The more things change the more they stay the same.
Nationwide
Xfinity
O’Reilly
Team Penske
Turner Scott
JR Motorsports
Matt Gimbel
Jason Burdett
Jim Pohlman
Andrew Overstreet
You get the idea: 29 wins across nearly two decades, three title sponsors and three teams means this is truly the Justin Allgaier era of NASCAR’s second tier division, not that he would ever look at it this way. He was just proud and happy to still be in the position to where all these things get to happen.
“In 2020, we hit 50 wins (at JR Motorsports) and to be here in 2026 and hitting like 107 is really a special stat,” Allgaier said. “Having O’Reilly Auto Parts come on board this year, cool to get my first win with them. We had such a great run with Xfinity for the last number of years …
“To have a new crew chief, to have so many things that are different this season, and to come out to a race track that I know is great for us, but to have a tumultuous night but come out here with a win was really special.
“I’m proud of what we accomplished and hopefully it’s the first of many but you never know if it’s your first one or last one; or if you will ever get another one so enjoy them while you can.”
It’s all worth reflecting upon because Allgaier knows he had something really special with Pohlman. Really, Pohlman is someone really special, which is why he was promoted to Cup Series crew chief at Richard Childress Racing.
Andrew Overstreet is highly regarded within Chevrolet and JR Motorsports but this could have been a bad match and it just seems like nothing really has changed.
“It’s odd because you switch crew chiefs, and Jim and I had a fantastic relationship for a number of years, and then comes Andrew and he’s built me up to a place where I struggle (mentally) because I don’t know if I can live up to his expectation of me.
“He is probably one of the most positive people I have ever been around. He’s always sending me texts and scripture and little things that are meant to make me believe in myself more than I do.
“But I told him I 100 percent believed he could get the job done.”
Allgaier said he was pleased with the pairing from the start because he knew Overstreet had something to prove and that they are similar faith and family focused individuals.
“We have a lot of synergies in that regard as far as families go,” Allgaier said. “And I am so proud to be able to get him to Victory Lane because he’s earned that.”
He says that recognizing this wasn’t even their best day on the No. 7 team. They had some misfortunes on pit road. Allgaier didn’t always make the best decisions in hindsight behind the wheel. The car needed 15 laps to come alive.
This is kind of what the No. 7 team does under all of its various configurations.
“Everyone works really hard and today was just about the resiliency of this team,” said the driver. “You know, I don’t know what the 7 team never makes it easy because if everything is going well you know its going to fall apart at the end, right?
“I don’t know why that is. I wish I had an answer for that but all of our wins have been Hail Marys at the end and tonight was no different. But I think it makes you enjoy it more. You never really know what the highest of highs are if you don’t live in the valleys.”
So now, Allgaier says they need to build on it, especially after taking the championship lead with this victory.
“I am proud of what we’ve accomplished in the Hendrick engine shop and Chevrolet; everyone who gets to be part of this,” Allgaier said. “I feel like we have hit the ground running a lot faster than I expected.
“We also can’t let that be our stall out. You know, we still have a lot of work to do. We have a track next week in Vegas that we can go win at. Other teams are pushing: the Haas teams, Carson (Kvapil) and everyone in this series is so tough and I’m proud to race against them.
“It’s not going to be easy and it’s not always going to be fun but nights like this make it that much more fantastic and Andrew is a big part of that.”
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: motorsport.com
