NASCAR
Justin Allgaier Takes Second 2024 Win in Cabo Wabo 250 at Michigan
BROOKLYN, Mich. – Title hopeful Justin Allgaier found his way to victory lane again at Michigan. Allgaier’s No. 7 JR Motorsports team crafted a perfect strategy, pitting laps after most of their competition and driving to the front. Allgaier is now a 25-time winner in the Xfinity Series, as he chases that elusive championship trophy.
From the pole, Sheldon Creed led the majority of Stage 1 until spinning late. A quick dash to the green-and-white checkers allowed Ryan Sieg to make a last lap pass for the Stage 1 win. Rain rolled into Michigan moments after the Stage end, briefly halting action. Once the race resumed, John Hunter Nemechek won Stage 2.
Late in Stage 2 saw a major accident involving several contenders. Riley Herbst tried moving up ahead of Ryan Sieg but wasn’t quite clear. The No. 98 Ford slammed the turn three wall hard, also taking out Brandon Jones, Sam Mayer, and Cole Custer.
Stage 3 quickly turned into a fuel mileage race. Carson Kvapil built up a huge gap over the competition, until he was forced to pit with 16 laps left. This handed the lead to Justin Allgaier, who had spent the past several laps weaving by the Joe Gibbs Racing cars.
Despite an overtime restart after another short rain shower, Allgaier remained unbeaten in his quest for victory lane. A last lap yellow was called for Kyle Sieg flipping from contact with Chandler Smith.
“I feel like I had to win,” Allgaier said “Because Dale Earnhardt Jr’s running Bristol, we all know he’s probably gonna win that race after last year. Just cannot say thank you enough to this team, all these guys standing right here. The effort that’s been put in has been incredible. We did not show up to Indianapolis three weeks ago like we wanted to, and these guys have worked tirelessly through this break. It’s truly special.”
Behind Allgaier was Sheldon Creed, finishing second for an 11th time in his career. This now sets an all-time Xfinity Series record for runner-ups before a maiden victory. John Hunter Nemechek, Anthony Alfredo, and Sammy Smith rounded out the top-five. Noah Gragson, Matt DiBenedetto, Taylor Gray, Caesar Bacarella, and AJ Allmendinger were the top-10.
Only five races remain in the Xfinity Series regular season. Daytona International Speedway is up next on Friday night. The Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola goes green at 7:30 p.m. ET on USA, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Allgaier is the defending winner of this race; can the No. 7 possibly go back-to-back under the lights?
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Johnathan Bachman/Getty Images
