Competing in his 11th full-time season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Justin Allgaier is within reach of a milestone start. By competing in this weekend’s inaugural Xfinity event at the Circuit of the Americas, Allgaier will achieve 350 career starts in the Xfinity circuit.
A native of Riverton, Illinois, Allgaier made his Xfinity Series debut at Charlotte’s Lowe’s Motor Speedway in October 2008. By then, he was also a full-time ARCA Re/Max Series competitor competing for his family owned team led by his father Mike. Driving the No. 12 Dodge for team owner Roger Penske, Allgaier started 14th before finishing 34th in his series debut after being involved in a wreck in the second half of the event. He returned for the final three races of the season, where he earned an 11th-place result at Phoenix Raceway in November.
Following his brief appearance in the Xfinity circuit and after winning the 2008 ARCA championship, Allgaier was named a full-time Xfinity competitor in Penske’s No. 12 Dodge for the 2009 season. While he did not record a single victory throughout his rookie Xfinity campaign, he achieved the 2009 Rookie-of-the-Year title in a season where he claimed a pole, three top-five results, 12 top-10 results, an average result of 16.5 and a sixth-place result in the final standings.
Remaining with the Penske organization in 2010, Allgaier commenced the season on a strong note by finishing in fourth place in the season-opening event at Daytona. Three races later, he achieved his first Xfinity career win at Bristol Motor Speedway in March after leading the final 27 laps while holding off teammate Brad Keselowski. Overall, Allgaier went on to earn two poles, eight top-five results, 20 top-10 results and an average result of 11.5. When the season concluded at Homestead-Miami Speedway in November, he finished in fourth place in the final standings and as the highest-finishing Xfinity regular competitor.
Following the 2010 season, the No. 12 Penske team ceased operations due to sponsorship issues and Allgaier joined Turner Motorsports to drive the No. 31 Chevrolet Impala for the 2011 season. Finishing as high as second place through the first 13 events of the season, Allgaier claimed his first victory of the season at Chicagoland Speedway in June and in thrilling fashion after overtaking Carl Edwards, who had run out of fuel, on the final lap before he too ran out of fuel and had enough to coast ahead to the finish line ahead of Edwards. Overall, Allgaier earned a victory, six top-five results, 17 top-10 results and an average result of 11.8 before settling in third place in the final standings. Following the 2011 season, Allgaier surpassed 100 career starts in the Xfinity circuit.
In 2012, Allgaier’s lone victory of the season occurred at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Quebec, in August after he overtook Jacques Villeneuve on the final lap. He went on to earn a total of six top-five results, 19 top-10 results and a sixth-place result in the final standings.
The 2013 Xfinity season saw Allgaier experience his first winless season since his rookie campaign, but he managed to finish in fifth place in the final standings and in a season where he earned a pole, six top-five results, 16 top-10 results and an 11.2 average result.
Following the 2013 season, Allgaier moved up to the NASCAR Cup Series to drive for HScott Motorsports. After spending the next two seasons in the Cup Series, Allgaier returned to the Xfinity Series as a full-time competitor in 2016, where he joined forces with JR Motorsports to drive the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro. Though he did not win during the entire season, Allgaier utilized consistency to make the inaugural Xfinity Playoffs and all the way to the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway before settling in third place in the final standings. He also earned 13 top-five results, a career-high 27 top-10 results and a 9.1 average result. By then, he surpassed 200 Xfinity career starts.
In 2017, Allgaier returned to Victory Lane following a five-year dry spell after winning at Phoenix Raceway in March. He went on to earn his second victory of the season at Chicagoland in September. Returning to the Playoffs and to the Championship Round for a second consecutive season, Allgaier went on to finish in third place in the final standings and in a season where he also earned a pole, 10 top-five results and 17 top-10 results.
The 2018 season was a career year for Allgaier, who won a career-high five races (Dover International Speedway in May, Iowa Speedway in June, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and Road America in August and Indianapolis Motor Speedway in September) and the 2018 Xfinity Series regular season championship. He also earned a career-high 17 top-five results and 24 top-10 results. Despite the momentum throughout the season and the Playoffs, finishes of 38th, fifth and 24th during the Playoff’s Round of 8 were enough to prevent him from reaching the Championship Round as the driver went on to finish in seventh place in the final standings.
The momentum from the previous season carried forth in the 2019 Xfinity opener at Daytona for Allgaier, who earned a strong runner-up result behind teammate Michael Annett. It was not until the penultimate event of the season at Phoenix in November, though, where he won for the first time during the season. Nonetheless, the victory was enough for the veteran driver and his No. 7 JRM Chevrolet team to secure a spot in the Championship Round at Homestead. During the finale, however, Allgaier cut a tire late in the event and settled in fourth place in the final standings. He capped off the season with 16 top-five results, 24 top-10 results and a career-best average result of 9.0. By then, he surpassed 300 Xfinity starts.
In 2020, Allgaier earned a victory in one of Dover International Speedway’s doubleheader events in August and he won both Richmond Raceway events in a doubleheader weekend in September. Despite returning to the Championship Round at Phoenix, he settled in a career-best runner-up result in the final standings behind the champion, Austin Cindric. He concluded the season with 11 top-five results, 19 top-10 results and a career-high 1,008 laps led.
Through the first 10 races of this season, Allgaier has achieved two victories (Atlanta Motor Speedway in March and Darlington Raceway in May), three top-five results and five top-10 results. He is ranked in sixth place in the regular-season standings.
Through 349 previous Xfinity starts, Allgaier has achieved 16 career victories, six poles, 99 top-five results, 200 top-10 results and a 12.1 average result.
Allgaier is set to make his 350th Xfinity Series career start at the Circuit of the Americas for the Pit Boss 250 on Saturday, May 22, at 4 p.m. ET on FS1.
