JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier was just a few laps away from winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Race at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Ariz., when disaster struck.
Allgaier held a comfortable lead Saturday with just five laps to go in the Call811.com Every Dig. Every Time. 200 before his left-rear tire gave out. The punctured tire sent Allgaier’s No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro spinning into the retaining wall at Turn 1.
Allgaier called the moment “beyond a kick in the gut” not just for him, but for his entire team at JR Motorsports, who saw a clear win slip away. He added that the tire issue had to have been due to debris on the track.
“I definitely have had to run something over,” said Allgaier after the race. “Wear-wise, there was no way we were wearing the left rear far enough to do that. Going through the dogleg, I felt it wiggle a little bit. I kind of knew what that already meant, but at that point, there’s three laps to go.”
Allgaier officially finished 29th. He had led for 52 laps before the untimely crash.
Chandler Smith won the race in his No. 81 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Smith was second behind Allgaier before the latter’s exit.
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