Justin Allgaier tamed the “Lady In Black” on Saturday afternoon, driving to a respectable third-place run. (Photo Credit: Sydney Redden | The Podium Finish)
DARLINGTON, S.C. — Justin Allgaier narrowly misses his fourth victory at Darlington Raceway in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Sports Clips VFW Help A Hero 200, finishing in third place.
The reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion faced challenges finishing strong after a late battle with Chase Elliott, despite leading 56 laps during the race.
The other four of Allgaier’s JR Motorsports teammates made history today by becoming the first team in Xfinity Series history to have five cars finish inside the top nine.
Allgaier made quick work of the field after qualifying in third for the 147-lap event, taking the lead on the Lap 28 restart after the first caution of the day came out for Kris Wright and Josh Williams colliding off Turn 2.
Harrison Burton decided to use a fresh set of Goodyear tires early in the race. He took the lead on Lap 39 and maintained that position until the end of the stage, with Allgaier finishing in second place in Stage 1.
Allgaier reclaimed the lead from eventual race winner Brandon Jones on Lap 53 and showcased his skills during the 45-lap second stage. He successfully held off rookie Christian Eckes and NASCAR Cup Series veteran Ross Chastain, ultimately claiming his third stage victory of 2025 by over three seconds. With just 50 laps remaining in the event, he set his sights on securing his third victory of the season.
Chastain’s teammate of Allgaier, quickly began working to take the race lead with 49 laps remaining. He battled side-by-side with Allgaier, which allowed Christopher Bell, who had started from pole position, to rejoin the fight for the lead.
Taylor Gray spun out of Turn 4 while running in 18th place, resulting in the fourth caution of the day. This incident forced Allgaier to pit road, where he experienced a slow stop. The front tire changer slipped while transitioning to the left side of Allgaier’s No. 7 Chevrolet, which placed the team outside the top 10 for the first time in the race with only 30 laps remaining.
Justin Allgaier navigating through Turns 1 and 2 at the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval. (Photo Credit: Sydney Redden | The Podium Finish
Allgaier would get a big break as the fifth caution of the event came out for Garrett Smithley spinning entering Turn 3, allowing for Allgaier to restart in 11th as the laps were winding down at Darlington Raceway.
The ninth-winningest driver in the Xfinity Series would make easy work of his JR Motorsports teammates of Connor Zilisch and Sammy Smith, swinging past the two to break back inside the top 10 with under 20 laps left in the race.
Allgaier found himself back up to seventh place with 13 laps to go after the sixth and final caution of the race came out on Lap 130.
The driver of the No. 7 would find his way back to third, ultimately falling short after leading the most laps on the day at “The Track Too Tough To Tame.”
“Listen, we win as a team, we lose as a team,” said Allgaier in a post race interview after extending his top 5 streak at the 1.366-mile oval facility.
“You know, the pit-road deal. It’s hard when you have those moments, but when you watch the guys rally, it’s because they understand, and they want to be successful, just like this race team is. We want those top fives. You want those wins. And, you know, I think that the best example I can give you is last year in Phoenix. You know, we were down, but we were never out, and we came back and we rallied.”
Despite the finish, Allgaier highlighted his impressive points day, earning the highest total of points among full-time drivers with 53 total.
“I’m proud of the effort that we’re putting in, if I’d come out of here 10th or 15th, yeah, I’d have probably been a little more upset. But to come out of here third and lead as many laps as we did, the points day that we had. I mean, just a great day. Yes, you want to win, but it’s hard to be sad with third and a great points day.”
Allgaier looks to win $100,000 in next week’s Xfinity Dash 4 Cash program at Bristol Motor Speedway on April 12.
