By Caleb Whisler, Staff Writer
Justin Allgaier had the opportunity to score his fourth victory of Bristol Motor Speedway on a late race restart but getting loose cost him that opportunity.
Allgaier had struggled with his No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet through most of the night at Bristol. The problem for the veteran driver was finding the perfect balance, but luckily his pit crew worked to make the car better throughout the night.
“We struggled all night. We never got the balance where we wanted it. These guys did an awesome job in the pits. I knew the 42 (Kyle Larson) was faster. Christopher (Bell) did everything could do there. He got me loose, but I didn’t have enough to hang onto it,” Allgaier stated on pit road after the race.
With just three races remaining until the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs begins, Allgaier believes that the team has hit the peak at the right time. At Charlotte and Pocono, the veteran drive thought that the possibility of winning the regular season championship.
“We had those races at Charlotte and Pocono where it felt like we took ourselves out of contention for that. This last month has been incredible. These guys have rallied and have done a fantastic job. It’s been an honor to drive these cars. We’ve made up a lot of points. I felt like we did our jobs tonight and gained as many points as we could.” Allgaier stated.
The 32-year-old driver mentioned that the team has had the speed throughout the year, but that they weren’t able to capitalize on that speed. The reason why Charlotte and Pocono erk him so much is because he believes they had a car worthy of a second or a third but wasn’t able to show it.
“It’s been incredible. You want to peak at the right time. The Playoffs are coming, and I feel like we are in a good spot,” he stated.
Allgaier finished the Food City 300 at Bristol in the third position. He sits second in the points standings just 13 points behind Christopher Bell.