{"id":48978,"date":"2024-11-09T20:10:04","date_gmt":"2024-11-10T02:10:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=48978"},"modified":"2024-11-21T21:20:15","modified_gmt":"2024-11-22T03:20:15","slug":"justin-allgaier-overcomes-early-mistakes-to-win-first-nascar-xfinity-series-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/09\/justin-allgaier-overcomes-early-mistakes-to-win-first-nascar-xfinity-series-championship\/","title":{"rendered":"Justin Allgaier overcomes early mistakes to win first NASCAR Xfinity Series championship"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Justin Allgaier, driver of the #7 BRANDT Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane with retiring Xfinity Series director Wayne Auton after winning the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 09, 2024 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Meg Oliphant\/Getty<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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AVONDALE, Ariz. \u2013 In one of the most remarkable comebacks in recent memory, longtime fan favorite Justin Allgaier at last claimed the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship trophy Saturday night at Phoenix Raceway \u2013 coming from a lap-down mid-race in a back-up car to hoist the shiny hardware.<\/p>\n

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Riley Herbst, driver of the #98 Monster Energy Ford, crosses the finish line to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 09, 2024 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by James Gilbert\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Stewart-Haas Racing\u2019s Riley Herbst\u2019s No. 98 Ford passed Allgaier\u2019s No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race win on the last lap of double-overtime for his second win of the season and joined the new series champ Allgaier in twin celebratory burnouts on the front stretch of the mile-track.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said all weekend, I don\u2019t know what the plan is, but HE has a reason for everything and tonight is true of that, this is mind-blowing, it really is,\u201d said Allgaier, his voice already hoarse and strained from screaming in happiness, but the smile unshakable as his young daughters came in for a hug for dad.<\/p>\n

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Riley Herbst, driver of the #98 Monster Energy Ford, celebrates with the checkered flag after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 09, 2024 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Meg Oliphant\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThis team never gave up. [Crew chief] Jim Pohlman and his leadership skills are second to none. He told me all weekend that we were going to have a chance and we tried to give it away every way we could.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was an emotional outcome for the 38-year old Allgaier, who joked that he was just trying to make the race exciting for the fans. He has qualified for the Championship 4 seven times, finishing runner-up twice including last year.<\/p>\n

And now he could finally celebrate. Allgaier\u2019s team owners, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his sister Kelly Earnhardt Miller joined Allgaier\u2019s longtime sponsor Rick Brandt on pit road. They were overjoyed to congratulate their driver who overcame a weekend of obstacles to finally claim this historic moment \u2013 and it came on a night when the sport observed a moment of silence to honor another great champion, NASCAR Hall of Famer Bobby Allison, who passed away earlier Saturday.<\/p>\n

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Justin Allgaier, driver of the #7 BRANDT Chevrolet, celebrates with a burnout after winning the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 09, 2024 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Meg Oliphant\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

The obstacles Allgaier faced happened well before the race\u2019s green flag. His primary car was destroyed in a crash four laps into Friday\u2019s opening practice session after running over oil on track from another car that ultimately forced four drivers into back-ups for the race. The car swap meant Allgaier started last in the 38th car field Saturday night, but the always upbeat 14-year veteran of the series, had moved into the top 10 by lap 26.<\/p>\n

Then, after all that work, Allgaier was called for a re-start violation on Lap 101 and sent down pit road for a penalty \u2026 only to be called for speeding on the way out and penalized with another trip down pit road \u2013 both penalties served during green flag racing. After the penalties, Allgaier dropped to 35th on-track and was a lap down on Lap 107 of the scheduled 200-lapper.<\/p>\n

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Justin Allgaier, driver of the #7 BRANDT Chevrolet, celebrates with his father, Mike Allgaier after winning the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 09, 2024 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

He got a huge break in fortune with a caution period with 45 laps remaining \u2013 opting to stay out and get back on the lead lap. He stayed in the top-10 and worked his way forward \u2013 moving from sixth place to second on the first overtime restart. He started on the front row of the second overtime restart, but was passed on the final lap by Herbst for the race win. Allgaier\u2019s second place finish still good enough to land the championship, however.<\/p>\n

