HAMPTON, Ga. — Justin Allgaier entered the weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway with a massive points lead. He left the track having taken care of an important piece of business.
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Allgaier clinched the regular-season championship after winning a wild race at the Georgia track in double overtime. He moved his lead in the standings to 240 points over second place.
This ensured that he will start The Chase with a points advantage over his fellow championship contenders. He will start the final 10-race stretch with 2,100 points.
Additionally, Richard Childress Racing driver Jesse Love clinched his spot in The Chase despite being knocked out of the Atlanta race due to a crash. He will be able to defend his title from last season.
Another unforgettable finish at @EchoParkSpdwy! pic.twitter.com/28EbO6ZWN4
— NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts (@NASCAROReillyAP) July 12, 2026
Allgaier has been on a tear this season, which may or may not be his last in NASCAR. He has not yet officially made this decision.
The driver known as Little Gator has set a career-best mark during his age 40 season by winning six races. This surpassed his previous best, five wins in 2018. Although Allgaier prefers to forget that 2018 season due to how the team stumbled once the playoffs began. They finished seventh that season after missing the Championship 4.
Now that Allgaier has clinched the regular-season championship, he and the team can lock in and truly start focusing on The Chase. Yes, they will still pursue more wins, but they will have to work on really fine-tuning the things that can win or lose a championship. This includes pit stops.
"I feel like in The Chase, every race is going to be so important," team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. said after the Atlanta win. "Pit road mistakes, having everybody organized before you get to the track to know what their role is on pit road, what their role is during a pit stop, how to orchestrate a pit stop without a foul, without an error.
"Speeding on pit road, little silly things. Those things are going to bite you and cause you to really make that Chase to the championship a lot harder than it should be. And so that's when his leadership will be really leaned on the most."
