CREW CHIEF: Jason Burdett
TEAM: JR Motorsports
POINTS: Third in Xfinity Series
WINS: Three (Darlington I, Nashville, Loudon)
LAPS LED: 763
TOP 5s: 16
TOP 10s: 23
QUALIFIED FIRST: Once (Pocono)
WHAT WENT RIGHT: Justin Allgaier’s seventh consecutive season at JR Motorsports was another good one, although he failed in another shot at scoring his first Xfinity championship.
Allgaier’s third win of the season – at Loudon – pushed his career victory total to 19. He won despite being involved in an early-race accident.
Earlier, Allgaier won at Darlington, rallying from the back of the field after a battery change. Four races later, he dominated, leading 134 of the 188 laps, to win at Nashville.
Allgaier finished in the top 10 in 23 of the season’s 33 races.
WHAT WENT WRONG: Allgaier finished behind champion Ty Gibbs and second-place Noah Gragson in the season finale at Phoenix.
The sour part of Allgaier’s success is that he has had so many shots at the Xfinity championship only to fall short. His points finishes over the past seven seasons: third, third, seventh, fourth, second, fifth and third.
Although Allgaier was consistently strong most of the season, he led chunks of laps in several events without winning. He led 62 at Las Vegas, 67 at Dover, 63 at Charlotte and 148 at Bristol – all without visiting victory lane.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2023: The continuing power of the JR Motorsports organization and Allgaier’s long run in the series should put him among the championship contenders again.
He’ll start 2023 with a new crew chief -- Jim Pohlman, formerly of Richard Childress Racing. Pohlman replaces Jason Burdett, who will stay at JRM but has been reassigned to driver Brandon Jones.