On a national scale
Xfinity
O’Reilly
Team Penske
Turner Scott
JR motorsports
Matt Gimbel
Jason Burdett
Jim Pohlman
Andres Overstreet
You get the idea: 29 wins in nearly two decades, three title sponsors and three teams mean this is truly the Justin Allgaier era in NASCAR’s second-tier division, although he would never see it that way. I was just proud and happy to still be in the position where all these things happen.
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“In 2020, we achieved 50 wins (at JR Motorsports) and to be here in 2026 and achieve 107 is truly a special statistic,” Allgaier said. “Having O’Reilly Auto Parts on board this year is great to get my first win with them. We had a great run with Xfinity the last few years…
“Having a new crew chief, having so many things that are different this season and coming to a track that I know is great for us, but having a tumultuous night but coming out here with a win was really special.
“I’m proud of what we accomplished and I hope it’s the first of many, but you never know if it’ll be the first or the last; or if you’ll ever get another one, so enjoy them while you can.”
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Also read:
Justin Allgaier wins NASCAR O’Reilly race at Phoenix
All of this is worth reflecting on because Allgaier knows he had something really special with Pohlman. Truly, Pohlman is someone truly special, which is why he was promoted to Cup Series crew chief at Richard Childress Racing.
Andrew Overstreet is well respected within Chevrolet and JR Motorsports, but this could have been a bad match and it seems like nothing has really changed.
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“It’s strange because you change crew chiefs, and Jim and I had a fantastic relationship for a number of years, and then Andrew comes along and he’s taken me to a place where I struggle (mentally) because I don’t know if I can live up to his expectations of me.
“He’s probably one of the most positive people I’ve ever been around. He’s always sending me texts, scriptures, and little things that are meant to make me believe in myself more than I give myself credit for.
“But I told him I 100 percent believed he could do the job.”
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Allgaier said he was pleased with the couple from the beginning because he knew Overstreet had something to prove and that they are similar people focused on faith and family.
“We have a lot of synergies in that regard when it comes to families,” Allgaier said. “And I’m very proud to be able to take him to Victory Lane because he’s earned it.”
He says he admits that this wasn’t even his best day in the number 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 to life.
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This is kind of what the No. 7 team does in all its various configurations.
“Everyone works very hard and today was about the resilience of this team,” the driver said. “You know, I don’t know that Team 7 never makes it easy because if everything goes well you know that in the end it’s going to fall apart, 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 in the end and tonight was no different. But I think it makes you enjoy it more. You never really know what the highs are if you don’t live in the valleys.”
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So now, Allgaier says they need to take advantage of it, especially after taking the championship lead with this win.
“I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished at the Hendrick engine shop and at Chevrolet – everyone who can be a part of this,” Allgaier said. “I feel like we’ve hit the ground running much quicker than I expected.
“We can’t let that be our stalemate either. You know, we still have a lot of work to do. We have a track next week in Las Vegas that we can win at. Other teams are pushing: the Haas teams, Carson (Kvapil) and everyone in this series are very tough and I’m proud to compete against them.”
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“It won’t be easy and it won’t always be fun, but nights like this make it that much more fantastic and Andrew is a big part of that.”
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