Justin Allgaier, Brandt Show Partner Loyalty By Winning 2024 Xfinity Series Championship
When Justin Allgaier moved back to the Nascar Xfinity Series in 2016 with JR Motorsports following a two-year Cup Series stint, he immediately became a championship favorite.
But six times, Allgaier failed at his task when presented with the opportunity to take home the series' top crown in the final race of the season.
"For the last 10 years, I said I want to win for the people behind me," Allgaier said. "I failed at that six times before."
Last weekend, however, Allgaier succeeded and captured his first Nascar Xfinity Series championship trophy for JR Motorsports. He overcame being a lap down late in the race and rallied from the back of the field to finish second in Saturday evening's race at Phoenix Raceway. It was enough to score JR Motorsports' first series title since 2018.
The tears of joy in his post-race interview with Nascar on NBC showed just how meaningful this triumph is for the 38-year-old racer, who wrapped up his 14th full-time season in the Xfinity Series.
"I crossed the white flag, trying to be as calm and calculated as possible," he explained. "Riley [Herbst] had a run and my team was on me that the race win didn't matter. As much as I wanted to win and have the walk-off, if we made contact, you could lose the championship.
"The emotion of being in this moment so many times — racing for this opportunity so many times — that's your dream. We walked out of there as champions. To walk out of there as the driver and owner champion, there's nothing like that experience. I never had anything like that in my time in Nascar."
The two drivers already had contact earlier in the race, cutting Allgaier's left-rear tire nearing the conclusion of Stage 2.
Allgaier, who had two wins in 2024 with 20 top 10s, endured a tense season with JR Motorsports. His team constantly had speed, winning a series-high 16 stage victories (more than double the second highest on the list) but something would hinder his chances at a victory. With 25 career wins, sole possession of 10th on the all-time wins list, he was never worried about his legacy. But he desperately wanted to overcome the heartbreak of years past to win it all.
Now, he can breathe, knowing he will always be labeled as a champion.
The championship is also the first owner's title for JR Motorsports, co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his sister, Kelley Earnhardt-Miller.
"When you walk into the four walls of JR Motorsports, the majority of the employees are the same employees who were there when I started 10 years ago," Allgaier said. "We just have a great race team."
Since 2011, Allgaier has been supported by Brandt, an agricultural firm based in his hometown of Springfield, Illinois. The company backed Allgaier during his two-year tenure at the Cup level with HScott Motorsports before returning to the Xfinity Series.
"Rick Brandt and I grew up on opposite sides of Springfield, Illinois," Allgaier said. "Central Illinois is such a tight-knit community. To have that on my shoulders and represent Central Illinois on the global stage is really special to me."
Of course, after Allgaier had an outstanding run earlier this year as Kyle Larson's replacement – Larson couldn't return to Charlotte in time for the green flag after finishing 18th in the Indianapolis 500 – in the No. 5 car during the Coca-Cola 600, his confidence has been high. However, he is not necessarily eyeing a return to full-time Cup racing.
"I've been really fortunate to drive for Mr. Penske at the start of my career and then have the opportunity to be a fill-in driver for Mr. Hendrick and do testing for them," Allgaier said. "They're two gentlemen that I put right up there with my father. To drive that No. 5 car, it was definitely a turning point for me.
"Would I love to have the opportunity to go back to the Cup Series, whether it be one race, 10, 15 or a full season? Absolutely. I feel like I have the talent and ability to do it. At the same time, to do that is to walk away from the situation I'm in now. When I look at the opportunity I have today, I have a great race team and partners that will support me until the end of the road. Dale understands me and the sport really well."
Allgaier didn't even have much of a break after his championship victory. He was back in the Chevrolet simulator this week, and his No. 7 team conducted a Goodyear tire test at Rockingham Speedway, along with Sheldon Creed and former JRM teammate Brandon Jones.
The journey of trying to win consecutive championships is already underway.
