Allgaier Looks To Continue Success At The “Magic Mile”

Story By: AMY HARROP / RPW – LOUDON, NH – Justin Allgaier is a driver who has performed well at NHMS and is looking to continue on the path of success this weekend with the NASCAR XFINITY Series race. Although Allgaier performs well at New Hampshire on paper, the track type isn’t one of his favorites.

“My likes in a race track are that I don’t like flat tracks and I don’t like your typical 1 mile style race tracks, so you would automatically say that New Hampshire is crossed off the list as one of my favorites, but statistically and just feel-wise, I think it fits me very well.”, he says. He compares the surface of New Hampshire to that of dirt tracks, providing a slick racing surface and leaving the drivers to figure out which line works best for them. As for the VHT on the race track, Allgaier thinks it affects the race during hot weather. “We have two things affecting the race track, the VHT is number one…but typically, the hotter it is, the more you’re out there slipping around…so this will be interesting.” he says, speaking of the rise in temperature that is expected come race time on Saturday. Allgaier doesn’t have to worry about capturing a win this weekend, seeing that he already won in Phoenix earlier this season. But, he always has the drive to succeed and win more races.

Due to his Phoenix win, Allgaier is already locked into the Chase playoff battle at the end of the season. But, winning is always on his mind, as it is for all drivers. “I want to win again, because that means more bonus points when it comes time for the playoffs, but, the one advantage is that the one race track I won at was Phoenix, and you can draw similarities from turns three and four at New Hampshire to turns three and four in Phoenix.” he says, drawing the similarities between the two tracks and how they handle. Although he has a win on the season, Allgaier feels pressure to achieve more, and he’s always looking to learn and get better.

Allgaier suggests that winning creates more pressure than not winning does. “It’s ramped up the pressure internally more than not winning, which I think is very interesting…but that’s a good thing.” he says, talking about how he and his team feel pressure to perform well in the playoffs and continue their solid season. Of the tracks during the playoffs, Justin says that he can’t choose just one track that he’s looking forward to, but he can’t wait to go back to Phoenix, where he got his first win previously this season. Not only is Allgaier a winner himself in the XFINITY Series this season, he comes from a winning team at JR Motorsports.

Allgaier and his teammates Elliott Sadler and William Byron sit 1-2-3 at the top of the XFINITY Series points standings right now, proving that they are a force not to be reckoned with. “We know that we have 4 good race cars in our shop, and we know that we have 4 guys that are capable of going out there every week and competing.” he says, talking about Sadler, Byron and and Michael Annett. He says that there is a competitive yet respectful nature among the 3 team mates and that it’s a weird but cool dynamic at JR Motorsports. He praises Dale Jr. for the work he does for their race team, saying nothing but great things about his team owner.

Fan-favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. owns the race team, and Justin says that it’s cool to have an owner-driver as powerful as Junior taking him under his wing, showing him the ropes. “Dale is a great guy and he’s a lot of fun to be around. But, on the flip side, you don’t have a team principle or somebody that isn’t relevant in the sport. So, to have Dale, who’s not only a fan-favorite, but an extremely talented race car driver…he knows and understands what we’re going through.” he says, talking about how Dale Jr. is no stranger to the trials and tribulations that come with being a race car driver. Although he’s successful and has learned from the best, Justin’s still always seeking improvement.

Justin sees driving as a learning experience, not just staying focused on the winning aspect. Sure, winning is fun. But, it doesn’t mean anything if you didn’t learn anything. Justin says that not learning something from a race could be worse than winning a race, saying, “From a driver’s standpoint, my big deal is learning every week.” He’s performing well on one of the biggest levels of the sport, but he’s not necessarily looking to jump up to the Cup Series anytime soon. “Unless the perfect opportunity were to come around, I’d be content with never going back.”, he says. He’s grateful for any/every opportunity that he’s given, but he thrives in environments where he can be competitive every week and contend for championships. So, as long as he keeps performing well, he’s perfectly fine with staying put for the near future.

Justin Allgaier is no stranger to success so far in the 2017 XFINITY Series season, and he’s looking to further this momentum as we creep closer to the all-too-important playoffs in September.