Justin Allgaier is hoping a small win during qualifying will turn into a long-awaited trip to Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Victory Lane.
Allgaier turned a lap of 181.172 mph (29.806 seconds) on Friday, earning the pole position for Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 300.
The driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet kicked off his weekend with the ideal starting spot as JRM chases its first victory of the NASCAR Xfinity Series season.
“It’s been disappointing as a team to not have a win so far,” Allgaier said. “You don’t work any less hard when you’re running bad.
“[Winning the pole] is a big momentum boost for everyone who works on the race team.”
John Hunter Nemechek was second (180.246 mph) in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, followed by NASCAR Cup Series regular Ty Gibbs in third, Cole Custer in fourth and Brandon Jones in fifth.
Prior to the qualifying session, Allgaier had been third-quickest in practice, behind Nemechek and Gibbs.
“This is the best race car I’ve ever had here,” Allgaier said. “Little wins are what makes this sport go around. To do it at home in Charlotte on Memorial Day weekend is big.
“We feel like we have a really good chance [Saturday].”
Among other notable qualifiers, two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch placed sixth, Xfinity Series rookie Chandler Smith was 10th and defending race winner Josh Berry was 14th.
Timmy Hill and C.J. McLaughlin did not qualify for the event.
Green flag for the Alsco Uniforms 300 is set for Saturday at noon (FS1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
CMS PR
