Dale Earnhardt Jr. reacts to Justin Allgaier finally winning Xfinity Series championship at Phoenix

No one was happier to see Justin Allgaier win the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship than Dale Earnhardt Jr. tonight in Phoenix. Earnhardt got to see one of his longtime drivers finally break through for the ultimate goal.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. had to sweat it out on the stage. As Justin Allgaier spoke, he talked about previously wanting to retire if he won the championship. Well, fresh off a contract extension and this title, Allgaier wants to stick around and keep winning races.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was so happy for his driver and friend. There’s going to be lots of cold beer drank tonight!

“Yeah he has. He’s worked so hard. He’s gave so much to our team, he’s just done so much for us,” Dale Jr. said. “If there’s you know, an image in a dictionary of a model racecar driver, it’s him. He’s been incredible for our partners. Anyone who’s worked with him on the partner’s side loves him.

“He goes above and beyond there. And he drives hard. Sometimes too hard. But I’d rather have a driver like that going for itall the time and pushing as hard as he can. He’s a lot of fun. We’ve had a lot of fun over the years but I’ve badly, badly wanted him to get this championship because he’s a champion, he deserves it.”

When the talk about retirement came up, Dale Earnhardt Jr. laughed a bit. He knows the pull of that can be strong, but Justin Allgaier has more miles left on those tires.

“I wouldn’t blame him if he did what a way to go out,” the team owner said. “But I know he’s got a little bit left in the tank and we’re going to have some more fun, we’re going to win some more races. But this is going to be great, great celebration. I can’t wait to see the rest of the company. Everybody works so hard at JR Motorsports to be competitive and it’s a tough, tough series.”

Allgaier had to overcome a lot this weekend and especially tonight. His primary car was damaged in practice. So, he drove a backup. Then he had multiple penalties on the track, but still drove back through the field.

Justin Allgaier could have given up. He didn’t. Instead, he delivered JR Motorsports and Dale Earnhardt Jr. another Xfinity Series championship.