Justin Allgaier’s persistence has finally paid off. After 471 races and 14 full-time seasons in the Xfinity Series, the veteran driver finally got his hands on the elusive championship. Despite competing in the Cup Series between 2014-15, NASCAR’s second tier has largely been the 38-year-old’s bread-and-butter, having finished no lower than seventh in the driver standings. Over the years, JR Motorsports has seen plenty of superstars ply their trade for the team, but Allgaier’s win seems sweeter than others for Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Even though their time at JR Motorsports was short, Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Tyler Reddick also won the championship with the racing team. However, according to Dale Jr, Justin Allgaier’s achievement sets him apart for a few key reasons.

Justin Allgaier’s win felt personal for Dale Jr

It’s been quite a journey for Justin Allgaier, hasn’t it? He joined JR Motorsports in 2016, securing 22 wins in the Xfinity Series while driving the No. 7 Chevy for Dale Junior’s team. Despite coming agonizingly close to clinching the championship on several occasions, particularly in 2020 and 2023, the Illinois native’s experience and talent finally shone through this year. He secured a playoff berth after winning at Darlington Raceway and four consecutive top-ten finishes after the Round of 12 finale at ‘The Roval’ until the event at Phoenix Raceway gave him some valuable momentum.

Reflecting on what makes Justin Allgaier’s championship special, the JR Motorsports team owner said on the Dale Jr Download podcast, “We’ve had drivers like Byron, Chase, Reddick. Reddick was already announced that he would be leaving us when he won the title, so we were still accomplishing what we wanted to in the moment but we knew those drivers had bigger plans, you know. It’s not like that with Justin.” The 50-year-old went on to say, “He’s been here and it was kind of, ‘he’s our guy’, right? He’s our guy! So it was kind of like, we got to build our own chassis and get to you know, win our race with it.”

In some ways, both Justin Allgaier and Dale Earnhardt Jr’s team have found a sense of belongingness with each other. In comparison, Chase Elliott spent only two full-time seasons with JR Motorsports, while Tyler Reddick and William Byron were with them for one year. Despite all three Cup Series stars winning the championship in the Xfinity Series, their time seemed more like a stepping stone into NASCARs highest level, while the 38-year-old has spent his best years with the team, despite not being given preferential treatment.

Elaborating on the ‘neglect’ Allgaier may have faced, Junior said, “We try our best to give all our cars an equal opportunity but he knows there’s an emphasis on this particular driver because he’s got, you know, someone beyond here that’s got plans for him. That was one reason why it was so special.” While the No. 7 Chevy driver still has goals of competing in the Cup Series, his persistence in excelling at JR Motorsports over the years makes his championship run stand out for Dale Earnhardt Jr, in comparison to other drivers who have tasted success with the team in the past.

Junior reveals the key factor that helped Allgaier win the championship

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It wasn’t looking good for Allgaier heading into the finale at Phoenix Raceway. Justin Allgaier crashed in practice ahead of the biggest race of the season, forcing him to use the backup car in the championship race. To make matters worse, a restart violation forced him to go into the pit road and serve a pass-through penalty, but his No. 7 Chevy was found guilty of speeding, resulting in another penalty. Given the stakes, it looked like yet another missed opportunity for the JR Motorsports driver, who had been in this position six times before with no success.

However, the difference-maker this time around was Allgaier’s crew chief, Jim Pohlman. Sharing his views about the appointment, Dale Jr. said, “I didn’t really know Jim, so I leaned on Justin to be sure about that decision. My gosh, he nailed it. Jim has made us better and made our entire company better. He makes his car fast. That drives everybody forward. He has a relationship with Justin that sort of polished or altered some of the rawness and some of the unpolished imperfections that Justin has in his game. I think the missing ingredient to Justin might be Jim.”

After the 2022 season ended, JR Motorsports decided to make changes in the No. 7 team, which had won 16 races since 2016. With Jason Burdett being moved on, Jim Pohlman took the reigns and instantly proved to turn Justin Allgaier’s fortunes around. Reflecting on the impact made by his crew chief, the veteran driver said, “Jim Pohlman and his leadership is amazing”. His race strategy, combined with an element of good fortune ended up making all the difference at Phoenix Raceway, at a time when all hope seemed to be lost. Keeping the No. 7 Chevy on the track longer to get Allgaier back onto the lead lap was a stroke of genius by Pohlman, who refused to throw in the towel despite the adversities. That’s the difference between a good and a great crew chief!