For 14 seasons and counting, Justin Allgaier has been a mainstay in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
While a championship on NASCAR’s junior circuit has eluded Allgaier, he continues to make a lasting mark on the series.
After Saturday’s triumph at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, which saw the driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet lead 119 of the 147 laps, Allgaier reached two major milestones.
With the win, the 37-year-old broke a tie with Kyle Busch for the most top-10 finishes in Xfinity Series history.
Admittedly, it was a mark Allgaier thought was impossible.
“There is not a day that I’ve thought that Kyle Busch wouldn’t have every record in the record book for its entirety,” Allgaier said. “To be able to go ahead of Kyle is really cool — on a day that we won.”
The other record, perhaps even more meaningful to Allgaier, was tying long-time team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. for 10th on the Xfinity Series all-time wins list (24 wins).
“I love the accomplishments we’ve been able to accomplish,” Allgaier began. “It’s such a cool thing to be able to tie Dale. Somebody that I respect not only as a race car driver, but as a dad, person, boss.
“I just got a lot of respect for him. I think the reason I have respect for him is because of who he is,” Allgaier continued.
“When you come to Darlington especially. This is his palace. When you walk through out there, it’s probably 90 percent Dale Jr. t-shirts. There’s good reason for that. To tie Dale was special.”
Despite a banner day, Allgaier is not hanging his hat on setting records.
He’s focused on having a positive impact on the sport.
“When I walk away from the sport, I don’t come each and every week because of those,” Allgaier said. “That’s never driven me. I’m competitive by nature. But I also, I want to leave the sport in a better place than I found it.
“I want people to remember that I have 100 percent every week and that I tried to make the sport better. That’s really what I’m worried about.
“The wins are cool, the records are cool, that’s not what’s driving me to be there.”