Last week’s Xfinity Series at the half-a-mile track in Bristol was a treat for NASCAR fans. In fact, the race had all the thrills and frills for a runaway hit. With Dale Earnhardt Jr‘s Bristol return and a well-deserved picture-perfect finish for the playoff opener on Friday, it is all fans could talk about.

While the race also took an unexpected turn in the final minutes with the veteran JR Motorsports co-owner making a dash out of his car, his driver finished the deal with a spectacular win to reclaim the throne. Leading 110 laps of the race, Dale Jr’s driver held the sword in the victory lane moments after he leaked JRM‘s big announcement.

Dale Earnhardt Jr’s driver spoils the suspense with a post-race announcement after a thrilling win

37-year-old, Justin Allgaier shattered all expectations when he took the lead from Daniel Hemric to cruise into the playoff with a stellar opening race finish at the Bristol Motor Speedway. The race was certainly eventful and epic, considering Allgaier’s boss, Dale Jr’s returned to Bristol after a 6-year gap.

Though the packed crowd in the stands got an anti-climatic finish when the #88 JRM Chevy of Dale Jr was seen smoking at the end of the race, his #7 driver got the win for his boss, who couldn’t finish the race. While it was a nasty fire that got the veteran out of his car, scrambling for safety, Allgaier had the fire in him to finish off the playoff opener with a dominant finish.

After a gap of 13 years, Allgaier held the sword high in his hand as he stood in the victory lane with his daughter. The driver did not hesitate to express his emotion in the post-race interview, so much so that he even spilled the beans about his future with JRM.

The JRM driver got so excited that he leaked his extension plan that was kept under the sleeve till then. “That’s huge not only for myself but for all our partners and you know I re-signed this week to go back to JR Motorsports again for another year and we just haven’t announced it yet so y’all are stuck with me for another year at least in the #7 car but man as good as this thing is its really impressive just so proud of this team,” said the driver, exuding with enthusiasm. 

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Amidst his teammate’s brutal wrecks, Allgaier’s winning gesture steals the show

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While the day was grim for his teammates, Josh Berry and Sam Mayer, Allgaier got his 3rd win of the season in grand fashion. The driver capitalized on a brilliant strategic call from his crew chief Jim Pohlman to win Friday’s night race. A late rally from the #7 Chevy in the 288th lap of the race to pass the then-race leader Daniel Hemric got Allgaier a safe spot in the playoffs.

On the other hand, things were far from perfect for his teammates. Both the drivers were eliminated in the same wreck. Josh Berry‘s #8 Chevy was seen going up the track when he was running side by side with his teammate, Sam Mayer until the #8 got into his back.

Both drivers crashed out viciously with fires blazing out of Berry’s car. Whereas, Allgaier carefully filtered through the field and took the opportunity when it mattered the most to sling off into the checkered flag. But what caught the attention of the NASCAR nation was the driver’s tribute to his father and his boss, Dale Jr.

He picked up his boss man and his old man in his #7 Chevy for a ride into the victory lane as the Brandt-sponsored JRM car went up the Bristol hill.

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