Justin Allgaier Scores Third Phoenix Victory in NASCAR O'Reilly Series

Allgaier wins at Phoenix Raceway for the third time, breaking into the win column for the first time this season.

Published on Mar. 9, 2026

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Justin Allgaier won the Saturday night NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series GOVX 200 at Phoenix Raceway, his third victory at the Avondale, Arizona mile oval. Allgaier, driving the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, passed Jesse Love for the lead with 11 laps remaining and held on for the win, his 29th career victory in the series. Love finished second, with Carson Kvapil third.

Why it matters

Allgaier's victory at Phoenix Raceway, one of his favorite tracks, gives him and his JR Motorsports team momentum heading into the next race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where Allgaier won last year. The win also marks Allgaier's first of the season and the 107th victory for JR Motorsports in the series.

The details

Allgaier and Love, the past two series champions, waged a battle for the lead throughout the race, with Love leading for 114 of the 200 laps. Allgaier made the decisive pass on the outside between Turns 3 and 4 with 11 laps to go and held off a disappointed Love at the finish. The race saw 20 lead changes and four cautions for 37 laps, with all but two of the 32 cars still running at the end.

  • The race took place on Saturday night, March 9, 2026.
  • Allgaier won at Phoenix Raceway for the first time in nine years, for the first time since 2019. He also won here in 2017.

The players

Justin Allgaier

A 29-time winner in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, driving the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet. He is in his 16th year of competing at this tier of NASCAR.

Jesse Love

The driver of the No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet and the past two series champion, who regards Phoenix Raceway as one of his favorite venues.

Carson Kvapil

The driver who finished third in the race.

JR Motorsports

The racing team that Allgaier drives for, which has now earned 107 victories in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series.

O'Reilly Auto Parts

The new series sponsor for the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series.

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What they’re saying

“It was my 20th wedding anniversary this week, so got to give a shout-out to my wife for putting up with me for 20 years. My wife and kids are not here, so I'm sad for that.”

— Justin Allgaier (Yahoo Sports)

“O'Reilly Auto Parts first year for them. It was cool to get the win. For me, my first one with them, and they've come in and supported this great series and there's nothing cooler than this series. I love the drivers. I love the teams. That's what makes these wins that much more special.”

— Justin Allgaier (Yahoo Sports)

“Great battle there with Jesse. I just knew we had to go on that last restart and we did that. So never gets old winning, especially first win for me here in the Riley Auto Parts series with the new name.”

— Justin Allgaier (Yahoo Sports)

“I think the only real misstep we really had was just tightening up there, beginning of Stage 3 and kind of put us behind. And I don't know what his tire life was like. But yeah, just frustrated.”

— Jesse Love (Yahoo Sports)

“Yeah, if I show up to run second and just collect points. But obviously, not why I'm here. And yeah, just beyond frustrated with myself and yeah, I'm upset. I'm just upset with myself.”

— Jesse Love (Yahoo Sports)

What’s next

The NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series moves to 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway this coming weekend, where Allgaier won the spring race a year ago and returns as the points leader after four of 24 events.

The takeaway

Allgaier's victory at Phoenix Raceway, a track he has dominated in recent years, gives his JR Motorsports team valuable momentum heading into the next race at Las Vegas, where Allgaier will look to build on his points lead and continue his strong start to the 2026 season.