The JR Motorsports camp has been in a buoyant mood for the past two weeks. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team clinched a spot in the Daytona 500 on their Cup Series debut. Not only that, but Justin Allgaier also wheeled the No. 7 Chevrolet to a solid 10th-place finish at the Great American Race. Allgaier rode on that momentum into Atlanta Motor Speedway – and is relishing his solid efforts.

The 38-year-old Illinois native owns a 2021 victory at the 1.54-mile intermediate racetrack. In 2025 as well, Justin Allgaier came with a winner’s mindset. He beat very challenging odds presented by his rivals and emerged just narrowly short of the checkered flag. And Allgaier patted himself on the back for it.

Justin Allgaier is content with his effort

Before the 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion headed to Daytona, he received some words of wisdom from his wife. “Enjoy the championship while you can because when you get to Daytona, you’re a zero again.” Justin Allgaier heard that and took it very seriously. After posting a tenth-place finish at the Daytona 500, Allgaier qualified 4th for the Bennett Transportation & Logistics 250. Although he could not catch up to the fiery pace of Austin Hill, Allgaier found an even match in Aric Almirola. He worked his way to Almirola’s inside and doored him off of Turn 4 to take the runner-up spot.

Post-race, Dale Earnhardt Jr‘s Xfinity champion took an even-headed approach towards his race result. Justin Allgaier initially reflected on JRM’s troubles: “I checked up a little bit to make sure that I wasn’t driving up in the way of the 21 [Austin Hill]. Then once we got rolling and it seemed like once we got to Turn 1 and 2 we just didn’t have the pack behind us that we needed.” Yet Allgaier uttered a 4-word declaration to validate his efforts: “You can’t be upset.“

He added, “I mean when you get down to the end of these races, everybody’s going for it… You know you’re at the mercy of what lanes generate energy and where it’s going. All in all, a solid night, we finished well. We came out here with a good points night.” Allgaier’s comments reflect the unpredictability of superspeedways and how some strategies just work better at times than others. A runner-up finish is nothing to be sad about as Allgaier knows that there are only better, and more predictable tracks ahead for him. A more positive takeaway from the race was his last-lap overtake of long-time friend Aric Almirola, who he spoke to after the race ended.

Justin Allgaier‘s 2nd-place finish was only possible after a rough competition with Aric Almirola. The JRM driver reflected on that light-heartedly: “Yeah we rubbed doors coming to the line. Obviously, we’ve been buddies for a long time, he came over, and we talked about it. He said he was trying to back up to me to get a run on the 21. I think he backed up a little more than I expected and I just went by him. So not exactly what he was thinking… Austin was amazingly fast tonight. He did a great job of managing the lines and doing what he needed to do.”

Besides his praises for Almirola, Justin Allgaier also heaped appreciation for the race winner. After all, Austin Hill broke some records in this race.

Trending

1

NASCAR Rumors: Chase Elliott’s Billion Dollar Sponsor to File Bankruptcy One Year After Ugly Exit

2

NASCAR Confirms Status of 4th Manufacturer Deal Amidst Major Rumor Mill

3

Ryan Blaney Snatches Up $70 Billion Sponsor as They Leave Struggling F1 Team in the Dumps

4

$485B Worth Oil Giant Doubles Down to Support Denny Hamlin and Co

5

NASCAR Ready to Steal Roger Penske’s Massive Loss Amidst 4th Manufacturer Rumors

Saluting the Atlanta ace

Before Atlanta, Austin Hill was inches within breaking Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s record. Dale Jr. held the record for most laps led at drafting tracks in Xfinity Series history (691). However, Hill made it to 734 circuits led after charging upfront for 143 of 164 laps on Saturday. Aric Almirola emerged as a threat at one time, snatching the race lead into the exit of Turn 4. However, Almirola could not get completely clear of Hill as contact with Parker Retzlaff stuttered his pace. Despite a massive crash on the backstretch on the final lap of the race, Hill was untouchable as he soared past it all.

Justin Allgaier tried to chase him in the end, only to let him cross the finish line 0.216 seconds ahead. The jaw-dropping speed and record-breaking result mesmerized Justin Allgaier. He hailed Austin Hill’s team in his post-race interview: “Their superspeedway program has been phenomenal. They qualified on the pole by 2-tenths and it’s been that way kind of everywhere we’ve gone. They’ve done their homework, they do a great job. At the end of the day, I applaud them for their effort.”

This is now Richard Childress Racing’s second consecutive win to start the season and third consecutive win at Atlanta for Hill. The RCR team has put down an early marker to show who is boss at superspeedways and the grid will have to wait till next week at the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) where the road courses could spell different results.

Regardless of the result, Justin Allgaier is in high spirits in the initial part of this season. Let us wait and see if the JRM No. 7 team can translate this buoyant energy into a win soon.