For his part, Allgaier was excited about the evening’s results on Sunday.
We had craziness in picking lines. A lot of uncertainty on my part, just knowing the guys you are around. But all-in-all, it was a solid night. Missing the crash there at the end was cool. I assumed the caution was out and I didn’t know we were racing back to the line. That was cool to race back to the line and get a top-ten,” Allgaier said. “This is a big moment for JR Motorsports, and we are excited about what the future holds for our company.”
Legacy’s best day yet
Other finishes of note in the 500 included Jimmie Johnson, the 7-time champ who has generally struggled in his limited races since retiring from full-time driving a few years back. Now a majority team owner, he finished in 3rd, his first top-5 finish since 2020. I’m guessing that pick wasn’t on most fans’ bingo cards headed into the race. His next scheduled race is the Coca-Cola 600 in May.
Johnson was joined in the top 5 by his Legacy Motor Club teammate John Hunter Nemechek, who came home 5th, and the third Legacy car of Erik Jones came in 12th — making this race the team’s best-ever in terms of overall team performance.
Truck series notes
Parker Kligerman was pumped up after winning an exciting Truck race on Friday night at Daytona, but that joy was short-lived. Post-race inspection showed that his No. 75 truck was too low in the rear, and Corey Heim was awarded the victory even if he never got to celebrate on the track. A title favorite, Heim is already locked into the playoffs now, and is the driver everyone will be chasing for the crown this year.
The plot twist is that Kligerman and his team plan to appeal the ruling, so I’m curious to see what case they present and if it works to overturn the disqualification. Not likely, but stranger things have happened.
Xfinity Series notes
The big news on the Xfinity side, other than delivering some of the best racing of the weekend, was the debut of the CW’s new TV coverage for 2025. Overall, the booth announcers (Parker Kligerman in his main day job, Adam Alexander, and Jamie McMurray), earned strong reviews, and the unique, updated CW timing and scoring visuals were well-received.
My only complaint is that there were way too many ads, and even if they were usually side by side with the racing, the breaks were extremely long. Even worse, when a wreck would happen, the broadcast didn’t cut out of commercial to go back to the action right away. Often, multiple commercials would continue to play before the broadcast returned, leaving viewers wondering what happened.
The potential is there for a tremendous broadcast, but some tweaks are still needed.
One other quick note: The crash during the Xfinity race where Kris Knight plowed into a line of cars slowing down to enter pit lane was perhaps the more bizarre incident in a week full of crazy wrecks.
It appeared Wright had lost his brakes, but in his interview he claimed some type of miscommunication with his spotter. Honestly, if any of that was preventable on Wright’s part, he might need some time out of his seat to brush up on braking skills.
Follow AutoTechReviews on Instagram at @autotechreviews, and on Twitter @AutoTechReview. Follow Matt Myftiu on Twitter @MattMyftiu.
