Justin Allgaier mounts comeback, comes up short of win again
LAS VEGAS — For the third NASCAR Xfinity Series race in a row, Justin Allgaier fell short of capping off a comeback with a win.
Allgaier finished second after passing Chandler Smith late and coming up short of nipping Austin Hill for the win.
The JRM driver led nine laps early on and took the lead on Lap 79. Then, he dropped below the yellow/white lane before the start-finish line on the restart and served a drive-through penalty.
Allgaier was frustrated with the penalty and commented over the radio on the “restart games”. He clarified what he meant afterward.
“The speed of how you get into the [restart] box is supposed to be the speed you carry all the way through. Instead, we had ups and downs and speeding up and slowing down, kinda starting to lurch the car. As a driver, you’re trying to take every advantage you can,” Allgaier explained.
The extended restart zone has drawn some ire in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series for how drivers are trying to take advantage of it.
Drivers like Allgaier have had to adapt their style to the new zone which he said led to the penalty.
“Ultimately, I just missed it on the first one and started figuring it out on the second. That’s what led to the penalty. I didn’t want to get bogged down by the 10 car and went down below the yellow line,” he explained.
After the penalty, Allgaier finished 26th in the second stage. Then, after a good pit stop and picking off some spots, he was in the top 10 by Lap 107.
Allgaier showed long-run strength and was second before the Lap 142 pit stop. Afterward, he fell to third, four seconds behind Chandler Smith, then chipped away at the lead with Hill.
However, he fell short to finish second.
“It was nice we could pass those cars but it would’ve been nice to have track position and clean air,” Allgaier commented. “I was moving around a little bit to see if something would be better, but I actually lost time and track positon was difficult with lap cars.”
Justin Allgaier is second in the NASCAR Xfinity Series points, 21 behind Austin Hill.
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com
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