Justin Allgaier started the Xfinity Series race at Phoenix on November 10th, 2024 behind the wheel of his backup car. The No. 7 NASCAR Chevy Camaro SS was wrecked beyond repair during practice, forcing his JR Motorsports (JRM) team to work quickly to prepare his secondary race car for competition. Allgaier started dead last, and though he didn’t win the race, he was crowned the 2024 division champion as the highest-finishing driver in the Final 4.
Allgaier started dead last in the 38-car field on Saturday, and at first, things didn’t seem to be going his way. He went a lap down halfway through the race thanks to a restart violation. He was forced to make a pass-through penalty, and while he was on Pit Road, he was busted again for speeding and forced to serve yet another pass-through. He rejoined traffic in 35th place.
Then, a caution with 45 laps left flipped the script. Allgaier’s NASCAR Chevy team elected to stay out, putting him back on the lead lap and putting him inside the top 10. By the time the race reached its zenith with a pair of Overtime finishes, Allgaier had battled to P2 and restarted on the front row for the final green flag of the night. However, the No. 7 NASCAR Chevy Camaro didn’t have enough speed to hold off the No. 98 Ford Mustang Dark Horse of Riley Herbst, who passed Allgaier on the last lap and went on to win the race. But because Herbst was not in the Playoffs, Allgaier’s second-place finish was good enough to hand him the championship after 14 years of trying.
“I said all weekend, I don’t know what the plan is, but He [God] has a reason for everything and tonight is true of that, this is mind-blowing, it really is,” said Allgaier, a devout Christian. “This team never gave up. [Crew chief] Jim Pohlman and his leadership skills are second to none. He told me all weekend that we were going to have a chance and we tried to give it away every way we could.”
JRM owner, Dale Earnhardt Jr., was so overjoyed, he brought the champion’s flag to the media center with him for the postrace press conference.
| Finish | Start | Car Number | Driver | Team | Laps Run | Laps Led | Car |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 98 | Riley Herbst | Monster Energy Ford | 213 | 167 | Ford Mustang |
| 2 | 37 | 7 | Justin Allgaier (P) | BRANDT Chevrolet | 213 | 4 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 3 | 38 | 20 | Aric Almirola (P) | He Gets Us Toyota | 213 | 0 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 4 | 21 | 88 | Connor Zilisch | Jarrett 25 Years Chevrolet | 213 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 5 | 4 | 81 | Chandler Smith | QuickTie Toyota | 213 | 0 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 6 | 6 | 2 | Jesse Love # | Whelen Chevrolet | 213 | 6 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 7 | 2 | 18 | Sheldon Creed | Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Toyota | 213 | 20 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 8 | 7 | 00 | Cole Custer (P) | Andy's Frozen Custard/Haas Automation Ford | 213 | 7 | Ford Mustang |
| 9 | 9 | 16 | AJ Allmendinger (P) | Celsius Chevrolet | 213 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 10 | 5 | 21 | Austin Hill (P) | Bennett Transportation Chevrolet | 213 | 5 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 11 | 8 | 1 | Sam Mayer | 10X Health Chevrolet | 213 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 12 | 17 | 97 | Shane Van Gisbergen # | WeatherTech Chevrolet | 213 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 13 | 1 | 19 | William Sawalich(i) | Starkey/Soundgear Toyota | 213 | 0 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 14 | 31 | 48 | Parker Kligerman | Big Machine Spiked Coolers Chevrolet | 213 | 2 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 15 | 15 | 8 | Sammy Smith | Pilot Flying J Chevrolet | 213 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 16 | 16 | 27 | Jeb Burton | AO Smith Chevrolet | 213 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 17 | 13 | 10 | Daniel Dye(i) | Champion Container Chevrolet | 213 | 2 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 18 | 33 | 9 | Brandon Jones | Menards/Klearvue Cabinetry Chevrolet | 213 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 19 | 24 | 15 | Dylan Lupton | Lupton Excavation Ford | 213 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 20 | 22 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Alliance Driveway Solutions Chevrolet | 213 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 21 | 32 | 91 | Josh Bilicki | Rita's Ice Chevrolet | 213 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 22 | 25 | 29 | Blaine Perkins | Ashurst American Honey Ford | 213 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 23 | 23 | 28 | Ryan Sieg | Sci Aps Ford | 213 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 24 | 28 | 44 | Brennan Poole | Macc Door Systems Chevrolet | 213 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 25 | 20 | 43 | Ryan Ellis | Tablo Chevrolet | 213 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 26 | 11 | 38 | Matt DiBenedetto | ReMA Ford | 213 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 27 | 34 | 35 | Joey Gase | Donate Life AZ Chevrolet | 213 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 28 | 30 | 07 | Patrick Emerling | MMI Tank Chevrolet | 212 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 29 | 29 | 39 | Kyle Sieg | Tap and Sons Ford | 212 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 30 | 36 | 53 | Garrett Smithley | Dozer Winch Parts.com Ford | 212 | 0 | Ford Mustang |
| 31 | 26 | 42 | Leland Honeyman # | Distributor Wire & Cable Co Chevrolet | 210 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 32 | 27 | 92 | Dawson Cram(i) | Trade With The Pros Chevrolet | 209 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 33 | 19 | 11 | Josh Williams | Alloy Chevrolet | 208 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 34 | 10 | 31 | Parker Retzlaff | FUNKAWAY/REALTREE Chevrolet | 204 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 35 | 18 | 26 | Jeffrey Earnhardt(i) | Synergy Modular Toyota | 169 | 0 | Toyota TRD Supra |
| 36 | 12 | 5 | Anthony Alfredo | Dead On Tools Chevrolet | 152 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 37 | 35 | 14 | Greg Van Alst | Prescott Tire Pros Chevrolet | 108 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 38 | 14 | 45 | Stefan Parsons(i) | Prime Bites Mini Muffins Chevrolet | 61 | 0 | Chevrolet Camaro |
# – Rookie
i – Points ineligible
* – Part-time driver
P – Playoffs eligible
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