NASCAR has been sorely lacking in the feel-good stories department the last few years, but Justin Allgaier’s victory in the Nationwide race at Bristol on Saturday brought smiles to many faces in Thunder Valley.
Five Reasons To Feel Good About Justin Allgaier’s Bristol Win
Here are five reasons why:
1. A Nationwide Series regular beat the Sprint Cup guys. Nationwide-only drivers hardly ever win these days, which made Allgaier’s victory in a companion race (against the likes of Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and aggressive teammate Brad Keselowski) all the more special.
2. It was Allgaier’s first career NASCAR victory. The joy of a first-time winner who worked hard to reach the top levels of racing is always worth watching. Allgaier was in a make-or-break year in ARCA – his father could no longer afford to help fund his racing – when he won the championship and grabbed the attention of Penske Racing, getting his big break. His emotion was obvious over the team radio and in victory lane.
3. Allgaier is a great kid. A polite, humble family man at age 23 (his wife Ashley has a constant presence by his side), Allgaier treats people respectfully and does things the right way. He’s one of the good guys.
4. Allgaier won a fantastic race. His battle with teammate Keselowski was nip-and-tuck the whole way in a demonstration of short track racing at its finest. Keselowski may have moved any other driver out of the way, but he raced his teammate cleanly and it resulted in a memorable finish.
5. Penske’s 1-2 finish shows a challenger to Gibbs. Joe Gibbs Racing cars have often been the class of the field the last couple seasons, sometimes completely dominating events. But Penske showed its Nationwide program is for real and is capable of challenging Gibbs and some of the more established teams (the No. 22 is a brand new team). Fresh faces running up front can’t hurt the interest level of the Nationwide Series.
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