Epitome of consistency? Some would say Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports, which has achieved 16 wins, surpassing its previous best of 15 in 2022. And it’s all thanks to Justin Allgaier and Connor Zilisch, who have collectively secured 12 of those victories. With that momentum, as the Round of 12 of the playoffs reached Kansas, Allgaier’s race started with a bang. He led 71 of the first 90 laps, dominating both stages, to pad his playoff cushion. Obviously, a win didn’t seem far, but in the blink of an eye, his strong run was flipped upside down.

Speaking to Bob Pockrass, the 39-year-old broke down what went wrong and how his prayers weren’t answered: “Praying for a caution? Yes, Bob. I really needed seven laps—probably seven or eight laps—just with the falloff that we were seeing on the tires. You know, traffic was obviously going to be difficult, right? But I think the deficit of tires was going to be six, seven, eight laps to maybe get back up there and have a shot at it…Look, I’m proud of how far we kind of maintained that. We fell back, but then where we maintained to was really important. And, you know, again, Jim was updating me on the points at the end there.” 

In the last stint of the race, hoping for a late caution to put fresh Goodyear tires under Justin, crew chief Jim Pohlman rolled the dice, keeping him out during a key yellow flat period under an incident involving Nick Sanchez and Justin Bonsignore. The plan hinged on a second caution in the closing laps, with tire wire potentially giving an edge to those with unused sets.

However, Justin Allgaier’s strategy didn’t quite go as planned; he was banking on a late caution to give him a shot at fresh tires and a strong finish. But that never came. In the end, a 13th-place result wasn’t flashy, but it was enough to lock him into the next round on points, letting him roll out of Kansas with at least a small smile.

Allgaier still had a smile on his face while adding, “They kept telling me, ‘Hey, we’re locked in. Just don’t—don’t—don’t be stupid.’ And that’s not in my DNA. I wanted to go out there and try to… I tried to pass back two cars and almost wrecked myself. So, probably wasn’t the smartest thing in the world, but at the end of the day, it worked out.” 

In fact, the tide turned during the stage two pit stop. A slow pit stop service dropped him back to 6th, and the team needed a spark to lift his spirits. Over the radio, his crew chief offered a bit of inspiration drawn from a Kansas tale, saying, “Put those little red heels together there, Toto.” And the JRM driver responded, clawed his way back up to 4th, and pushed forward even after brushing the outside wall on lap 124.

The battle wasn’t over, though. A late race caution with 45 laps to go showed up strategies across the field, forcing teams to make critical decisions under pressure. While playoff contender Sam Mayer’s No. 41 team followed a similar game plan, leaving the No. 7 group to navigate a complex mix of strategy, skill, and timing to stay in contention. Yet, the phantom caution derailed Allgaier’s dominance.

In all, Justin Allgaier collected 44 points, placing himself third in the playoff points, securing his safety heading into Charlotte Roval, which is to be held on October 4. Meanwhile, his JR Motorsports teammate, Connor Zilisch, was in a league of his own…

Connor Zilisch reshapes history at Kansas Speedway

Connor Zilisch made history on Saturday, blazing into the record books at Kansas Speedway. The 19-year-old phenom wrapped up 16 consecutive top-five finishes in the Xfinity Series, shattering the previous record and cementing his name in the annals of NASCAR for the 2025 season.

In the thrilling final stretch of the playoff race, Zilisch chased down Brandon Jones but had to settle for second place. This feat toppled the long-standing record of 15 consecutive top-five finishes set by Sam Ard in 1983, proving that Zilisch isn’t just fast, but he is rewriting history.

When asked about his streak, Connor credited the speed of his machinery and the teamwork that fuels him week after week. Speaking to the CW broadcast, he said, “It just shows that these JR Motorsports cars are as fast as Xfinity Mobile every week. It’s really cool to not only have that record, but also go 16 weeks without a DNF.”

Finishing second at Kansas has also locked Zilisch into the Round of 8 in the Xfinity Series playoffs, removing the pressure of elimination. Heading into the Charlotte Roval, Zilisch doubled down on his edge. And now, he will aim to stack more victories onto a season already brimming with records, keeping fans, sponsors, and industry insiders on the edge of their seats.