Texas Motor Speedway is no stranger to drama. The 1.5-mile track has seen plenty of heartbreaks over the years, and can be ruthless in claiming victims as and when it sees fit. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s champ was leading laps, running strong, and going toe-to-toe with arguably the best NASCAR drivers in the world. But in the blink of an eye, everything changed, forcing the veteran racer to retire early under the most controversial circumstances. And fans were having none of it!

Siding with Justin Allgaier’s heartbreak, many fans took to social media to blame Kris Wright for the wreck. Let’s just say that’s unsolicited backlash, as the reigning Xfinity Series champion publicly accepted blame for the incident. The approach was mature and tells volumes about the #40 driver.

Justin Allgaier refuses to pin the blame on Wright

The race couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. Justin Allgaier, who qualified for the Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 in second place, led 99 of the opening 153 laps and looked well on his way to securing his third Xfinity Series win. The veteran has always performed well in Texas, having led a total of 575 laps at ‘The Great American Speedway’, the third most by any driver in NASCAR’s second-tier. However, everything changed on Lap 157.

After giving up his lead to Larson, Justin Allgaier desperately tried to run down the No. 88 Chevy, but the charge lasted only two laps. The No. 7 driver crashed with Kris Wright in Turn 4, resulting in his first DNF of the season. Speaking to Frontstretch’s Bryan Nolen in the post-race interview, he said, “Yeah, first and foremost, I hate for his guys too, right? Wrecked race cars are wrecked race cars; it doesn’t matter who’s at fault. It doesn’t matter how it happens.”

Taking responsibility for the incident, Allgaier went on to say, “He and I can have a conversation about it, but ultimately, as a veteran and somebody in the sport, I got to do a better job. I got to try and know the circumstances of the situation better.” When the incident occurred, Kris Wright seemed to be struggling in the No. 5 Chevy, appearing visibly slower than the leaders per lap. He also failed to hold the line through Turn 4, which is where he and the No. 7 car collided. Of course, he has his reasons to be frustrated.

Voicing his frustration, Allgaier said, “I’m a little frustrated because I wanted to be able and try to catch the No. 88. You’re pushing with everything you got, but at the same time, you still have the duty to keep control of your own car.” But with this comes something the veteran has been more familiar with recently. Expressing the emotion, he said, “I’m disappointed. It’s how it goes, it’s the sport we’re in. You got to learn from it. Just a bad day for myself.” But what sets rookies and veterans apart is their approach and accountability.

Like a true champion, Justin Allgaier refused to place blame on his colleague. “Ultimately, it falls on my shoulders, right?” he said. In his desperate attempt to catch up with Larson, the Illinois native recklessly attempted to make the pass on Wright, even though the 30-year-old “was having a tough time with his race car.” Ultimately, all Dale Jr’s driver can now do is pick himself up, dust himself off, and look for redemption after the two-week break. As things stand, he still has a comfortable 50-point lead in the regular season standings over Austin Hill.

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Wright had another bizarre crash at Daytona earlier

Kris Wright isn’t having the ideal season. Out of the 12 races he has competed in so far, he has finished 24th or higher on eleven different occasions, with the only exception being his ninth-place finish at Martinsville Speedway. His season got off to a disappointing start after a strange incident occurred on Lap 87 during a green flag pit stop.

Josh Bilicki, who entered the pit road along with others, was hit hard by Kris Wright, who was making his way to the pit stall. It was clear that the No. 5 Chevy was exceeding the 55-mph speed limit, and the impact ended up damaging both vehicles, forcing Wright to retire while Bilicki ended up limping to 14th place.

Explaining how the incident took place in the post-race interview, Wright told CW Sports, “Just super bad miscommunication with (my) spotter. Just the way the things stacked up. (I) feel really bad for all the guys on track, our guys. It won’t happen again, just miscommunication. We had a braking issue on pit road the stop before, and we were planning on getting on the brakes a little bit sooner out of (turn) four coming to pit road.” Well, have you seen the incident unfold? If not, we’ve got your back!

Looking back at the incident, it’s not surprising that fans ganged up against Kris Wright when the wreck with Justin Allgaier occurred in Texas. The Pennsylvania native will need to clean up his act before going to Charlotte Motor Speedway, or risk having a target on his back in the Xfinity Series. Do you think the No. 5 Chevy driver should be blamed for the wreck in Texas? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!