
Justin Allgaier used his third-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway to earn a spot in the Championship 4. (Photo: Sydney Redden | The Podium Finish)
TALLADEGA, Ala. — With a third-place finish in the United Rentals 250 at Talladega Superspeedway, Justin Allgaier locked himself into the Championship 4, giving him the chance to defend his NASCAR Xfinity Series title.
His 52 total points scored during the race put him +76 above the cutline with just one race remaining in the Round of 8, which was enough to lock Allgaier in on points.
“I’m just so proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish,” said Allgaier. “We did what we had to do today, and it wasn’t pretty.”
Following a caution with just three laps remaining, Allgaier had to pit from inside the top five due to fuel concerns. At first, it looked as if Allgaier’s chances of a victory and advancing were over, but topping off on fuel helped him rally through the field to score a top-five finish.

Justin Allgaier (No. 7) pushing JR Motorsports teammate Carson Kvapil (No. 1) at Talladega Superspeedway. (Photo: Sydney Redden | The Podium Finish)
“Jim (Pohlman, crew chief) was really down on himself for making that call at the end there to pit,” Allgaier said. “But look, if we run out of gas and we don’t finish, we’re not locked in.”
Allgaier joined his JR Motorsports teammate, Connor Zilisch, who also clinched a spot in the Championship 4 on points at Talladega. Heading into the elimination race at Martinsville Speedway, JR Motorsports currently holds three of the four spots for the finale, with Carson Kvapil sitting in the final transfer spot with an 11-point cushion over fellow JRM teammate, Sammy Smith.
The early advancement to the next round is the second time Allgaier and the No. 7 team have accomplished that feat this postseason, advancing ahead of the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL elimination race in the Round of 12. Doing so allowed Allgaier to be more relaxed during the ROVAL race weekend, something that can make his team more dangerous next weekend.
“Charlotte Motor Speedway (ROVAL) was probably one of the most fun races I’ve ever had in my entire life, because I knew we were locked in and I was able to go there and really just enjoy the experience, right?” he said. “And when you can go to the race track and know that, ‘Hey, I’ve still got a shot at winning the race, but I can go there, not having to worry about points, I don’t have to worry about anything else, I can just go have fun’, it almost makes you a little bit more dangerous because you can play the strategy game. You can do things differently than you would any other time.”

Justin Allgaier finished in third place in the United Rentals 250 at Talladega Superspeedway, locking himself into the Championship 4 on points. (Photo: Sydney Redden | The Podium Finish)
The “having fun” aspect at Martinsville Speedway also sparked a friendly discussion between Allgaier and Pohlman on eating a Martinsville hot dog.
“I don’t even eat hot dogs, and I’d probably eat a hot dog next week at Martinsville, just because, it doesn’t really matter,” he said. “We can go there and have fun.”
On top of the enjoyment of being locked in early, the “bye week” gives Allgaier and his No. 7 team a chance to begin focusing on the finale at Phoenix Raceway early. Allgaier is looking to take advantage of the time off to give his team the best shot at defending their NASCAR Xfinity Series title.
“I’m not worried as much about how good our car is for Martinsville,” said Allgaier. “So, I can go worry about Phoenix (Raceway) and prep myself for Phoenix, and do a better job there for my team.”