By Cole Cusumano, Staff Writer
AVONDALE Ariz. – Fourteen years of resilience and determination finally propelled Justin Allgaier to becoming a NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, in what amounted to one of the greatest comeback performances in the sport’s history. From frustrations on Friday, to the elation of fulfilling a lifelong dream on Saturday, emotions ran high for one of the most beloved figures in the garage.
Surrounded by teammates, family and friends on the frontstretch under the lights at Phoenix Raceway, Allgaier stood beside his fluorescent red No. 7 Chevrolet with tears pooling in his puffy eyes. In this moment, there is a shared disbelief in the reality the 38-year-old is now a champion and how he earned it.
“It’s Christmas in November,” Allgaier said. “The emotions have gone just haywire. My wife and my kids are that, like, steady foundation that — when I’m done with the sport, I just want my kids to look back and just realize that we never quit, even when the moments didn’t look like they were going our way. And that’s what this weekend was all about. [It] didn’t go the way we wanted it to. If you could script a championship finale, it would not go through the way that we did it this weekend. I can assure you of that.”
Much like the story of his career, Allgaier was met with a seemingly infinite barrage of insurmountable adversities in his seventh bid for an elusive title. The veteran began the weekend totaling his primary car less than five minutes into practice, forcing him to start the series finale from the rear of the field in a back-up.
Less than 20 laps into the race, Allgaier flew around one-mile track and cracked the top 10, ultimately gaining 31 spots and finishing the first stage in sixth. Challenging for a top-five towards the end of the second segment, he made contact with race winner Riley Herbst and had to nurse his No. 7 to a 10th-place with a left-rear tire going down. Forced to pit, the driver for JR Motorsports surrendered his track position to prevent a catastrophe.
At the start of the final stint, Allgaier got nabbed for a restart violation and had to serve a pass-through penalty under green flag conditions. Rolling down pit road, he also got caught speeding, meaning he’d have to make another trip through the service lane, putting him almost two laps down.
While green-flag racing continued, all hope seemed lost. As the leaders began to make their supposed final pit stops, Allgaier remained on track in an effort to catch a caution and get his lap back. With less than 50 to go, he caught his big break and was effectively back in the fight for his first championship.
In the closing laps of regulation, Allgaier was able to track down reigning champion Cole Custer for the top-spot among the title contenders on fresher tires. With two laps to go, another caution waved, setting up the final round of pit stops for the leaders and an overtime finish. Following a slow service, he exited pit road behind the No. 00 and Austin Hill, setting the stage for his strongest comeback yet.
Not only did Allgaier survive a pair of double-overtime restarts, he strongly weaved his way through to the runner-up spot, making a pair of three-wide moves to secure his first NASCAR championship by six positions over Custer.
“It’s not been easy, but also it’s not been hard,” Allgaier said. “I look at some of the struggles that other drivers’ teams have. I’d be remiss if I didn’t look at how great of a race team I have, how good of race cars we bring to the racetrack every week. Yeah, when it’s hard, those are difficult moments. But it’s really all about how you persevere through those moments.
“I’ve been blessed to drive amazing race cars for the last number of years and have a threat at a championship and an opportunity to do this. Even on days like today or this weekend where it didn’t go well, we crashed in practice and then you’re starting in the back and then you have the tire go down and then you make the penalties, it’s like one thing after another.
“Those are the moments when — when I sit down 10 years from now and I’m no longer driving, tonight is going to be one that you’re going to laugh at wholeheartedly, and it is going to be one that will make this night that much more special.”
At last Justin Allgaier is a champion. Not only was his win a victory for NASCAR, but all the dreamers.
Beginning his Xfinity career driving for powerhouse Team Penske and racing in the shadow of Brad Keselowski, the driver from Spaulding, Ill., made a name for himself by being competitive by virtue of perseverance. Following a brief stint in the NASCAR Cup Series, Allgaier got a second chance at success by locking down the opportunity of a lifetime to become a part of JR Motorsports in 2016.
Nine years, 22 wins and seven Championship 4 appearances later, Allgaier has achieved the dream, all while staying true to himself. From the moment he entered NASCAR, his authenticity earned him the respect from fans and competitors alike. In a performance that served as a microcosm for his career, the driver nicknamed “Little Gator” should be regarded as an inspiration for everyone.