HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Justin Allgaier has capped off the best season of his career by delivering another championship to JR Motorsports.
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As Brandon Jones crossed the finish line to score his second win of the season, thousands of people focused on a different car on the track. They watched the No. 7 Chevrolet as it completed the final lap at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Allgaier crossed the line in seventh place, and he made history. He became the first driver under the JR Motorsports banner to win multiple championships. The 40-year-old also became the oldest driver in series history to win the championship, surpassing 2000 champion Jeff Green (37) in the process.
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"Means more than you'll ever know," Allgaier said when asked about winning his second title. "It's obviously not the finish we wanted tonight. Wanted to be in victory lane. But this team never quits. The effort, the time they put in. The pit crew, phenomenal job.
"The first one was for me. The first one I really enjoyed. This one is for all these men and women standing back here. They have worked their tail off. These two, my wife, my parents, everybody you mentioned, it means so much."
The driver known as "Lil Gator" entered the race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in a five-way competition for the title. He had to end the night with more points than defending champion Jesse Love, teammate Carson Kvapil, Corey Day, and Sheldon Creed.
Allgaier didn't need to win the race to secure his title; he just needed to perform at a high level while hoping that Love didn't win.
He and the No. 7 team mostly did what they needed. Though they had to overcome an unscheduled pit stop for a flat tire in the final stage.
Allgaier raced inside the top 10 all night while scoring 11 stage points. He then continued to race around fifth and sixth in the closing laps while other drivers battled for the win.
Justin Allgaier celebrates after winning his second championship. pic.twitter.com/eLInkLmwGe
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Allgaier also caused several spikes in heart rate on the No. 7 pit box and on the roof at Homestead. He insisted on racing mere inches away from the wall, which put him in danger of making a mistake and damaging his car.
Several times, team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. came over the radio to talk to crew chief Andrew Overstreet and spotter Eddie D'Hondt about Allgaier's strategy. The team then continued to emphasize the long game and the narrow points lead over Love.
"I was pretty worried about it," Earnhardt said about the rim-riding. "We'd already had the flat and got pretty lucky that that didn't make our night much more challenging than it already did."
Yet, despite the concern, Allgaier never hit the wall in the closing laps. He kept the car mostly clean, and he crossed the finish line inside the top 10. He capped off a special night and added to his resume.
Now, he has another opportunity ahead of him as he returns to JR Motorsports on a multi-year deal. He can continue winning races. If he wins another championship, he will become the first-ever driver to win three titles in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series.
"I didn't know that he was gonna be the first," Earnhardt said. "So that's really motivating. ...That'd be the most Justin Allgaier thing to do, to win three championships when no one has ever done it in the series."
