It doesn’t take too long to derail a good run. Justin Allgaier found this out the hard way. On the cusp of the Phoenix finale, Dale Jr’s driver faced a massive incident on the track. The kicker for Allgaier was that he was a part of the Championship 4. With his car banged up after the accident, Justin Allgaier found his savior in the form of Wayne Auton, whose ruling came in clutch for the driver.

Xfinity Series director Wayne Auton, after discussion with other Championship 4 teams, permitted Justin Allgaier to use an extra set of tires, keeping the championship hopes of Dale Jr’s team alive.

Justin Allgaier faces tire issues at Phoenix practice session 

It all started with an oil spill in Turn 1 due to a broken transmission in Brennan Pooke’s No. 44 Chevrolet. Justin Allgaier slid through this oil spill. Joining him in this catastrophic slip was his teammate Brandon Jones along with the Joe Gibbs’ No. 20 driver Almirola. Although the incident on tracks involved quite a few cars, Allgaier was the only Championship 4 driver who got entangled in this ruckus. The No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet team was on the verge of unloading the backup car for Allgaier with approximately half an hour left for the practice session. 

While both Justin Allgaier and Almirola were able to practice on Friday, the incident took place almost 50 minutes into the session. Each of the championship contenders was given the permit to bring in a race-ready backup car that had a primary paint scheme. It also has the right engine along with an extra set of tires. There was an in-depth discussion among the crew chiefs and series director Wayne Auton. This meeting ensured that Austin Hill’s No. 21 Richard Childress Racing team, Cole Custer’s No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing team, and AJ Allmendinger’s No. 16 Kaulig Racing team agreed with this allotment.

Journalist Jeff Gluck explained in a post on X, “Wayne Auton says he got the other three Champ 4 crew chiefs together and they all agreed Allgaier and Almirola should be given an extra set of tires for practice after the wreck. They will also get extra time in the garage tonight to work on backups, so Auton will give all champ contenders the same extra time. Very fair”.

This is not all. The drivers and the teams will receive extra time in the garage to work on their vehicles through the entire night. This ensures that the cars are running smoothly by the race time. Reacting to the major incident on the tracks, Justin Allgaier said, “We all got into (the oil), and it just went straight. I think that’s the frustrating part about this format is it comes down to one race, one weekend and we’re standing here in this situation. Obviously, the 20’s in it with us; it’s not ideal for anybody. But at the same time, we brought an incredible Brandt Camaro. It was by far the best car I’ve ever had here at this race track. And I think that’s the most frustrating part”.

However, Justin Allgaier did manage to pull off the second fastest laps in his primary car till the fatal incident happened. However, now he will be starting from the rear in backup cars for Saturday night’s 200-lap race. 

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Allgaier – the veteran face at Xfinity Series championship

Justin Allgaier has become one of the most popular faces in the Championship Series. He made it to the finale for the fifth time over the last six seasons. Yet, he failed to claim the checkered flag every time. However, it seems this time, JR Motorsports has some high expectations from him and they anticipate a victory at Phoenix. After he joined JR Motorsports in 2016, he has been able to mark a total of eight top fives in the Phoenix Raceway.

Even during the Spring Race, Justin Allgaier was able to lead a total of 52 laps and built a three-second lead before he had to slow down because of a left-rear tire failure. However, the major incident on the tracks during the practice session does put him in a tough spot given that he will be practically racing a new car on Saturday. 

Going back to the Martinsville Speedway, Justin Allgaier was able to mark a fifth position on the tracks and he advanced by 35 points. Reacting to the same, the JR Motorsports driver said, “I mean, I left there fully dejected, knowing that we had the dominant car, and we walked out of there with a wrecked pile of junk and didn’t get to win the race. So to be able to leave here with a shot at it, knowing what we’re taking back next week, I have no doubt in my mind we’re going to have a great piece, and we’ll see what we can do”.

Given that Allgaier has shown smooth progression in the round of 8 with securing seventh position at Charlotte Motor Speedway, third at Homestead Miami, and fifth at Martinsville shows that he might be able to salvage his long hearing for the ultimate Championship Victory.