By David Morgan, Associate Editor
AVONDALE, Ariz. – Back here again.
For the seventh time in his NASCAR Xfinity Series career, Justin Allgaier and the No. 7 JR Motorsports team head into the season finale with a shot at the championship. They’re hoping it’s lucky No. 7 for them to finally capture the title that has eluded them for all these years.
“Just a different mindset this year,” Allgaier said of what sets this championship run apart from the others.
“I think in some ways I’m a little bit angry at myself for getting here so many times and not being able to do it. Whereas this year is just a little bit different. Not that I don’t care about the weekend per se, but I’ve kind of just tried to look at this as just like another race….I’m probably more excited for this weekend than I’ve ever been.
“Because I’m not really focused on the championship side of things or what we’ve been able to do. I mean, obviously there is some media stuff that we’ve got to do that’s extra than a normal week. But this team has executed these last four or five weeks now at a level that is way higher than I thought we could even even operate at. And this racetrack has been really good to us. So, I’m excited for this weekend and just what the task at hand is.”
Allgaier added that this has been both the easiest run to the title race for him and the hardest at the same time, but the lows that the team has faced this year have helped to strengthen their resolve to get back to Phoenix to have another shot at the championship.
“It’s interesting this year because as far as just the way that things have gone for us, it’s probably been the hardest year I’ve ever had. It seems like every time you think things are going in the right direction, they’re not. We’ve had more crashes and DNFs and just dumb stuff that’s happened to us than I feel like ever.
But at the same time, I think a lot of times you need those valleys to really see where the peaks are at. And this team has excelled in that regard. I think it’s understated what this team has really accomplished.”
Not only from the driver’s seat, but also throughout the JR Motorsports shop, all of the parties involved are sensing a different vibe this time around when it comes to the championship race.
“Jim Pohlman (crew chief) told me two weeks ago, he said, we’re gonna go win Phoenix. It’s just a matter of whether you race for a championship or not for a championship, right? We’re gonna hoist a trophy.
“I would rather it be the big one than the little one. And he’s been adamant on that. He’s very confident and to have a leader of your group that is that confident, it obviously kind of exudes confidence through everybody.
“My underneath mechanic this week, came to me and we were standing there and he said, man, this year’s just different. He’s like, we were a first-time group last year altogether, and we came here and we didn’t do things right.
“Not that we did anything wrong, he’s like, we were nervous. We didn’t execute at a high level. Those championship jitters were there. This year, he is like, man, the confidence level is high as a group. We’re ready to go. He’s like, I can see it in you as a driver, like you’re ready to go.
“And those are the type of things that when you show up here with a group that you know is capable of executing at a high level, it makes it a lot more fun knowing that everybody’s on the same page.”
Allgaier continued noting that in past years he has carried the weight of his championship drought on his back and sometimes has overstepped in his pursuit of the title, but with the speed that his team has had this year, he has a renewed belief that this is finally going to be their year.
“I feel like in years past, I’ve kind of carried it on my back of like, we have to go here, we have to do this. We have to lead every lap and win the race and qualify on the pole. And you get caught up in that mentality,” he said.
“I mean, last year here, I spun out on lap five or whatever just trying to get in front of the other Playoff cars because I just wanted to prove a point that my car was fast enough to get in front of the other Playoff cars. That’s not what we needed to do.
“This year in 2024, we’ve had more raw speed as a group than we’ve ever had. Won more stages, led more laps, done all those things that, you know, I think are important.
“I feel like in years past, we’ve not had that. We’ve not had the confidence that we’ve had the raw speed to come in here and compete for the win. We had to almost get one. Right? And this year, there is no doubt in my mind that we can’t go out and outpace the other three.
“And if you can do that, then obviously it makes the road to the championship a lot easier. So, I think that’s given me some peace just looking at this a lot differently than I have in years past.”
Also giving the team confidence is the fact that Phoenix is one of Allgaier’s best tracks on the circuit, having won here on two different occasions and finishing in the top-10 in 18 of his 28 starts.
At Phoenix back in the spring, Allgaier was well on his way to victory before a blown tire wiped out that opportunity. He explained that the team should be able to parlay that speed from earlier this year to speed on Saturday.
“What we learned here in the spring with balance of our car and kind of what we did well, what we executed well on, is something that I think is very important,” Allgaier said.
“The spring race is obviously in the middle of the day, it’s a lot hotter, it’s slicker. You know, Saturday afternoon, Saturday evening, it’s gonna be cool. I mean, we’re seeing kind of unusually cold temperatures anyways. So, you add those colder temperatures to the sun going down, I think it’s going to affect the balance of our cars a lot.
“Who makes the best decisions? Who’s understanding what they need to make for adjustments on their car. I think those are all important pieces. I’ve got a great crew chief in Jim Pohlman.
“I’ve got great engineers that they’ve put a lot of time and effort and energy into coming here, and I have no doubt that we’ll have a car that’s capable of winning the race right now. There’s a lot of other factors that play into that.
“And if we execute a high level, then I think we are able to go walk out of here as champions on Saturday night.”
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