“I hate it… It Stinks” – that’s all Justin Allgaier could say after he lost control of his #7 JRM and went straight for the barrier. In fact, if the outspoken Cup Series champion Tony Stewart had been in Allgaier’s shoes, you bet there would’ve been a firestorm, much like what happened in 2009 when Stewart’s car tires gave out, and he didn’t hold back on giving Goodyear a piece of his mind in every interview afterward.

However, Allgaier, unlike “Smoke” kept it cool and didn’t make a big fuss, even though missing out on that win at Phoenix meant missing out on the chance to match legends like his boss Dale Earnhardt Jr and Tommy Houston in Xfinity wins.

Justin Allgaier was heartbroken knowing that they had the car that could win

Allgaier was on his way to snag his third Xfinity victory at Phoenix and what would have been his 24th career win in the series. Instead, he ended up in 29th place with his car in shambles. It looked like the tire started giving out on the exit to Turn 4, and by the time he hit the brakes going into Turn 1, the tire was completely flat, making a last minute an impossibility. 

Winning in Phoenix would have had him tied with Dale Jr and Tommy Houston, each having 24 wins in the Xfinity Series. For the second time in a row, the 37-year-old veteran saw potential wins slip through his fingers due to factors beyond his control, leaving him in eighth place in the standings, a whole 64 points behind Chandler Smith, who took the checkered flag in Phoenix.

Allgaier expressed his disappointment about the same without taking any names, saying, “Not a lot of good emotions to be honest with you at the moment. Just proud of the effort. Proud of everybody at JR Motorsports. I mean, everybody at GM and Chevrolet have been working really hard and everybody at JR Motorsports is working really hard. It just seems like this is the story of our year so far. We’ve had really fast Camaros every week and just nothing to show for it. I think the heartbreaker from today was being that far out, knowing that we had the car to win at the end there.”

Justin Allgaier’s had his fair share of victory laps at the Arizona track, winning twice, but he definitely could’ve had more wins to his name. His last big win there was a nail-biter, right before the championship’s big move to Phoenix in 2019. Out of the last nine races since that shift, he’s been out front leading for at least 20 laps in six of them. But all he’s got to show for those efforts are just three top-five finishes, with the best being two times in third place.

Landing in eighth place in the standings right now has got to sting for Allgaier, especially since he’s never found himself this low in the Xfinity Series rankings before in his whole career.

Justin Allgaier stands in the eighth position- the worst of his career

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Justin Allgaier’s riding through his thirteenth year in the Xfinity series, but this time around, he’s hit a bit of a snag. Throughout his racing career, he’s never found himself lower than seventh in the standings. But, 2024’s rough start knocked him down to the lowest spot he’s ever been in – eighth place. 

The season’s been sweet and sour for Allgaier, with two top-10 finishes—eighth at Daytona and tenth at Vegas—mixed with lower finishes, 28th in Atlanta and now 29th in Phoenix. Right now, Allgaier’s sitting on 199 points, trailing behind AJ Allmendinger in seventh and a hefty 183 points away from Chandler Smith leading the pack.

Justin Allgaier is Frustrated with JRM’s Fate After a Heartbreaking End to Phoenix

But there’s hope on the horizon with the series heading to the Circuit of The Americas on March 23. Allgaier’s got a good track record there, with two top-fives in his three runs. So, fingers crossed, he can turn this ship around.