DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — His left hand clenched into a fist, his body frozen in anticipation, Dale Earnhardt Jr. stared at the large video board and watched history.
As the frenzied final laps of Thursday’s first qualifying race came to a close at Daytona International Speedway, Justin Allgaier was in position to give Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kelley Earnhardt something they had never experienced — having a car in the Daytona 500.
It was Jan. 15 that JR Motorsports, the reigning champion in the Xfinity Series, announced it would field a Cup car for the first time and attempt to make the Daytona 500. The team does not have a Cup charter and was one of eight cars vying for four open spots in the 500. (Helio Castroneves, in a ninth non-charter car, was guaranteed a starting spot via a new provisional rule NASCAR announced before the season).
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As Allgaier raced to the finish, Earnhardt pumped his fist. And then yelled.
Earnhardt turned to his right, stood and leaned forward atop the team’s pit box so he could watch Allgaier reach the finish in a race won by Bubba Wallace. When Allgaier took the checkered flag ninth — to secure a starting spot in Sunday’s Daytona 500 — Earnhardt froze and fell back into his seat.
He quickly bounced up and hugged sister Kelley and her husband L.W. Miller, all three shaking in a tight embrace.
“Where else do you go and barely make the field and cry tears of joy? Nowhere,” Earnhardt later said. “There’s some relief, but this is incredible. I think that helps you measure the importance of the race and how big it is to me.”
Earnhardt headed to pit road to celebrate with Allgaier at the team’s No. 40 car. The closer he got to the car, Earnhardt picked up his pace and began to run to Allgaier.
“Man, we have kind of tried to downplay how badly we want to race in the Cup Series,” Earnhardt said. “At least I have. It’s like one of them things where you are like, ‘Man, if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.’
“… But man, we got here, and we got a taste of it. Holy moly, (Wednesday) was so disappointing (not earning a starting spot via qualifying speed). I didn’t know exactly how badly I wanted to do this or wanted to be a part of something like this until we started going through it.”
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Allgaier was one of five non-chartered cars in the first qualifying race. Martin Truex Jr. was guaranteed a starting spot because he was the fastest of the non-chartered cars in Wednesday’s qualifying. Allgaier, Yeley, Castroneves and Chandler Smith sought to make the 500 through the first qualifying race.
Smith was running in third — best among the non-chartered cars on Lap 15 of the 60-lap race but he was involved in a crash after contact with Justin Haley. Allgaier rammed into the back of Yeley’s car as the field slowed to avoid the incident.
Allgaier dove to the inside underneath Smith’s spinning car and then moved up the track as Yeley slid off course.
Smith was out. Castroneves also was eliminated in the accident. That left Truex, Allgaier and Yeley among the non-chartered cars.
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If Truex finished best among the three, he would make the 500 through this race and not by his qualifying lap from Wednesday. That would put Allgaier — who was third quick among the non-chartered cars in qualifying — into the Daytona 500. Or Allgaier could finish best among those three remaining cars to make the 500.
The only way Allgaier would not make the Daytona 500 was if Yeley finished ahead of him.
With four laps to go, Yeley ran 11th, Truex was 14th and Allgaier 15th.
“Got to go,” crew chief Greg Ives said on the team’s radio.
Allgaier went to the top lane to go three-wide. Michael McDowell, Josh Berry behind pushing him. In Turn 3, Yeley was on the inside, Truex in the middle and Allgaier on the top lane.
They crossed the line three abreast. Two laps remained.
“The last two laps, I didn’t think we were in a good spot,” Earnhardt said. “I didn’t think there was a third groove. I didn’t think anyone would want to go out there with us. It was tried a couple of times in the race, didn’t look very good.
“Our car was a little sluggish at points, but Justin didn’t have any other choice. He went up there and got some help and made it work. I’m just thankful.”
Yeley lost his help behind on the bottom lane and faded, as Allgaier moved ahead.
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“I saw those guys go by and just almost abandon ship,” Yeley said. “I had (Ricky Stenhouse Jr.) push me. I thought, man, if it gets crazy in the back straightaway, the bottom always prevails. But I lost a bit of my help, and at that point I was hoping there would be more carnage off of (Turn 4). Didn’t get it.”
It almost happened.
As Allgaier ran eighth — in a spot to make the Daytona 500 — trouble lurked.
Ty Dillon, running second, went to the high line but his move was late. AJ Allmendinger was charging at the front of that line. They hit and Dillon turned into the wall. Allmendinger slowed and Allgaier, running behind Allmendinger, did as well. Such chain-reaction moments often lead to accidents but not this time.
Allgaier was in the Daytona 500. As was Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kelley Earnhardt as car owners.
“I cannot wait for Sunday, and we have a freaking Xfinity race to run,” Earnhardt said, noting the four cars JR Motorsports will field in Saturday’s Xfinity race. “That’s going to be awesome. But we get to push a car on the grid Sunday for the first time ever and the biggest, most important race that I’ve ever known, and I can’t wait.”
