JR Motorsports is having quite a season, aren’t they? Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s team already has six wins in the opening 14 races, with four different drivers already entering Victory Lane. If performances this year are anything to go by, the team looks well on its way to defending its Xfinity Series championship, a feat that they have not achieved since the legendary 2017/18 seasons when William Byron and Tyler Reddick won for JRM. But now, it looks like a major transition may take place in the near future, going by recent speculation.

Reigning champ Justin Allgaier has hinted at potentially closing the curtains on his illustrious career. Could this mark the beginning of the end of JR Motorsports’ dominance? Surprised at the buzz, Denny Hamlin questioned the veteran racer’s future on his podcast.

Denny Hamlin perplexed at Allgaier’s retirement buzz

Justin Allgaier is truly racing like a champion. 14 races in, and the No. 7 Chevy driver has already secured three wins in the Xfinity Series, along with 10 top-five finishes. To put things into perspective, he had only won one of two races at this stage last year, but won the championship at Phoenix Raceway at the end of 2024. If anything, he’s looking stronger and more dominant than ever before, even finishing 9th at the Daytona 500 at NASCAR’s highest level.

Naturally, losing Justin Allgaier will be a significant blow to JR Motorsports. But Denny Hamlin was perplexed at the retirement rumors, and asked on the Actions Detrimental podcast, “Did Justin [Allgaier] announce he was going to retire? Was it Kenny Wallace, maybe with his morning coffee, Kenny or whatever, talking about putting the old guys out to pasture? Talking about Justin Allgaier is still winning races, but he’s kind of on the back of all the promos for the Xfinity Series? But then he said he’s gonna retire at the end of next year. Is that right?”

The rumors come from Justin Allgaier candidly revealing his long-term plans and expressing his desire to spend time with family. The 38-year-old has been a full-time Xfinity Series driver since 2009, and he admitted, “I feel like for me, my kids are growing up. I’m watching them grow up. I’m watching them get older. I don’t want to miss it.” The news shocked Kenny Wallace, who thought his record of 547 starts at NASCAR’s second tier would be broken by the Illinois native in the future.

Taken aback by the sudden revelation, Wallace said, “I thought Justin Allgaier would break my most starts record in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Now he says he has other plans shocked me.” While there is no official confirmation that Allgaier is ready to hang up his helmet and ride into the sunset just yet, this little hint is the closest he has ever come to potentially indicating a retirement.

While retirement buzz stirs up, Allgaier is quietly dominating the Xfinity Series this season. The veteran put up another sensational performance at Nashville, beating Cup drivers like Ross Chastain and his outrunning teammate Connor Zilisch for the win. Hamlin praised his performances, saying, “Another great win for Justin… Another very impressive win, he’s just dominating that series.” Allgaier currently boasts a 92-point lead on second-place Austin Hill in the Xfinity standings!

However, fans might want him to take another shot at the Cup Series before calling it a day, especially after his impressive finish at ‘The Great American Race’ earlier this year.

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Justin Allgaier reflects on his motorsports journey

Justin Allgaier has been through his fair share of struggles in NASCAR. Despite competing full-time in the Xfinity Series since 2009, the veteran racer only won his first championship last year, finishing agonizingly close on several occasions, particularly in 2020 and 2023. He also made a brief jump to the Cup Series for two years, but failed to make a significant impact at HScott Motorsports, finishing 29th and 30th.

But now, it’s like Allgaier has turned over a new leaf. Reflecting on what has changed, the veteran racer said, “I always thought I was pretty calm. But winning the championship for me was an incredible, eye-opening moment. That changed my mentality for how these races go. I used to think it’s got to be the perfect night (to win).” He went on to say, “Five years ago, I probably would have driven myself into the fence trying to get back to the clean air. I would have maybe made a mistake on one of those restarts, put myself in a really bad position, and wrecked myself or somebody else.”

Few would have predicted that Justin Allgaier would be a late bloomer, but now, at 38, he’s looking like a real force to be reckoned with. If speculation about his retirement is true, Dale Jr. will want to make the next few seasons count, while ‘generational talent’ Connor Zilisch can take up the mantle of JR Motorsports’ top driver. However, Zilisch would have his priority firmly set on a Cup Series seat at Trackhouse Racing. The future looks bright for the team, with or without the veteran, even though Junior’s side is at the very peak of its powers right now.