Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his NASCAR team, JR Motorsports, have a nice blend of youth and experience. While the likes of young Sam Mayer and Sammy Smith have brought freshness to Junior’s Xfinity team, both Brandon Jones and Justin Allgaier have instilled calmness. However, it’s the veteran in Allgaier who remains an inspiration. That said, there was a time when even the sport’s chairperson forced him out of the garage.

Justin Allgaier has been associated with NASCAR for a very long time. Having made his debut in the 2005 Toyota Tundra Milwaukee 200 race, the Spaulding-born driver entered the stock car racing arena. With almost two decades in the sport, Allgaier remains JR Motorsports’ longest-tenured and winningest driver.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s most experienced Xfinity driver goes down memory lane

No doubt Dale Earnhardt Jr. made a smart investment with JR Motorsports. Not only does his team have some of the best drivers in the Xfinity, but it also inspires others to join the sport. One such example is Justin Allgaier. After having a fruitful conversation with Dale Jr. at Darlington Raceway, Allgaier joined the team in 2016.

Since then, the 38-year-old has never needed to look backward. Allgaier has twice finished runner-up in the Xfinity Series championship race and has been a delight to watch. While he has used his experience to his benefit, he has passed on his wisdom to his young teammates at JR Motorsports as well. However, he hasn’t always made the correct decision.

One of his past acts got him kicked out of the garage by one of NASCAR’s Hall of Famers. Speaking with Davey Segal on the “Victory Lane” show, Justin Allgaier explained how racing has always been in his blood. He said, “From the time I was a baby, I don’t remember anything other than going to the racetrack every Friday, Saturday night going to the ARCA races. Back then, a lot of ARCA races coincided with the Cup Series.”

While Allgaier enjoyed visiting races in his childhood, it only became more special for him in 1988 at Talladega. The #7 Chevrolet Camaro driver confirmed how he had a T-shirt from the race signed by almost every driver there, including the likes of Dale Earnhardt Sr., Neil Bonnet, Ken Schrader, and others. However, there was another event that day, which he could not forget.

The incident involved current NASCAR vice chairman Michael Helton. Allgaier said, “I remember Mike Helton got me by the back of my shirt. I was probably just 8, 9, or 10 years old getting kicked out of the garage because I chose not to walk with my dad and hold my dad’s hand.” At the time, Helton served as Talladega Superspeedway’s general manager.

Surely, the 70-year-old was only looking out for Allgaier’s well-being back then. Such events may likely have taken place frequently given Justin Allgaier’s family business.

Justin Allgaier explains his strong connection with the ARCA Series

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Just at the age of 16, Justin Allgaier entered the ARCA Menard Series arena. However, it was only in 2006 that he competed full-time in the ARCA series. Two years later, Allgaier won the ARCA championship after winning six races, which also involved being victorious in the final three races. Not only did he win the series in 2008, but he also broke Frank Kimmel’s terrific record of a championship win for eight consecutive years.

Naturally, Justin Allgaier has some deep connections with the ARCA series. It not only involves his driving career but also how his parents are associated with the competition. While speaking with journalist Davey Segal, Allgaier explained his family business. He said, “My parents, for the last 55 years, have sold racing tires and racing parts to racers, right? My dad was instrumental in what is now the ARCA series, the ARCA Menard series.”

Allgaier added, “He got the contracts and he sold the tires and we traveled to all of the ARCA races as a kid because they were the tire distributor.” Not only that, he explained how their tire business is still going strong. He said, “We still sell racing tires to all the local Friday and Saturday night short tracks around home, and in the Midwest, we sell to drag racing, motorcycles.”

Understandably, Justin Allgaier and his family’s passion for motorsports remains unmatched. It would only go to the next level once Allgaier registered a championship victory in the Xfinity Series. Will the time come this season itself? Well, it cannot be written off, but only time can answer this.