It marked the third career win for the 25-year old Las Vegas native Herbst, who crossed the line .247-second ahead of Allgaier and led a dominating 167 of the 213 laps.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew we were going to have a fast race car, these guys have been working on this race car and I knew we were going to be really really fast,\u201d said Herbst, whose SHR team is closing at the conclusion of the season. \u201cIt\u2019s been a really tough week at the shop, really emotional time. I\u2019m forever grateful to every man and woman at Stewart-Haas Racing they gave me a really fast car today and I can\u2019t thank everyone enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Justin Allgaier, driver of the #7 BRANDT Chevrolet, drives during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 09, 2024 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Meg Oliphant\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

It was actually fellow championship contender \u2013 reigning champ Cole Custer \u2013 who mounted the most consistent challenge to Herbst. He ran up front for most of the race, just off the pace of his SHR teammate and ultimately finished eighth in the No. 00 SHR Ford \u2013 his effort answered last year\u2019s title with a runner-up in this year\u2019s championship standings.<\/p>\n

The other two championship contenders, Kaulig Racing\u2019s A.J. Allmendinger and Richard Childress Racing\u2019s Austin Hill finished ninth and 10th. And as disappointed as the three title contenders were in not claiming the season championship, each conceded the night had a positive ending with their longtime competitor Allgaier finally getting that trophy after 14 years of competition in the series.<\/p>\n

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Justin Allgaier, driver of the #7 BRANDT Chevrolet, and AJ Allmendinger, driver of the #16 Celsius Chevrolet, race during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 09, 2024 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really happy for Justin, that was a long time coming,\u201d said Custer, who will compete in the NASCAR Cup Series fulltime next season. \u201cHe\u2019s definitely a deserving champion and they ran a great race, especially there at the end.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hill, making his first Championship 4 appearance, agreed with the sentiment.<\/p>\n

\u201cJustin Allgaier has been doing this for a really long time and to see him finally get it done, I\u2019m really happy for him and happy for his family,\u201d he said. \u201cHe\u2019s a great guy to be around, a great competitor.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s going to be a great champion for the Xfinity Series. I\u2019ve enjoyed racing that 7 team all season long. If I couldn\u2019t have gotten the championship, I\u2019m glad he was the one that got it done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Interviews:<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

NXS Champion – Justin Allgaier (No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet) –<\/p>\n

NXS Championship Winning Team – Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Team Owner, JR Motorsports), Kelley Earnhardt Miller (Team Owner, JR Motorsports), Jim Pohlman (Crew Chief, No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet) –<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/PHX2NXSDaleEarnhardtKelleyEarnhardtMillerJimPohlman.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

 <\/p>\n

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NASCAR Xfinity Series Race \u2013 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship<\/strong><\/p>\n

