Getty Justin Allgaier continues to stack up top-10 finishes.
Two races remain in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Round of Eight, but none of the playoff drivers have secured a spot in the championship four. AJ Allmendinger and Austin Cindric are well above the cutline while Justin Allgaier has a four-point cushion. However, the driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro is on a consistent run that potentially sets up his fifth appearance in the championship four in six seasons.
Allgaier finished fourth overall at Texas Motor Speedway on October 16 while John Hunter Nemechek locked up the win. This performance served as Allgaier’s ninth consecutive top-10 finish, dating back to the August 21 race at Michigan International Speedway when he ended the day in sixth. This streak also includes top-five runs at Daytona International Speedway, Richmond Raceway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Talladega Superspeedway.
Allgaier has 15 top-five finishes in the 2021 season with three races remaining on the schedule. He is only two shy of his career-best mark of 17 top-five finishes, which he set during the five-win 2018 season. Allgaier also posted 16 top-five finishes during the 2019 season.
Allgaier Avoids On-Track Incidents With Impressive Control
While continuing to post top-10 finishes is a testament to Allgaier’s skills behind the wheel, this run is not the only indicator. He has also achieved this consistency while avoiding collisions with the wall and other drivers.
There are several examples of Allgaier using nifty moves in the No. 7 JRM Chevrolet to avoid crashes, including the October 16 race at Texas Motor Speedway. He got loose and started to slide up the track, but he managed to get the stock car back under control before it collided with teammate Noah Gragson’s No. 9. Instead of knocking himself and another playoff driver out of the race, Allgaier saved the stock car and raced his way to a top-five finish.
Another example was the race at Bristol Motor Speedway. Allgaier had to save the No. 7 after sliding around a turn at the iconic short track. The incident occurred when he tried to move up the track and get in front of Joe Graf Jr. There was not enough room, so the two stock cars collided and sent Allgaier into a slide around the corner. However, the veteran driver managed to get the car back under control and straightened out so that he did not hit the wall or any other vehicle.
Allgaier Now Has 2 Races Remaining to Secure His Spot
GettyJustin Allgaier makes a pit stop at Kansas Speedway in 2020.
With the race at Texas complete, Allgaier now has two races remaining to secure his spot in the championship four. He will pursue this goal at two tracks — Kansas and Martinsville — where he has not reached Victory Lane.
Allgaier has 11 starts at Kansas Speedway and two at Martinsville Speedway during his Xfinity Series career without a win. However, he has two top-10 finishes at Martinsville, including a runner-up during the 2020 playoff race. At Kansas, Allgaier has posted eight top-10 finishes and a trio of fifth-place runs.
“Today was a solid day for our Sam’s Club #MakeOverMyBackyard Chevrolet,” Allgaier said after the Texas race, per the JR Motorsports media team. “We kept fighting all day long and were able to come away with another top-five finish and remain inside that top four in points. We know what we need to do from here as we get ready for next week in Kansas. Hopefully we can have another smooth day there and get ourselves one step closer to moving on to Phoenix.”
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