“Every man and woman that works at the Junior Motorsports just cannot say thank you enough and how proud I am of what we have here. It’s been special, and God’s good, man!” This is what Justin Allgaier said after picking up his first win of the 2025 season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It was also the 90th win for the team. On Saturday, as the South Carolina sun beat down at Darlington Raceway Saturday afternoon, Allgaier watched a victory slip through his fingers after leading 56 laps and winning Stage 2. Yet the reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion drove away with something perhaps more valuable than a trophy—confirmation that his No. 7 JR Motorsports team, owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr., has championship-caliber consistency.

The third-place finish marked Allgaier’s fifth consecutive top-five finish, including two victories, showcasing the same resilience that powered his dramatic championship run at Phoenix last November when he came from nearly two laps down to claim his first driver’s title.

Championship Mindset Fuels Consistency

The driver resonated the same emotions of gratefulness and positivity, saying, “I mean, it’s disappointing to not walk out of here with a win, but I’m really proud of our team, everybody on this brand-professional agriculture Chevrolet,” Justin Allgaier reflected post-race. “We did all the right things today. We had a really fast race car and put ourselves in a good position.” Allgaier, unlike many other drivers, does not take a lost race too seriously. What matters are the learnings getting carried forward to the next race.

“I’m proud of the effort that we’re putting in,” Allgaier reflected after the race. “If I’d have come out of here 10th or 15th, yeah, I’d have probably been a little more upset. But to come out of here third and lead as many laps as we did, the points day that we had. I mean, just a great day. Yes, you want to win, but it’s hard to be sad with third and a great points day,” he said, emphasizing the significance points hold in NASCAR events. But Justin Allgaier’s Darlington run was far from smooth. Adversities were piling up for the 38-year-old.

After capturing the second stage, a pit stop error sent the No. 7 Chevrolet tumbling back through the field. Rather than letting frustration take over, Allgaier’s team rallied—a characteristic response from a group that understands the big picture. “Listen, we win as a team, we lose as a team. You know, the pit-road deal. It’s hard when you have those moments, but when you watch the guys rally, it’s because they understand, and they want to be successful, just like this race team is,” Allgaier said. But, he also delved on a driver’s mindset in the face of on-track problems.

“You know, we had the one tough pit stop, and as a driver, you watch it all unfold, and all you can ask for is to be able to rebound on the next pit stop, and they did that,” Justin Allgaier said. Well, the race is not lost in entirety, though.

His JR Motorsports teammate, Brandon Jones, ended his 98-race winless streak by becoming the race winner, but Allgaier secured a consistent third-place finish through his running. The race achieved the same point total that Mark Martin had earned during his nine consecutive top-10 finishes at the “Lady in Black.” And, Allgaier welcomes this masterpiece by Jones with open arms and an open heart.

“I want to be in victory lane, but, you know, I hated to see Brandon go as a teammate. We’re really good friends off the racetrack and so really proud of him,” Allgaier said graciously. “He’s a good kid, and he works really hard, and so it’s cool to see him win.” Recently, team owner Dale Jr. opened up about what he feels about his team and their road to the championship.

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Dale Earnhardt Jr’s Championship Theory

According to team co-owner Dale Earnhardt Jr., the key to Justin Allgaier’s early 2025 success stems from the weight that was lifted when he finally captured that elusive championship last season. He said, “I mean, that’s classic Justin Allgaier,” Earnhardt said post-race at Darlington. “He’s always going to give you everything, every lap. That’s what he did today, and we got the best result we could get.” But something’s building on the 2024 Xfinity Cup Champion- performance pressure.

Junior revealed, “He’s got a lot of pressure off since he won his championship, so he can really just kind of focus on winning races and not really the whole big picture of the season. He’s racing smarter, being smoother, not feeling like he’s got to make it happen every single lap.”

The newfound mental liberation is timed perfectly for Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports since the team plans to make its NASCAR Cup Series start with Allgaier driving their vehicle in the 2025 Daytona 500. Next weekend, Allgaier, together with his team travel to Bristol Motor Speedway to participate in the Dash 4 Cash program with the top reward amounting to $100,000.

“We’ll regroup,” Allgaier said, already looking ahead. “Solid stretch of races and great points today. So we’ll go on to Bristol, one of my favorites, and go have some fun.”