For Justin Allgaier, it was a very productive Saturday (July 20) at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with his JR Motorsports No. 7 Chevrolet. A third-place finish in the NASCAR Xfinity Series ROXOR 200 was his best since Iowa last month.
After running 17th or worse in two of the last three races, Allgaier stayed at or near the front of the pack all afternoon. A solid, consistent top-five performance is exactly what the doctor ordered to get his 2019 season back on track.
“We needed a little more speed but we were a lot closer than what we have been,” Allgaier said. “The guys did a great job at the shop. we executed well, we had good pit stops… it was just a good day.”
Allgaier started eighth and quickly moved up through the field, running as high as second throughout the race. He didn’t have the speed to challenge winner Christopher Bell but held his own with the other top contenders.
One of the big storylines throughout this weekend was the PJ1 compound placed down on the second and third grooves at NHMS. For Allgaier, it helped him more when the PJ1 was giving up.
“It was interesting, a lot of guys ran different lines especially as the day went on,” he explained. “I felt like as the PJ1 was burning off, that helped us on the long run but it hurt us on the short run. It is definitely making big transitions and it will be interesting to see how tomorrow plays out.”
Another big storyline throughout the day was the heat; temperatures climbed up into the mid-90s at NHMS. But Allgaier persevered through a day he felt might have been more difficult.
“You know, honestly I was little surprised,” he said. “I told them on the radio earlier that I didn’t think it was as hot as I expected it to be. Obviously, it was hot but it wasn’t Daytona hot or Chicagoland hot.
“I felt good in the car, I had no issues. I try really hard to hydrate before so it was good.”
Allgaier will attempt to keep up this momentum next weekend at Iowa Speedway. He’s got three straight top-three finishes at the track including a victory last season.
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Bryan Nolen is the Operations Manager and Multimedia Director for Frontstretch.com. He also hosts the Bringing the Heat with Bryan Nolen Podcast and occasionally makes appearances on The Happy Hour Podcast. He has a Sportscasting degree from the Dan Patrick School of Sportscasting. He resides in Boise, Idaho, with his wife, his French Bulldog Archer and two rabbits.
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