AVONDALE, Ariz.: Justin Allgaier had just completed three laps in the fastest car he had ever driven at Phoenix Raceway when his No. 7 Brandt Chevrolet slid through oil near the entrance to in Turn 1 and slammed into the outside wall.
As the JR Motorsports team pulled out the back up car for the Xfinity Series Championship Race, the 38-year-old veteran was still wondering what triggered the accident.
With just 50-minutes to prepare for the title contender stood helpless outside of the infield care center between Turns 1 and 2—and all he could do was watch.
“I think the 44 (Brennan Poole) was ultimately the one who had the issue—he had an engine expire,” Allgaier said. “And I drove into the oil. I thought I was going to get lucky and miss it. I barely got into it.
“I’m obviously disappointed, because now I have to go to a backup car. Really frustrating not only for myself but for this whole 7 team—all of our partners, the Hendrick engine shop.
“You know, sitting here watching cars going around the race track is the hardest part. Knowing that we’re not going to get the practice time.”
Allgaier was able to shake down the back up car with 14 minutes remaining in the session. Prior to the accident, the No. 7 Chevy was second fastest on the speed chart with a 27.700-second lap. When he returned to the track, Allgaier’s best time over a 16-lap run was 28.369 seconds.
He’ll have to start from the rear of the field becasue of the switch to the backup.
“I cannot say enough about the quality of this car this weekend,” Allgaier said of his primary Camaro. “It was by far the best car I had ever had here. Had it gone the way that I thought it was going to go, I think everyone else was going to be in trouble.
“Maybe it will just put us all on an even playing field when we go out there tomorrow. It’s going to make it that much sweeter if we can go out there and win a championship.”
Allgaier will compete in his seventh Championship 4 Round on Saturday. Under the current format, he has finished second twice in the standings—last year and in 2020.
In 28 starts at Phoenix, Allgaier has scored two victories, 10 top fives and 18 top 10s. His average finish is 10th.
Still, the affable racer, who is in his ninth season with JR Motorsports, could not have anticipated this setback entering the biggest race of the year.
“There’s no one I’d rather go into battle with,” Allgaier said. “This team is amazing. We’re going to go and build this backup car. Jim (Pohlman, crew chief) told me before he walked away that he’ll make sure the backup car is better than the primary.
“I don’t know if he can do that or not, but that’s all you can ask for is to have a team that stands behind you knowing we’re going to do what we need to do, and we’re going to do all we can to make the most of it.
“I have to go home tonight, sit back and really think about what we need to do and what we need to accomplish. We need to come up with a strategy that is ‘Plan B’ and what we need to do. There’s still no doubt that we can go out and win a championship. We just have to figure out what that looks like.”
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].
