The veteran knows how to keep calm, cool, collected, and in victory lane.
Justin Allgaier was already above the cutline in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, but capped off the semifinal race of the year with a win in the Desert Diamond West Valley Casino 200 at ISM Raceway on Saturday. The win gives the team an edge as they head to Homestead-Miami Speedway with a chance to win a championship, locking himself into the Championship Four.
“The momentum that we get from winning today obviously will be amazing next week,” Allgaier told Sports360AZ in Victory Lane. “To finally be able to get that monkey off our back, it really feels good.”
The day was started by Christopher Bell once again dominating. Bell was the only driver locked into the Championship Four with his victory at Texas last week. Bell scored the pole and dominated stages one and two. A speeding penalty would send Bell to the back at the beginning of the final stage. With the number of cars Bell had lapped though, he only had to restart in 17th.
Bell fought his way back into the top ten within five laps, but spun out off of turn two and ended his day going a lap down and never recovering.
With the dominant car gone, Chase Briscoe took the lead and was the only car utilizing the top of the track, looking to place himself in the Championship Four. His tires wore out and was passed by Allgaier.
The JR Motorsports No. 7 team of Allgaier took the lead and never looked back, taking the win. Briscoe would drop back to eight and wouldn’t make the Championship Four.
The four drivers going to Homestead with a chance to win a title along with Allgaier will be Bell, Tyler Reddick, and Cole Custer. Last year, Allgaier did not make the Championship Four but finished seventh in the race at Homestead.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series will conclude their season with a championship battle at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 1:30 p.m. Arizona Time live on NBCSN.
The Xfinity Series will hit the desert again in March for the FanShield500 weekend on Saturday, March 7, 2020.
