Crystal Clay, Chief Motorsports Correspondent
AVONDALE, Ariz.--Because it's the Championship weekend for NASCAR and the final hoorah for Stewart-Haas Racing, all eyes were on the No. 00 SHR Ford of Cole Custer to cap off the SRH era on a high-note. With a win in stage 2 of the NXS Championship Race and dominant performance, it almost seemed certain that Custer would pull off the back-to-back feat.
As with many things in life, outcomes don’t always unfold as expected. Despite the odds being in his favor, Justin Allgaier, the “comeback kid” who entered Phoenix for his series-leading seventh Championship 4 appearance in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs, overcame every setback imaginable this weekend to claim his first NXS championship. Allgaier drives the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.
“Yeah, it definitely stings,” said Custer. “There were a lot of points in that race where I felt like we were in a really good spot here. But it just came down to that restart with the 21 and him staying out on older tires, which is their right. We were all going for a championship, and I would have done the same thing.”
Allgaier, who described his Phoenix car as the best he’d ever had, crashed during Friday’s Xfinity Series practice, forcing him to start Saturday’s race in a backup car from the back of the field. As if that wasn’t enough, he then battled through an early flat tire and back-to-back penalties that put him a lap down. Despite the setbacks, Allgaier worked his way through the field, ultimately passing Championship contenders Cole Custer and Austin Hill (No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet).
“Obviously you’re always going to be a little bit salty when you finish second, but at the end of the day, that’s just how it goes sometimes,” said Custer.
After Sunday’s Cup Series Championship, SHR will cease operations for good. As many of the team's drivers from across NASCAR’s national series have reminisced about their time with the organization, it was a bittersweet closing race for Riley Herbst, Saturday night’s Xfinity Championship Race winner.
“Excited to leave on top and see what’s next,” said Herbst, whose 2025 plans are still unclear.
“It’s not even just Tony [Stewart]. It was an emotional week last week. There was a lot of crying people in that race shop. Its been home to a lot of good people for a long time, including myself. It was validating to win for Davin and everybody on the number 98 team but all the men and women at the shop don't get the notoriety, and they work 9 to 5 every single day of the week, even in the off season. Those guys mean the most to us and this win is just as much theirs as it is mine, so I’m excited for all of them to go out on top.”
Herbst, who wasn’t contending for the championship, led 167 of the 213 laps to claim his third career victory in the series. After two restarts during NASCAR overtime, Herbst made a last-lap pass around Xfinity Champion Justin Allgaier, who finished second. He said he was aware that Allgaier was racing for a championship and was willing to do everything it took to win, even if it meant he might move Allgaier out of the way.
“I was going to move him. He luckily, I think — I listened to the spotter replay. Eddie said that we’re not racing him, so he kind of gave me the bottom. But I was going to move him off the bottom in 3 and 4.”
Herbst’s No. 98 Ford literally smoked the field, surging to the front after rubbing his left rear tire to secure SHR’s final Xfinity win in Saturday’s race.
“He did [move me], multiple times throughout the course of the night. He actually tried to flatten the left rear tire at one point. He wanted to win this race. I wanted to win the race, also, and I wanted to win a championship a lot more,” said Allgaier
“I think if he ever gets an opportunity to be where we were at tonight, I think he’ll look back at this win and probably wish he would have done some things different. But at the end of the day, you know what, everybody has got the way that they’re going to do it, and wins are obviously super important.
I’m not upset at him. There’s no hard feelings. I just think that the moment tonight was way different than just winning the race, and I believe that.”
As Stewart-Haas Racing prepares to close its doors after Sunday’s Cup Series Championship, the weekend was a bittersweet reminder of the legacy the team has built in NASCAR.
Riley Herbst’s victory in the Xfinity Series Championship race marked a fitting end to SHR’s involvement in the series, with the team’s final win a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone behind the scenes.
While Justin Allgaier’s comeback story will be remembered for its grit and determination, Cole Custer’s near-miss and Herbst’s triumph underscore the unpredictability of racing and the fierce competition that defines the sport. As the SHR chapter closes, the memories, wins, and championships earned will forever be part of NASCAR history, leaving behind a legacy of excellence and a team that gave it all until the very end.
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