Phoenix Raceway<\/strong><\/p>\n

Avondale, Arizona<\/strong><\/p>\n

Saturday, November 9, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. (3)  Riley Herbst, Ford, 213.<\/li>\n
  2. (37)  Justin Allgaier (P), Chevrolet, 213.<\/li>\n
  3. (38)  Aric Almirola (P), Toyota, 213.<\/li>\n
  4. (21)  Connor Zilisch, Chevrolet, 213.<\/li>\n
  5. (4)  Chandler Smith, Toyota, 213.<\/li>\n
  6. (6)  Jesse Love #, Chevrolet, 213.<\/li>\n
  7. (2)  Sheldon Creed, Toyota, 213.<\/li>\n
  8. (7)  Cole Custer (P), Ford, 213.<\/li>\n
  9. (9)  AJ Allmendinger (P), Chevrolet, 213.<\/li>\n
  10. (5)  Austin Hill (P), Chevrolet, 213.<\/li>\n
  11. (8)  Sam Mayer, Chevrolet, 213.<\/li>\n
  12. (17)  Shane Van Gisbergen #, Chevrolet, 213.<\/li>\n
  13. (1)  William Sawalich(i), Toyota, 213.<\/li>\n
  14. (31)  Parker Kligerman, Chevrolet, 213.<\/li>\n
  15. (15)  Sammy Smith, Chevrolet, 213.<\/li>\n
  16. (16)  Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 213.<\/li>\n
  17. (13)  Daniel Dye(i), Chevrolet, 213.<\/li>\n
  18. (33)  Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, 213.<\/li>\n
  19. (24)  Dylan Lupton, Ford, 213.<\/li>\n
  20. (22)  Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 213.<\/li>\n
  21. (32)  Josh Bilicki, Chevrolet, 213.<\/li>\n
  22. (25)  Blaine Perkins, Ford, 213.<\/li>\n
  23. (23)  Ryan Sieg, Ford, 213.<\/li>\n
  24. (28)  Brennan Poole, Chevrolet, 213.<\/li>\n
  25. (20)  Ryan Ellis, Chevrolet, 213.<\/li>\n
  26. (11)  Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 213.<\/li>\n
  27. (34)  Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 213.<\/li>\n
  28. (30)  Patrick Emerling, Chevrolet, 212.<\/li>\n
  29. (29)  Kyle Sieg, Ford, 212.<\/li>\n
  30. (36)  Garrett Smithley, Ford, 212.<\/li>\n
  31. (26)  Leland Honeyman #, Chevrolet, 210.<\/li>\n
  32. (27)  Dawson Cram(i), Chevrolet, 209.<\/li>\n
  33. (19)  Josh Williams, Chevrolet, 208.<\/li>\n
  34. (10)  Parker Retzlaff, Chevrolet, Accident, 204.<\/li>\n
  35. (18)  Jeffrey Earnhardt(i), Toyota, Engine, 169.<\/li>\n
  36. (12)  Anthony Alfredo, Chevrolet, Accident, 152.<\/li>\n
  37. (35)  Greg Van Alst, Chevrolet, Suspension, 108.<\/li>\n
  38. (14)  Stefan Parsons(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 61.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Average Speed of Race Winner:  88.545 mph.<\/p>\n

    Time of Race:  2 Hrs, 24 Mins, 20 Secs. Margin of Victory:  0.247 Seconds.<\/p>\n

    Caution Flags:  7 for 53 laps.<\/p>\n

    Lead Changes:  21 among 8 drivers.<\/p>\n

    Lap Leaders:   W. Sawalich(i) 0;S. Creed 1-6;R. Herbst 7;S. Creed 8-9;R. Herbst 10-49;J. Allgaier (P) 50;R. Herbst 51-54;C. Custer (P) 55-59;R. Herbst 60-78;J. Allgaier (P) 79;S. Creed 80-89;R. Herbst 90-145;C. Custer (P) 146-147;S. Creed 148-149;D. Dye(i) 150-151;P. Kligerman 152-153;R. Herbst 154-199;J. Allgaier (P) 200;A. Hill (P) 201-205;J. Love # 206-211;J. Allgaier (P) 212;R. Herbst 213.<\/p>\n

    Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led):  Riley Herbst 7 times for 167 laps; Sheldon Creed 4 times for 20 laps; Cole Custer (P) 2 times for 7 laps; Jesse Love # 1 time for 6 laps; Austin Hill (P) 1 time for 5 laps; Justin Allgaier (P) 4 times for 4 laps; Daniel Dye(i) 1 time for 2 laps; Parker Kligerman 1 time for 2 laps.<\/p>\n

    Stage #1 Top Ten: 98,81,18,21,1,7,00,19,20,2<\/p>\n

    Stage #2 Top Ten: 98,18,20,2,00,88,16,1,19,7<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service AVONDALE, Ariz. \u2013 In one of the most remarkable comebacks in recent memory, longtime fan favorite Justin Allgaier at last claimed the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship trophy Saturday night at Phoenix Raceway \u2013 coming from a lap-down mid-race in a back-up car to hoist the shiny hardware. Stewart-Haas […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":676,"featured_media":48997,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[394,16,181,395],"class_list":["post-48978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-justin-allgaier","tag-nascar","tag-nascar-xfinity-series","tag-phoenix-raceway"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/GettyImages-2183934230-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1706&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-cJY","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48978","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/676"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48978"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48978\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49000,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48978\/revisions\/49000"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48978"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48978"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48978"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}