Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Driver Reveals Chase Elliott-Factor Behind His First-Ever Daytona Win

Despite facing initial setbacks, Dale Earnhardt Jr’s driver Justin Allgaier managed to stage a glorious comeback, ultimately securing victory for the team during Friday’s Xfinity race. This marked his second win of the season and his first-ever triumph on the Superspeedway.

The #7 team of JR Motorsports encountered a dramatic start, slapped with a pass-through penalty on pit road owing to pre-qualifying inspection failure. Nonetheless, the race concluded with heightened suspense, ultimately favoring Allgaier. He recently highlighted the key factor that contributed to his inaugural win at Daytona.

Dale Earnhardt Jr’s driver finally discloses the pivotal reason behind their triumph.

After encountering an early pass-through penalty that left Allgaier a lap down, the lingering doubts about his victory were dispelled when a well-executed strategy proved highly effective for the team.

After a gripping finish at the iconic superspeedway, Justin Allgaier joined forces with his team to acknowledge the efficacy of the strategy implemented by them and he pointed out the one person whose part was precious in that victory, his spotter Eddie D’Hondt.

During a post-race interview with NBC, he emphasized, “On this 7 team everybody at JR Motorsports obviously our Camaro was amazing tonight.”

“To come to the adversity that we have to come through and not really be sure what we’re gonna have there at the end and you know just we did all the things we needed to do and pick here at lights out and Eddie D’Hondt my spotter was fantastic.”

In case you are unaware, D’Hondt had been Chase Elliott‘s spotter since the driver’s full-time NASCAR Cup debut in 2016. Their partnership had led to 12 wins and the 2020 championship title. However, their collaboration was severed after the spotter was arrested.

Nevertheless, the victory of the #7 team at Daytona generated widespread excitement, with Justin Allgaier effusively praising Eddie D’Hondt. Notably, the race marked the fourth-closest finish in the history of the second-tier series.

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A nail-biting finish for Dale Earnhardt Jr. and co.

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The race proved to be a fierce tussle for JR Motorsports’ driver, with the #7 car surging into the lead for the very first time on lap 85. Notably, the late restart put Allgaier’s nerves to the test. Despite the intense pressure, he held his ground during not one, but two overtime restarts. Ultimately, in a heart-stopping conclusion, Allgaier emerged victorious, narrowly overtaking Creed by a mere 0.005 seconds.

When the #22 car of Joey Logano slid, triggering the fourth caution flag, it set the stage for a restart with only two laps to go. Unfortunately, the restart led to another chain reaction, involving Trevor Bayne, Allgaier, Sam Mayer, Austin Hill, and others, prompting yet another caution flag.

As the race entered its second set of overtime laps, the #7 car of JR Motorsports took the lead. However, Sheldon Creed’s #2 car held a slight advantage for a brief moment. With both cars racing neck and neck toward the checkered flag, it marked the closest finish for Allgaier to secure a victory.

Notably, this victory came after two previous runner-up finishes for Allgaier at Daytona. While there was a momentary concern that this might become his third runner-up, his triumph ultimately made Justin’s day. Reflecting on the race, he expressed, “I wanted to win here so bad and we’ve been so close.”

READ MORE: Chase Elliott’s Failure to Make the Playoffs at Daytona Could Mark the Beginning of His End