Dale Earnhardt Jr. was 'still nervous' watching Justin Allgaier qualify for Daytona 500 again

For the second straight year, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had to watch a car he owned try and qualify for the Daytona 500.

And for the second straight year, Justin Allgaier delivered — and this time, did so one night earlier than he did in 2025. 

Allgaier locked up a spot in Sunday's Daytona 500 on Wednesday evening by being the second-fastest of eight open cars in Daytona 500 qualifying. Unlike he did a year ago, he won't have to race his way into the "Great American Race" in his duel race on Thursday. 

That's quite the relief for the driver and car owner.

"Coming down here nervous and scared, standing out there worried, wondering if you’d run a good enough lap," Earnhardt Jr. said of the emotions of Wednesday. "I mean, that really is the payoff to being in racing and motorsports. It’s the anxiety and stuff, but it’s really enjoyable because when it works out, it’s such a great feeling."

Daytona stress didn't fade for Justin Allgaier

Allgaier, the 2024 NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series champion, said Wednesday evening was more stressful than having to race his way into the 500 in 2025. 

"I thought there would be less stress," Allgaier said. "I felt like for me the stress actually went up. I think the expectation of last year, what we were able to accomplish, the effort we put in. When you know something, you’re able to do it once, you’re able to kind of understand it, you feel like you’re going to come back in a lot better capacity. We did that."

"I think last year we made it so exciting on Thursday. It was really cool and it was special, the moment was cool, but I feel like this year I can go through the Duels and we can work on the car in a way different capacity that allows us to go for the 500 and really feel like we’re competing for a win and a great position."

Earnhardt Jr. won the Daytona 500 twice (2004, 2014) as a driver. One year after Allgaier finished ninth in JR Motorsports' first Cup Series race, he'll try to snag Earnhardt Jr. a win in the organization's second. 

For what it's worth, Earnhardt Jr., a master of superspeedway racing, does have a strategy to put forth for Allgaier on Sunday afternoon. 

"We’ll wreck the hell out of it on Sunday trying to win."

Quotes provided by NASCAR Media.