It’s almost uncanny.
Justin Allgaier, the driver who has been snake-bitten so many times in his quest to capture a NASCAR Xfinity Series championship, is already on the back foot, after a freak incident in Friday’s practice.
The JR Motorsports driver was involved in a multi-car accident in the opening minutes of practice, which started when Brennan Poole’s No. 44 broke a driveshaft, laying fluid down all over the racetrack.
As those running behind Poole dove into the first corner, there was absolutely nothing that could be done, with several drivers sliding into the outside SAFER Barrier and severely damaging their racecars.
Trouble strikes early for a #Championship4 driver!@J_Allgaier is involved in an incident during the opening moments of practice.
?: @USANetwork pic.twitter.com/2PLan94tHI
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) November 8, 2024
Justin Allgaier, Aric Almirola, Brandon Jones, Parker Kligerman, Shane Van Gisbergen, and Dawson Cram all got a piece of the incident and were forced to return to the garage to do damage repair.
Allgaier, one of the four drivers involved in this season’s championship fight, was forced to unload his backup car. Luckily, that backup was, for the most part, fully prepared, and the driver of the No. 7 got to make another 15-lap run.
“[It’s] just motivation,” Allgaier told NBC Sports after the accident. “This was the same spot as the Spring that I was in the wall, so it’s pretty disappointing. But, the peaks don’t come without the valleys and I know what kind of a race team we have, and I know everyone back at JR Motorsports is rooting us on.”
Since Allgaier joined JR Motorsports for an Xfinity Series return in 2016, the Riverton, Illinois native has been the poster child for consistency, recording six top-five point finishes in the last eight seasons, with a seventh guaranteed after Saturday’s event.
That consistency has come with some painfully close calls, also, including a pair of runner-up points finishes in 2020 and 2023, as well as four third-place points finishes, which came in 2011, 2016, 2017, and 2022.
It’s those close calls that have enacted Allgaier to approach Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix with an entirely new approach.
“I think in some ways I’m a little bit angry at myself for getting here so many times and not being able to do it, whereas this year is just a little bit different,” Allgaier said. “Not that I don’t care about the weekend per se, but I’ve kind of just tried to look at this as just like another race.”
“I’m probably more excited for this weekend than I’ve ever been because I’m not really focused on the championship side of things.”
The 38-year-old driver will take that unconventional strategy to Phoenix Raceway on Saturday, one of his best racetracks. In 28 starts at the racetrack, Allgaier has recorded two wins, 10 top-five, and 18 top-10 finishes, with 596 laps led and an average finish of 10.0.
“It’s Phoenix, and we’ve executed here,” Allgaier said. “We’ve won here. The way to a championship, we’ve already accomplished all of those here. So, now we just got to go have fun and I think that we can easily do that and enjoy this weekend. I don’t care about the other three, I don’t care about the other 37. I care about the No. 7 car and how I do I do the best job for them and go win the race.”
Since JR Motorsports elected to unload the backup car for Allgaier to use in Saturday’s 200-lap contest at Phoenix Raceway, the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro will start shotgun on the field, no matter where he qualifies.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway will take place on Saturday, November 9 at 7:30 PM ET. Coverage will be live on The CW, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).
