AVONDALE, Ariz. — After 14 years of trying and seven trips to the Championship 4, Justin Allgaier can finally call himself a NASCAR champion.
Videos by FanBuzz
The driver known as "Lil' Gator" had come so close to capturing the title in his career, but he had fallen short every time before Saturday night. He decisively snapped that winless streak.
"I'm happy for him," Dale Earnhardt Jr. said after the race. "I probably will get in trouble for saying this — I didn't give one s*** about that owner's championship. I was like, 'I want my driver on that stage!'
"That's all that matters to me, especially with Justin being in the middle of this. I want it for him."
Safe to say, @DaleJr is fired up about Justin Allgaier winning the title. pic.twitter.com/vWUZBIpsau
— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) November 10, 2024
Earnhardt was not the only person celebrating Allgaier's first title. The competitors showed their immense respect for him. Austin Hill, AJ Allmendinger, and Cole Custer all made a point to congratulate their fellow championship contender. Custer also rushed the stage during the JR Motorsports press conference to show his support.
Fellow Xfinity Series drivers offered congratulations on the track while reigning Cup champion Ryan Blaney went out of his way to visit the post-race celebration.
The industry left no doubt that Allgaier is one of the most respected figures in the garage.
There is nobody more deserving than @J_Allgaier He is everything great about this sport and more importantly he is one of the best humans on the planet. He has always been a faithful Husband, Father, Teammate and Friend. I am so proud of him. God is good!
— Michael McDowell (@Mc_Driver) November 10, 2024
"Maybe I'm biased because I've known him for 25-plus years and we're really good friends," crew chief Jim Pohlman said. "...He always carries himself with a lot of integrity and that translates to a lot of people.
"When you are very personable and you talk to people and you spend the time and say, 'Hello, how are your kids? How's it going?' That goes a long way with people. That's just who Justin is."
The celebration was massive, especially considering the heartbreak Allgaier has experienced in his career. It was made even more special by the amount of adversity the veteran faced at Phoenix Raceway.
The NASCAR veteran had the fastest car among the Championship 4 drivers, and it wasn't even his primary car. He had wrecked the primary during practice after another car had a mechanical issue that dropped oil on the racing surface.
The backup was still incredibly fast, which Allgaier showed as he raced his way from the rear of the field to the top 10 before the end of stage 1. Unfortunately for Allgaier, the speed also showed up while he was serving a penalty for a lane change violation. He sped on pit road and had to serve another pass-through penalty.
Despite dealing with self-inflicted issues, Allgaier was able to use strategy to get back on the lead lap in the final stage. He then used his car's speed to race from 13th to third in the closing laps of the race.
Allgaier then used the speed to put himself ahead of the other Championship 4 drivers in double overtime. He didn't win the race because Riley Herbst had the best car in the field, but that didn't matter. He still won the biggest prize in the series.
"This team never gave up," a tearful Allgaier said on pit road after the race. "Jim Pohlman, his leadership skills are second to none, and he told me all weekend that we were gonna have a chance.
"Man, we tried to give it away every which way we could have. I was as fast as Xfinity internet, but on pit road and not on the racetrack where I needed to be."
