

Justin
Allgaier
Born: June 6, 1986
Hometown: Riverton, Ill
25Total Wins
153Top 5's
282Top 10's
Justin Allgaier earned his first NASCAR Xfinity Series championship last season, making him the fourth driver to hoist the championship trophy for JR Motorsports. The longest-tenured and winningest driver in team history, Allgaier will return to defend his championship in 2025 with crew chief Jim Pohlman on the pit box, along with cornerstone partner BRANDT Professional Agriculture. The 38-year-old Illinois native joined Chase Elliott, William Byron and Tyler Reddick as JRM Champions in 2024, winning two races throughout the season before securing his first title. Additionally, Allgaier scored a record 16 stages wins during the season to push his series-leading record to 69. He is the only driver in the series with more than 50 stage victories.
His two 2024 victories came at Darlington Raceway in May and at Michigan International Speedway in August, pushing his career total to 25 in the NXS. The triumphs moved Allgaier into sole possession of 10th on the all-time series wins list, one ahead of series legend Tommy Houston and team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. Allgaier’s ascent into the record books didn’t stop there, as the veteran driver also became the series all-time leader in top-10 finishes in 2024. Championship weekend at Phoenix got off a rough start for Allgaier, as a crash in the opening minutes of practice forced him to a backup car.
Starting 37th, Allgaier raced his way to the front in short order, only to be hit with a pair of penalties that pushed him a lap down. With time running out, Allgaier and Pohlman continued to move back through the field, utilizing strong restarts during NASCAR’s version of overtime to take the checkered flag in thrilling fashion in the second position. In so doing, Allgaier topped championship rivals Cole Custer, AJ Allmendinger and Austin Hill to secure the first championship of his NXS career. Allgaier has made 471 starts in NXS competition, earning the 25 victories alongside 153 top-five and 282 top-10 finishes. In 2024, Allgaier led 709 laps, which pushed him to 6.085 for his career.
In addition to his series championship, Allgaier earned his record fifth Most Popular Driver Award in the series, breaking a tie with former JRM driver Elliott Sadler at four. On the way to a runner-up finish in the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series point standings, the Illinois driver won four races and posted 15 top-five and 20 top-10 results, adding a sixth appearance in the Championship 4 in his eight seasons with JRM. The runner-up finish was his second in the series (2020). The four victories marked the fourth time in the past six seasons that Allgaier has won at least three times. Outside of racing in the Xfinity Series, Allgaier enjoys spending time with his wife Ashley and daughters Harper and Willow, graphic design, hunting, wake surfing and competing in select dirt races throughout the year.
Jim
Pohlman
Born: April 18, 1979
Hometown: Oak Lawn, Ill
Crew Chief
6Total Wins
25Top 5's
41Top 10's
The 2024 season for Jim Pohlman, crew chief of the No. 7 BRANDT Professional Agriculture Chevrolet for driver Justin Allgaier, resulted in another championship for the Illinois natives. Chicago-born and bred, Pohlman led fellow Illinoisan Allgaier to his first NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship on the strength of two victories (Darlington Raceway in May and Michigan International Speedway in August), 10 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes.
Despite having to go to a backup car for the winner-take-all Championship race at Phoenix in November, Pohlman and Allgaier, who qualified for the Championship 4 for the second time in as many seasons, managed to earn a second-place finish in the season finale to clinch the title, which was the first for both Pohlman and Allgaier and the fourth for JR Motorsports in the past 11 seasons.
The title in Pohlman’s second season came on the heels of a 2023 campaign which saw Pohlman engineer a strong season for Allgaier ], posting victories at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, a thrilling .005-second triumph at Daytona in July, a dominating performance at Bristol in August and a Hail Mary, come-from-behind victory in the penultimate race of the season at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in October. In addition to the victories, Pohlman led the way to 15 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes in 33 starts.
The final win put Allgaier in the Championship 4 for the sixth time in eight seasons with a chance at his first title, and Allgaier had the checkered flag in his sights on the final lap while battling for the lead, finishing third by just over half a second. The result saw Pohlman and Allgaier finish second in the final standings.
Pohlman came to JRM in 2023 from Richard Childress Racing, where he worked in various roles, including crew chief for four NXS races in 2022 with Sheldon Creed, as well as two in the NASCAR Cup Series with Austin Dillon and Austin Hill. This also isn’t the first time that Pohlman and Allgaier have been paired together, as the duo secured the ARCA Menards Series championship in 2008.
Prior to his crew chief duties at RCR, the 43-year-old Illinois native most notably served as the crew chief for former Formula 1 driver and two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Juan Pablo Montoya at Chip Ganassi Racing in 2011.
Pohlman and Allgaier will seek to defend their NXS championship for the No. 7 team that saw the veteran driver eclipse team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. in career NXS victories with 25.