Photo Credit: Noel Lanier
After not finding the success he hoped for, Justin Allgaier made a calculated step in his career, stepping out of a sub-par Sprint Cup Series ride to drive for a top-XFINITY Series team. The result has been everyone seeing why Allgaier was one of the hot commodities through the first half of this decade.
This past weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, Allgaier was able to rebound after having a loose wheel early in the race to finish sixth, virtue of a late-race charge with 57 laps to go from the 14th position.
“We had a really fast Breyers Chevy, especially over the longer runs,” he commented. “I think we passed more cars than anyone tonight after moving through the field in the beginning and then being shuffled back again after having to pit under green for a loose wheel. I’m really proud of how this team always battles back when faced with adversity. It ended up being a solid night, finishing sixth. I feel like we could have caught a few more cars if we had a few more laps, but ultimately having all four of our JR Motorsports cars solidly in the top 10 made for a great night.”
For Allgaier, it marks his six straight top-10 finish as the only finish he has outside of the top-10 this year was a 12th at Daytona International Speedway in February. It also marks the perfect time to have momentum on his side, too.
The Illinois native has always ran strong at Bristol Motor Speedway, as it was the sight of his first career victory in 2010. Through his career, he has three top-fives and five top-10s in 10 XFINITY starts on the half-mile oval, including an eighth and fourth in his last two series starts in 2013.
If there’s a place where he could break through for his first win of the season, this could be the weekend for that to happen. Furthermore, this weekend marks the first round of the XFINITY Dash for Cash. If a driver can win that twice, they lock themselves into the Chase. So even if he is unable to score the victory, a strong run could bode well for his championship hopes.
It’d certainly be a comeback story if he could rise to the top this season.
