Wrong guess from Allgaier triggers massive Daytona 500 wreck

Justin Allgaier was delivering on the premise made earlier this week that he had a race car that could contend in the Daytona 500 when he made the wrong move to trigger a multi-car wreck.

The crash occurred on lap 124 as the field came through the tri-oval and headed toward Turn 1. Allgaier, who was at the front of the field, left no room for Denny Hamlin, who was coming with a run off the bumper of Ryan Blaney. The contact first turned Allgaier into the outside wall before the car came back across the track in front of the rest of the field.

“Well, unfortunately, I’m going to take 100% responsibility for that one,” Allgaier said. “I hate it for everybody who got caught up in it; it really stinks. I felt like our No. 40 Traveller Whiskey Chevrolet was incredible all day, and (crew chief) Greg Ives and this whole team have done a phenomenal job building a race car that we felt like could come here and not only run up front but lead laps.

“I got to the top there, and I really watched the run coming on the top with Denny, and I thought he was going to push. I felt like the lane was closed up just enough that he wouldn’t try to go out there, and when I realized he was going to go out there, it was just too late. Once the air got on the right rear spoiler, it just kept me turned to the right, and I hate it for everybody who got caught up in it.”

Allgaier was credited with three laps led, but he had come from the back of the starting field to spend much of the first half of the race in contention. It was as he predicted could happen after qualifying his way into the field on speed Wednesday night, saying the organization was much better prepared for this race. Dale Earnhardt Jr. also said the team had a much better engine package than last year.

It was the second start in the Daytona 500 for JR Motorsports with Allgaier behind the wheel.

NASCAR listed 20 drivers who were involved in the crash. It ended the day for Allgaier, Todd Gilliland, and Alex Bowman.

“It wasn’t what we wanted, but hats off to Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kelley Earnhardt Miller, everybody at JR Motorsports, for this opportunity,” Allgaier said. “To have Traveller Whiskey back, have Chris Stapleton here, it was great to be out front and leading the Daytona 500. … The Hendrick engine shop, we had big power today, and that was really what it came down to.

“So, we’ll go back, I’ll regroup. I’ll watch this video back a lot and try to figure out what I could have done better. I hate that everyone got torn up, like I said, but I’m going to take a lot of solace in the fact that we had a fast race car and were going to the front.”