“As a veteran and somebody in this sport, I’ve got to do a better job.” These words from Justin Allgaier, bowing his head in humility in Texas, might have demonstrated his pure sportsman spirit. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s veteran driver is an Xfinity Series phenomenon, holding 27 race trophies and the 2024 NXS title. After his twin victories in Las Vegas and Homestead-Miami, he looked primed for another victory attempt in Texas. However, an inexperienced rival got in his way.

Kris Wright, driver of the No. 5 Our Motorsports Chevrolet, is in his first full-time season in NASCAR. After driving a two-year limited schedule in the Truck series in 2023 and 2024, Wright has proved to be a one-man wrecking crew in 2025. His antics in Texas derailed Allgaier’s chances and attracted scrutiny from the sport’s veterans, who bashed Allgaier’s modesty.

Justin Allgaier’s excessive lenience is sparking a debate

After all, the No. 7 JR Motorsports driver put in a lot of effort last Saturday. Before the Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 race got underway, Justin Allgaier had already led 575 laps in Texas. He added to that stat as he dominated 99 laps, besides starting in the second position and winning Stage 1. However, the final cycle of green flag pit stops witnessed Kyle Larson toppling his lead.

Even then, Allgaier looked poised to grab a top-five finish. But on lap 156, this plan fell apart. As Allgaier closed in on Kris Wright’s No. 5, he expected the slower-moving Wright to zig, but Wright zagged. Because of Wright’s inconsistent line of racing, the two cars made contact, which sent Wright spinning through the infield grass and Allgaier into the outside wall.

This led NASCAR veterans to bash Kris Wright’s racing antics in a ‘Door, Bumper, Clear’ episode. Despite the incident ending his day, Justin Allgaier still defended Wright. Freddie Kraft partially agreed with Allgaier: “I’m spot on with Justin taking some of the blame for this because at the end of the day, he ran at the back of the pack.” But Kraft let slip his real concern: “But how long are we going to let this guy drive around?” Tommy Baldwin Jr. also chimed with this sentiment, clutching his head in frustration. “Come on. The guy should even get his driver’s license revoked. I mean, did you see the amount of lanes that he took? He doesn’t even understand where he is.”

This was hardly the first time that Kris Wright had invited controversy. He was involved in early-season incidents with Josh Bilicki at three racetracks, no less – at Daytona, Atlanta, and COTA. So Baldwin strongly stuck to his earlier point: “Just pull him in. He has no clue.” Freddie Kraft concurred, referring to a crucial point that Landon Cassill had posted on X. “‘Commit to a lane’…If you’re committed to a lane, we know how to get around you. But with this guy coming up, you don’t even know what to tell your driver…If you just take the bottom or take the top, none of this happens.”

The DBC hosts distributed the blame partly to Justin Allgaier. The veteran losing his lead to Kyle Larson was probably the mistake that Dale Jr’s star could have avoided. Baldwin said, “Look, at the end of the day, the 7 car really shouldn’t have been there, right? That wreck happened 4 laps before that when they decided to stay out and tried to pass all those lapped cars. They lost a good 3-4 seconds on Kyle, not only because Kyle pitted before they did, but when he got stuck behind those cars…In all reality, I know what Justin’s saying that I probably shouldn’t have been there.”

Justin Allgaier’s decision to stay out ultimately led to him getting lost in his chase for Larson, leading to the Kris Wright incident. While Allgaier took the blame, Wright’s past antics do paint a grim picture. He looks lost on that Xfinity field, and his statistics reflect this. With just one top-10 finish coming at the Martinsville race, where half the field wrecked on the last lap, Wright has had a disappointing rookie season, to say the least.

Clearly, Justin Allgaier’s humble comments were not enough to protect Kris Wright from this onslaught. What is more? The DBC podcast has a special bond with Dale Jr.’s driver, given their common denominator.

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When Allgaier carried ‘unfiltered’ colors

In NASCAR, a few podcast shows truly reveal honest opinions about the sport. They include Denny Hamlin’s ‘Actions Detrimental’, where the veteran Cup Series driver rolls out his expert takes. However, the ‘Door, Bumper, Clear’ podcast is not only known for its honesty but also its ‘unfiltered’ approach. And three years ago, Justin Allgaier promoted the show, which comes under Dale Jr.’s Dirty Mo Media bracket, in an Xfinity Series race.

In March 2022, the NXS event at Dover Motor Speedway witnessed the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet sporting some unique colors. DBC’s logo and brand image were on display, and Allgaier helped announce the one-race primary sponsorship. “Being a guest on the show yesterday and making this announcement was a lot of fun,” said Allgaier.

The blue and red paint scheme was originally based on an idea of making a die-cast. Mike Davis, founder and managing director of Dirty Mo Media, explained: “This whole thing started when our friends at RacingUSA.com had the idea of creating a Door, Bumper, Clear fantasy diecast. I loved the idea, but it just so happens our little media company is inside a very successful race shop. We started thinking, ‘Maybe this fantasy car doesn’t have to be fantasy at all. It could be real!’ The stars aligned, and the Door, Bumper, Clear Chevy became an actual thing.”

Evidently, DBC’s support for Justin Allgaier has not worn off yet. With the controversy around Texas gaining momentum, let us see if Kris Wright rights his ship in future races.