Justin Allgaier is the only driver to compete in all nine NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, but he has never won a championship. Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. In those nine playoffs runs he finished second twice and appeared in the Championship 4 a series-leading seven times. So much success and yet no championships for Allgaier.
“I don’t feel the pressure of the championship like I have in the past,” Allgaier told Newsweek and other journalists. “I feel like I come in this weekend and I think being here as many times as I have and it’s not worked out, you just get this sense of peace of like, “well, I’ve been here before and we’ve not been able to accomplish it. Change the game plan and go into it with a different mindset and we’ll see what happens to that point.”
When asked if it is ever hard to convince himself this year’s different, Allgaier responded:
“No, because every year we do this, it’s different. It’s different cars, its different drivers, it’s different weather conditions. There are so many things that are different year in, year out.”
Phoenix Raceway has been good for Allgaier. In 28 career starts at Phoenix, Allgaier has a pair of wins, 10 Top 5 finishes,18 Top 10 finishes and an average finish of 10.0. If there was a track where Allgaier could break through and win a championship, it’s the low-banked one-mile oval in suburban Phoenix. History favors Allgaier there and his crew chief is optimistic about his driver.
“Jim Pohlman (crew chief) told me two weeks ago,” Allgaier said. “We’re going to go win Phoenix. It’s just a matter of whether you race for a championship or not for a championship, right? We’re going to hoist a trophy. I would rather it be the big one that you win.
“And he’s been adamant on that and he’s very confident. And to have a leader of your group that is that confident and it obviously kind of exudes confidence to everybody.”
Allgaier will get his opportunity to break through and win his first Xfinity Series title on Saturday, November 9 at Phoenix Raceway. The green flag drops for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship race at 7:30 p.m.
“This year there’s no doubt in my mind that we can go out and outpace the three (other Xfinity Series Championship 4 driver),” Allgaier said. “And if you can do that, then obviously it makes the road to the championship a lot easier.”
