Justin Allgaier finally got the monkey off his back and won the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship, but it came in unconventional fashion.
Allgaier crashed during practice for the Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway and started 37th.
He was then assessed a pitlane speeding penalty and fell two laps of the pace. But the driver of the JR Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet never gave up.
Allgaier made up both laps and finished second to Riley Herbst at the one-mile oval, claiming the championship in his 14th season in the series.
It was an emotional night for the NASCAR veteran.
“Having all of them here tonight and to celebrate and to be a part of it is like — there are no words,” Allgaier beamed. “My in-laws were here and I had, I don’t know how many people here. Campbell probably would know. I feel like it was 100. People just kept showing up to get pictures and I was like, ‘I forgot they were here.’ I forgot they were here, too. Then obviously the Brandts had tons of people outside. Just really, really special.
“This is something for me that again, my wife is the reason why I’m still doing this and my kids are the reason that I want to show them the resiliency of just never quit.”
Allgaier, 38, won twice and earned 10 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes en route to the championship.
Cole Custer, who won the title in 2023, was second in the standings with a pair of victories, while A.J. Allmendinger, Austin Hill and Chandler Smith completed the top five.
The Points
- Justin Allgaier 4,035
- Cole Custer 4,029
- A.J. Allmendinger 4,028
- Austin Hill 4,027
- Chandler Smith 2,314
- Sheldon Creed 2,264
- Riley Herbst 2,254
- Jesse Love 2,247
- Sam Mayer 2,205
- Parker Kligerman 2,0190
Winners
Austin Hill 4
Sam Mayer 3
Shane van Gisbergen 3
Aric Almirola 3
Justin Allgaier 2
Cole Custer 2
Chandler Smith 2
Riley Herbst 2
Ryan Truex 2
John Hunter Nemechek 2
Christopher Bell 2
A.J. Allmendinger 1
Jesse Love 1
Sammy Smith 1
Connor Zilisch 1
Kyle Larson 1
Chase Elliott 1
