Kyle Larson wasn't the only champion crowned during NASCAR's trip to Homestead-Miami Speedway this past weekend. Kaden Honeycutt and Justin Allgaier also clinched national touring series championships, and for the latter, it solidifies a legacy that can no longer be denied.
Allgaier ran two full Cup Series seasons in 2014 and 2015, but besides that, he has been a full-time competitor at NASCAR's second level since 2009. And his numbers are remarkable, with 34 career wins and now a pair of titles.
The question must be asked. Is Allgaier destined for the NASCAR Hall of Fame?
Justin Allgaier has a compelling Hall of Fame case that can no longer be ignored
Allgaier became the 10th multi-time champion in O'Reilly Series history, joining a list that includes several names who went on to become major Cup stars such as Martin Truex Jr., Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, and Tyler Reddick.
Out of those who never found significant success at the top level, one of them, Jack Ingram, is already in the Hall of Fame. Additionally, Sam Ard was named to NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers list in 2023.
Allgaier has more career wins in the series than both of them, ranking sixth on the all-time list. So if we're using those two as a benchmark for his legacy, he is already the most successful O'Reilly lifer of all-time.
Of course, you have to be extremely selective when it comes to Hall of Fame candidacy for achievements outside of Cup. We're not inducting Matt Crafton, he of 15 career Truck Series wins in approximately 78 seasons, just because he won a few titles against barebones competition.
But Allgaier has been performing at a consistently high level for the better part of two decades. He's won at least once in 13 different seasons and never finished below seventh in points. And in Cup, his performance was on par with that of 10-time winner Clint Bowyer at the same HScott Racing team.
Allgaier is a driver who reasonably could have been winning Cup races if the right opportunity came calling. In a different world, he gets a full-time ride with Team Penske, which originally signed him as a development driver in the late 2000s, and competes at a Chase-caliber level for years on end.
He probably wouldn't have quite the same amount of accolades he does this way, but some of NASCAR's lower series legends deserve their due. And Allgaier has become the ultimate O'Reilly Series all-time great.
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