NASCAR
Justin Allgaier Picks Up First Pocono Victory, Fifth 2026 Win
LONG POND, Pa. – Pocono Raceway records were put to the test in Saturday’s O’Reilly Auto Part Series 100-lap race. Fourth-place starter and points leader Justin Allgaier won after a dominant drive. It did feel like a marathon to get the JR Motorsports No. 7 to victory lane, however. 10 cautions and 18 lead changes are both new O’Reilly Series Pocono high water marks. Now a five-time winner in 2026, Allgaier advances his huge championship lead to an unreal 250 points.
This race got off to a rocky start, with two contenders’ days over before ever hitting turn two. Corey Day spun from starting 11th, and Jesse Love had nowhere to go. Mere seconds after taking the green flag, second and third in points were done. Love and Day both finished last and next-to-last in 37th and 38th with very early DNFs.
.@corey_day_ goes around shortly after the green flag at Pocono and takes a big hit from @jesselovejr1 with both cars sustaining major damage. pic.twitter.com/2s5dQzJyzD
— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) June 13, 2026
Less than half of the opening stage ran under green flag conditions, with another trio of cautions in Stage 2 as well. These stage wins were split between Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Taylor Gray and Brent Crews.
The final stage was a long, drawn-out battle between Allgaier and Sam Mayer. The Haas Factory Team No. 41 proved to be Allgaier’s toughest competition, keeping the No. 7 honest and taking the lead away a few times. Allgaier only got by Mayer for good on a restart with two laps left. Allgaier then set sail in his Chevrolet, now calling Pocono his 21st victorious racetrack.
“First of all, I’ve got to say thank you to William Byron because without his shove at the end of the race, it was probably game over,” Allgaier said. “This season has been special with [crew chief] Andrew Overstreet and this whole No. 7 team and this pit crew right here. I get to go home tonight and watch my daughter play softball, which doesn’t happen very often, so I’m excited for that. We’re going to go celebrate this one for sure.”
Five wins for Allgaier ties 2018 for his winningest season, and only halfway through this year. Combined with his 250-point gap over the field, Allgaier’s in the midst of an all around awesome season.
William Byron lost the runner-up spot to Brent Crews in the final corner, they both just edged ahead of the Haas duo Mayer and Sheldon Creed. The rest of Pocono’s top-10 were: Anthony Alfredo, Rajah Caruth, Brandon Jones, Connor Zilisch, and Carson Kvapil.
O’Reilly Series competitors return to action next week at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego, California. The inaugural United Rentals Driven to Serve 250 will be a welcome back to Southern California and a race unlike anything ever seen in this division. The green flag will fly Saturday at 5 p.m. ET on The CW, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo credits to James Gilbert/Getty Images
