Dale Earnhardt Jr. reflects on his first experience as a NASCAR Cup Series team owner at the 2024 Daytona 500, describing it as "everything" and "awesome" on his recent podcast.

Justin Allgaier drove the JR Motorsports entry to a ninth-place finish after qualifying through Thursday night's duel race. Earnhardt was fully immersed in the experience, from helping unload the car at 6 a.m. Wednesday to communicating with Allgaier from the pit box during the race.

The team owner collected meaningful mementos from the historic weekend, including spark plugs from both the duel and race engines. The partnership with Chris Stapleton's Traveller Whiskey brand proved successful, with Earnhardt open to running additional superspeedway races if sponsorship materializes.

Regarding future Cup Series involvement, Earnhardt acknowledged downplaying his interest previously but faces significant financial hurdles. He estimates being comfortable investing $5-10 million personally but notes that a full-time operation would require:

• Additional partnership investment
• A charter (currently valued around $40 million)
• The right strategic partner alignment

For now, Earnhardt remains focused on JR Motorsports' successful Xfinity Series program, which he considers to feature the best racing. While the Daytona 500 experience exceeded expectations, he's cautious about taking risks with his established team.

"It did give me a sense of what being in that garage is like, and it's cool," Earnhardt concluded. "It ain't no joke, man. It's cool. It's badass to be at that level."

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