2024 is the year that saw Justin Allgaier finally hoist the NASCAR Xfinity Series season-ending trophy at Phoenix Raceway in a triumph that was well over a decade in the making.
But Allgaier’s breakthrough was far from the only major storyline of the year. And with 2024 coming to a close, it’s time to give out some additional hardware, tackling some of the season’s superlatives for driver of the year, quote of the year and more.
Driver of the Year
Statistically, defending champion Cole Custer has a case for the best overall season with league-best laps led and average finish. The man who defeated him for the championship, Allgaier, had a solid resume of his own, with an incredible 16 stage wins.
What separates the two isn’t just the result at the season finale at Phoenix Raceway but what Allgaier had to overcome to capture the championship.
It was a microcosm of his season, obstacle after obstacle that the series veteran and JR Motorsports had to overcome. A blown tire at the first Phoenix race. Losing the regular-season title after an early wreck at Bristol Motor Speedway. Sinking from first to below the cut line in the first round of the playoffs. All just to get to the Championship 4.
Allgaier wrecked in practice, had to nurse a flat tire near the end of stage two and received back-to-back penalties to start stage three.
Somehow, some way, Allgaier cycled back into contention and came out as the champion with a pass of Austin Hill and Custer on the final restart.
For 15 seasons, Allgaier has been the measuring stick of the Xfinity Series, a standard barrier and challenge for the up-and-coming drivers of NASCAR. Now he’s not just a series veteran but also a series champion and this year’s driver of the year.
Rookie of the Year
Jesse Love’s main competition for Rookie of the Year? Only a three-time Supercars champion with decades of racing experience in Shane van Gisbergen. No big deal.
Van Gisbergen ended the year with more wins, but the 19-year-old Love took to the Xfinity Series better overall to secure Rookie of the Year Honors with a win at Talladega Superspeedway and an eight-place points finish.
The 2023 ARCA Menards Series champion looked poised to get a win early in his career, leading the most laps at the opening two races at Daytona International Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway but failing to get even a top…
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