Andrew Ravens · MotorBiscuit Sat, November 14, 2026 at 9:50 PM UTC · 3 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Justin Allgaier says deciding 2026 would be his last NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series season took the pressure off and made his second title year the most fun of his career.
Allgaier explained it to Will Buxton on SPEED with Harvick and Buxton , in a clip shared by SPEED on FOX .
"I can assure you, a thousand percent, you are on the nail on the head. When I decided I was quitting, it made me realize why I love the sport way more," Allgaier said.
"You get so caught up in the day-to-day and wanting simulator time and study time and being in the gym and doing all these things. When I said I was retiring, it took a pressure off of my shoulders that I was like, this is the best thing that's ever happened to my career," he said.
Allgaier told JR Motorsports in December 2025 that he would step away after the season. He and his family had bought a home in Illinois, and the plan included possibly taking over the family business, D&M Speed Shop, one day.
He said the people around him noticed the difference.
"And everybody kept saying, hey, I don't understand. You do realize you have a championship to go win this weekend, right? Like, you were not nervous. You just seem free," Allgaier said.
"I'm like, yeah, I mean, I was retiring. This is money in the bank. This is house money right here. So I get to go have fun and enjoy it. And I think that that's been the catalyst for what's made this year so much fun," he said.
The change also coincided with a career year. Allgaier won six regular-season races, a career best, and entered the Chase as the top seed.
His title run was not smooth. Trouble at Gateway and a crash at Las Vegas briefly dropped him behind Sheldon Creed in the standings.
He recovered with top-five finishes at Charlotte, Phoenix, Talladega and Martinsville. He went to Homestead-Miami Speedway with a 22-point lead over Jesse Love.
Allgaier finished seventh and clinched his second title in three seasons. It was the fifth drivers' championship for JR Motorsports, which Dale Earnhardt Jr. co-owns with his sister, Kelley Earnhardt Miller, and Rick Hendrick.
By then, the retirement plan had changed. Allgaier said in May that his plans were no longer certain , and he later signed a multiyear deal to stay in the No. 7 Chevrolet.
Kelley Earnhardt Miller has also weighed in on the extension . Earnhardt Jr., meanwhile, said this week that he wanted to tell Allgaier to calm down during the finale but worried about a penalty.
The 40-year-old will chase a third O'Reilly Series title in 2027. This time, he will not be racing as if every week is his last in racing , a mindset he credits for making 2026 so much fun.
Source: Sports
0 Comments