Breaking away from the oval format can come as a breath of fresh air for fans. Sam Mayer won the Xfinity Series race at The Roval but the race went into overtime and that’s how the JR Motorsports driver edged out Parker Kligerman for the win. However, what caught the eye of fans was Justin Allgaier’s performance.

Allgaier finished 7th at the Roval, but that did not come without other drivers crashing out to give him the win. Sheldon Creed and Riley Herbst became the sacrifices that paved the way for Allgaier’s finish. After the race, the JR Motorsports driver came forward to talk about how he felt when he saw an opportunity at the cost of two drivers crashing out.

Justin Allgaier has mixed feelings about his Roval finish

There were 12 drivers in the lead during the race and in the end, it was Sam Mayer to cross the finish line. It was a good day for JR Motorsports, as the Xfinity team has their driver Allgaier at the top of the playoff charts. Sam Mayer made it to the top, a much-needed finish after his car faced disqualification in the race at Talladega, which put him in the elimination zone.

The crash between Riley Herbst and Sheldon Creed strongly impacted their playoff standings, as both drivers, who had paved the way for Allgaier, were eliminated in the round. Although Justin Allgaier clearly benefitted from the incident, he showed how he enjoys a competitive race instead of watching others wreck. He said, “I hate it when other people have trouble, right? You know, the big screen up there—you don’t get away from it.” While the joy of getting through to the round of 8 was present, incidents such as this remind fans what drivers lose out on because of a simple crash.

He explained how he didn’t want to see what went down with the drivers who got wrecked during the race; however, points on the large screens across the track gave him the information that he skipped the crash. While the JR Motorsports driver took a sign of relief to know that he avoided a wreck, he said, “But when I saw those two crashes, I didn’t really think the damage on the 98 was going to be that bad. I thought the 18 was in pretty big trouble, but he had already had some transmission issues.” Indeed it was big trouble for Creed, as the transmission issues Justin Allgaier refers to is when Creed’s car was stuck in second gear. The crash didn’t help his situation, and with a 35th-place finish, he fell out of contention for the championship.

After being shaken by the wreck, it was Allgaier’s crew chief Jim Pohlman who got him back to focus as he told the driver on the radio, “Don’t worry about the points. Don’t worry about the points. Just execute—we have a plan in place.” Upon hearing this, Allgaier saw the plan and did the best he could to execute it. Ultimately the No. 7 driver was happy with the result, as he revealed after the race: “We did a phenomenal job that day, and I’m proud of this team and their effort.”

Justin Allgaier has had a tough time over the last 5 weeks and this P7 was the redemption that he needed to pull it through the first round of the playoffs. Given the time the team has had, Allgaier paid tributes to his team. Let’s take a look at what he had to say about the No. 7 team.

Justin Allgaier indebted to his team

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While heading into the Roval weekend, the JR Motorsports No. 7 team came prepared with what they wanted to achieve in the race. Allgaier needed a top-10 finish to make it through to round 2 of the playoffs, and that’s exactly what he did. Although Allgaier had “90 million” things running through his head, he was worried about the possibility of breaking the news of not making it to round 2 to his kids.

The slump ahead of the playoffs was one of the worst dry spells that the driver has faced in his career and he thanks his team for helping him pull through it. Showering compliments to his crew, Allgaier said, “This team has such a never-give-up attitude.” Explaining everything that the team has done for him, he added, “The effort and time that’s gone in this week, last week. I mean, we’ve wrecked six or seven race cars in the last seven weeks and have nothing to show for it, and they’ve never quit.”

Overall, JRM will be leaving the weekend with their heads held high as they have all 3 drivers who made it into the playoffs in round 2. Dale Earnhardt Jr. can expect his drivers to bring home a championship this year; however, nothing can be said until the checkered flag at Phoenix. Judging from the momentum that Justin Allgaier has been racing with throughout the season, do you think that he has a chance to secure the title? Share your thoughts in the comments below.