Despite staying out of the playoffs, Chase Elliott hurled Martin Truex Jr. out of the owner’s championship after he managed to secure the last berth after last week’s Bank Of America ROVAL 400. Joe Gibbs might have taken some solace in the fact that the situation is not as bitter for him in the Xfinity Series. After all, he sits first in the owner’s points standings. But, a danger lurks behind the 82-year-old team owner.

Dale Earnhardt Jr, along with his Xfinity Series prodigy, is slowly, yet steadily, advancing up the ladder. Saturday’s Xfinity run at Las Vegas Motor Speedway placed Dale Earnhardt Jr’s #7 Xfinity car second and just a few points below Joe Gibbs Racing driver John Hunter Nemechek. Indeed, a reason for Joe Gibbs to frown.

Dale Earnhardt Jr could soon be usurping Joe Gibbs’s Xfinity throne

Interestingly, Justin Allgaier and John Hunter Nemechek have been dangling extremely close to each other when it comes to individual points earned in each race.

Going back to Texas Motor Speedway, Nemechek bagged his seventh Xfinity win of this season and with that took home 53 points. However, Justin Allgaier didn’t lag behind at all, finishing 5th and scoring 52 points.

The week before, Allgaier won the Food City 300 and Nemechek finished merely one spot behind in P3.

Fast forward to the Alsco Uniforms 302, the number 7 Chevy star took home 42 priceless points whereas Joe Gibbs’ driver took home 48. Isn’t this even a little intriguing?

Looking at the 2023 owner’s point standings, Joe Gibbs Racing sits at the top of the roster with 3103 points and, hence, flaunts the best shot at winning the owner’s championship this year. But don’t get it wrong, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team is just below Nemechek’s #20 Toyota, with 3077 points.

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When considering their performance, no one driver seems better than the other. Yesterday, these two young speedsters finished in the top 10 and it seemed like none of them were able to bring out their A-games due to issues with their respective cars. Imagine the battle between the two on a good day.

A series of misfortunes ended the day for these two front-end contenders

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What started off as a great practice run for Nemechek, who started from the rear end of the field on Saturday, slipped away after an oil leak on Friday. Despite the odds, the #20 JGR icon gained 19 precious spots within the first 4 laps of the race, finished second, and gained enough points to place him at a plus 47 above the cutline.

According to NASCAR, Nemechek was extremely proud of his team. The way they rebound from their issues is what, he felt, separates a mediocre team from a winning one. He said, “We had a fast Toyota GR Supra. Pye-Barker colors looked good again. Sucks that we couldn’t get them into Victory Lane, but we finished second, so solid day. Solid points day for us, and we’re just gonna continue to push forward onto Homestead next week.”

While JR Motorsports driver Sam Mayer failed to score any stage points due to another set of car-related problems, his JRM teammate, Justin Allgaier, had expected a better finish than 6th. He spoke to NASCAR regarding the nose damage that he has suffered from on an early restart. But the good news for Dale Earnhardt Jr. is that his driver sits just behind Joe Gibbs’ Xfinity recruit.

Allgaier said, “We obviously finished well but did not give ourselves a good outlook on the next two races. But I have confidence in all our guys. I mean, we clutched up to get here in the first place. So the silver lining is we’re here, but obviously, we want to make the most of it.”

Come Homestead Miami, who do you place your best on? Dale Junior’s Xfinity weapon Justin Allgaier or Joe Gibbs Racing’s hope, John Hunter Nemechek? Let us know in the comments below.

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