly been a stressful process for the duo, who will now shift their attention to qualifying for the race itself. Could this one-off event pave the way for more Cup Series appearances for JR Motorsports? Dale Jr. would certainly hope so.