Justin Allgaier made his 500th NASCAR Xfinity Series start Saturday in the Blue Cross NC 250 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.
Allgaier ranks fifth on the circuit’s all-time starts list, 47 starts behind series record-holder Kenny Wallace. Among current Xfinity Series drivers, only Jeremy Clements (526 starts) ranks higher.
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Allgaier started second in the 38-car field, sharing the front row with JR Motorsports teammate Connor Zilisch, the race’s eventual winner. Allgaier drove home with an eighth-place finish.
Allgaier also made his Xfinity Series debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway, setting sail on the 1.5-mile oval in a Team Penske Dodge on Oct. 10, 2008. He began full-time competition in the series the following year, and, save for two Cup Series seasons from 2014-15, he’s been an Xfinity Series regular ever since.
“Really cool to be 500 here at Charlotte, where my career started years ago,” Allgaier said post-race. “Just so blessed to still be doing this, right? I’ve got plenty of gray hair and there’s been plenty of ups and plenty downs in that 500 but I don’t know what the final number is, right? I don’t know where it ends, but it’s pretty awesome to get to 500. I mean, if I look back in this sport, and I look at how many guys have hit that 500 number, whether it be in any of the three series, it’s a pretty amazing group of drivers, and so just to even have an opportunity to be there is really special.”
Allgaier has 28 victories in the series, a total that ranks first among active drivers and ninth on the circuit’s all-time list. The 39-year-old driver secured the Xfinity Series championship for the first time last season, and his 299 top-10 finishes – including Saturday’s outcome – are a series record.
Allgaier is making his 10th appearance in the Xfinity Series Playoffs with the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet team, reaching the postseason each year since the format debuted. Saturday’s race was the final event in the playoffs’ Round of 12, but Allgaier had already clinched a spot in the next round on the basis of points.