A second attempt at a prestigious race feels like a privilege. The same must have been the case for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s O’Reilly Auto Parts team, JR Motorsports. After finishing 9th in the 2025 Daytona 500, the team felt a boost in confidence. It was determined to be in a winning posture in 2026 – but this drive escalated to chaos. And Dale Jr. could not help but call out his driver’s actions.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. shifts the blame to his driver

“I’m not saying that Justin has no fault in it; Justin is 100% responsible for this. If Denny has any fault in it, it’s very, very minimal,” Dale Earnhardt Jr. said in a Dale Jr Download episode. “His mistake was allowing himself to get pushed too far, and not understanding how to not let that happen, how to not allow his car to get so far out, and let it nose over, and those guys came at him at 10 miles per hour. It was a series of unfortunate circumstances.”

The 68th running of the Daytona 500 had its fair share of chaos, in which Justin Allgaier stood out. Wheeling the No. 40 Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet, Dale Earnhardt Jr.‘s driver was leading around lap 124. That was when Hamlin aggressively tried to pass Allgaier on Turn 4. In response, Allgaier threw what FOX Sports’ Clint Bowyer called a “lazy” block.

The collision of Hamlin and Allgaier’s cars resulted in collecting a huge chunk of the field. Although Hamlin could continue, this ‘Big One’ ended the race for Allgaier, along with Alex Bowman and Todd Gilliland.

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Denny Hamlin publicly wanted to share the blame for the pile-up with Justin Allgaier. Kevin Harvick blamed the situation on Allgaier’s inexperience in the NASCAR Cup Series. However, his own team owner, Dale Jr., chose to blame him for the aggression.

This should serve as a good lesson for Justin Allgaier’s future plans in the Cup Series. Stay tuned for more updates!