Allgaier, Zilisch Lock Themselves into Xfinity Championship 4 after Talladega
By David Morgan, Associate Editor
TALLADEGA, Ala. – The picture for which four drivers will race for the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship in two weeks’ time is becoming clearer after Saturday’s United Rentals 250 at Talladega Superspeedway.
The two drivers that came into the day with the biggest points advantages – JR Motorsports teammates Connor Zilisch and Justin Allgaier – leave the 2.66-mile superspeedway with their place in the championship finale secure, leaving two spots up for grabs among the six remaining drivers.
While the end result was the same, the path for both to lock themselves in could not have been more different.
Allgaier, the defending series champion and the elder statesman of the JRM stable, brought his No. 7 Chevrolet home in third-place to improve his points advantage from 44-points up entering the day to a massive 76-point gap when the checkered flag flew.
“Today we came into the race and we knew the stages were going to be important, getting the stage points. But we knew ultimately, just finishing the race, with a 44-point buffer, we knew if we finished the race, we were going to be in good shape,” said Allgaier.
Despite a call to hit pit road for fuel prior to the overtime restart, Allgaier made a daring charge forward, climbing up to fifth-place by the time the white flag was displayed before eventually falling in behind teammate Carson Kvapil down the backstretch to give him a boost in pursuit of the win.
Though Kvapil would fall one spot short of the win, Allgaier was able to hang onto third and propel himself to Phoenix for another shot at the title, his last ride with crew chief Jim Pohlman before Pohlman heads to the Cup Series in 2026.
“Jim is calm, cool and collected on the box and I could tell it was really bothering him to make that decision, but at the end of the day, we did what we needed to do. We were able to slice and dice our way through the field and it was fun,” Allgaier said of the call to pit before the overtime restart and his fight forward at the end of the race.
“In that moment, we were riding around single file there for a while and that wasn’t as much fun, but being able to pass a lot of cars was great. Really proud of everyone on this Brandt Professional Agriculture Chevrolet team, everyone at the Hendrick engine shop, every one of our partners.
“To see what we’ve been accomplishing these last few weeks, listen, there is no place I’m looking forward to more than Phoenix. I’ve got to get to Martinsville and start the race. I’m going to eat a few hot dogs and watch the fireworks and know we’ve got a great shot at it when we get to Phoenix in a few weeks.”
As for Zilisch, who came into the day nearly locked in to begin with, even an off day for the No. 88 team could not keep him from punching his ticket to the championship race.
Since a crash on the last lap of the spring Talladega race, which would see Zilisch sidelined the following week with a back injury, the JRM hotshoe had been riding an 18-race streak of top-five finishes, but that streak would end on Saturday afternoon.
Zilisch would find himself caught up in a crash on Lap 45 and eventually ended the day in 23rd place, three laps down, but still banked enough points to push him through to the Championship 4.
“It’s great to be locked in. I’m really proud of my entire First Bank of Alabama team. Our car was as fast as Xfinity Mobile until we hit the wall. I’m more upset about the top-five streak. We went from Talladega to Talladega with top-fives, but Talladega did not treat me well,” Zilisch said.
“I don’t know if it’s me or what, but I just cannot finish on superspeedways. I just guess I’ve got to get better at it and figure it out, but still excited to go race for a championship at Phoenix.”
The other six drivers still alive in the battle to join the JRM teammates in the Championship 4 include Jesse Love (+40), Carson Kvapil (+11), Sammy Smith (-11), Brandon Jones (-20), Sam Mayer (-22), and Sheldon Creed (-41).
The penultimate race of the Xfinity Series season, the IAA and Ritchie Bros. 250 at Martinsville is scheduled for 7:30 pm ET on The CW.
Austin Hill, who won Saturday’s race at Talladega, was victorious at the half-mile short track back in the spring, with Las Vegas winner Aric Almirola as the defending winner of the fall race from last season.
