MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Oct. 18, 2024) – Another season, another trip to the Round of 8 for the No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture team at JR Motorsports.
Since the current version of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs began in 2016, Allgaier and JRM’s No. 7 team have been in the hunt for the title. Only once has the No. 7 not been a part of the Championship 4 (2018).
The team enters as the top seed in the Round of 8, thanks in part due to the 15 stage wins (and the points that go with them) Allgaier has racked up. Needing a solid day at the Charlotte Roval to ensure a spot, Allgaier and Pohlman delivered a seventh-place finish to move on and resume the points lead.
So, what’s the plan for the Round of 8 after a nail-biting conclusion to the Round of 12?
Stay Clean: “The flotation devices were gone and we were wondering if we were going to make it to shore there in the Round of 12. We had a decent car at Charlotte, but we couldn’t showcase it because we were points racing. When you can’t flip stages and can’t race for the win, you don’t get to show how good your car is. That’s the situation we ended up in. Having a bad day at Kansas put us in that situation, and if you think you’re going to get out of Talladega clean, you’re crazy. As the points leader, you want to think you can point your way in but you still have to compete for the win. There’s better players and fewer spots. We have to win our way in or have three really solid days. Eliminate the mistakes and try and capitalize on the points, but the mentality is we have to win.”
Ovals Rule: “JRM as a company really runs well at Las Vegas, but here of late we haven’t been as strong and it’s still one of our stronger tracks. I like 1.5-mile tracks and the weather is showing it’s going to be a little colder than it has been. We’re definitely looking forward to these next three races. I think we’re over a hump or got the monkey off our back. The mood is much improved and more confident, especially going back to a 1.5-mile track. We should come out of there with a pretty good day.”
As for a wild-card race, Pohlman tabbed Martinsville as the one to look out for in the Round of 8. “This round is a lot nicer, and I think they go right in order. Las Vegas is probably the calmest, Homestead is right in the middle and Martinsville is going to be the one where all the calamity happens. We can’t expect lightning to strike twice in the same spot after winning there last year. We’re not banking on that, don’t want to bank on that, but we’re definitely looking forward to these next three races.
“I hope we are over a hump, over the hill, got the monkey off our back or whatever cliché you want to use. I’m much relieved after last week. I think the driver, the spotter, the team and the organization felt like we won the race (at Charlotte) even though we didn’t. They had us down and out and we were able to pull off a miracle and we were able to move to the next round I’m hoping that is our heart attack this year and not Martinsville, the way it was last year. We’re much more confident going back to a 1.5-mile track.”
