The champion has made a decision about his future. Justin Allgaier has confirmed that he will be back in NASCAR in 2027.
Videos by FanBuzz
JR Motorsports and Allgaier announced the news on Monday night with a short video showing highlights from the veteran driver's career. He also confirmed that his initial plans did not involve him racing beyond this season.
"At the beginning of the year, I knew that it was the year I was going to retire," Allgaier said in the video. "I wasn't quite ready yet."
Not done yet. @J_Allgaier and @BRANDT_co Professional Agriculture are BACK at JR Motorsports in a multi-year deal starting in 2027. pic.twitter.com/NWG9KHEdXY
— JR Motorsports (@JRMotorsports) November 2, 2026
Allgaier will once again be teammates with Carson Kvapil, who moves to the No. 8 full-time. He will also reunite with Sam Mayer, who returns to the No. 1 after two seasons at Haas Factory Team.
The veteran driver's future has been a point of conversation throughout this season, especially since the JR Motorsports Fan Day in May when he acknowledged that he had second thoughts about retiring.
He said after a win at Nashville Superspeedway that there was a "higher likelihood" that he would be back for the 2027 season. JR Motorsports co-owner Kelley Earnhardt Miller then said in July that they had talked him into coming back for multiple years.
This appeared to confirm that Allgaier would indeed return, but the team did not make the official announcement until after the penultimate race of the season.
Now, he will head into the finale with plans in place for 2027 and beyond, as well as a chance to win his second championship.
The Illinois native has been wildly successful since moving to JR Motorsports in 2016. He has won 31 races and a championship.
This season, he has delivered career-best numbers. He has posted a career-high 19 top-five finishes and a career-high six wins. He entered the Chase as the No. 1 seed after dominating the regular season.
The Chase has not gone as Allgaier planned as he lost the points lead to Sheldon Creed and then Jesse Love. But now he is back atop the standings after a runner-up finish at Martinsville Speedway. He has a 22-point lead heading to Homestead-Miami Speedway.
