What a way to close out the year. Joe Gibbs Racing driver Brandon Jones took command with 14 laps remaining at Homestead-Miami Speedway, pulling away to a commanding 3.937-second victory in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Championship Race. More than just a dominant night for the 29-year-old, the win marked a historic milestone: Toyota's 700th victory in NASCAR competition.
While Jones checked out at the front—marking his second win of the year and ninth of his career in the No. 20 JGR Toyota—the grand prize in the points race went to JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier. Taking home a seventh-place finish in the No. 7 JRM Chevrolet, the 40-year-old secured his second series championship in the last three years. That makes him the first driver in the storied history of JRM to claim multiple titles.
Pero this one is for all these men and women standing back here. They have worked their tail off.
The championship fight was absolute chaos, featuring five drivers mathematically eligible at the start of the night. Haas Factory Team pilot Sheldon Creed led a race-best 99 of the 200 laps, a career-high for him out front, while nearly every other contender spent time leading. But Allgaier leaned on a career-best six-win season and a crucial points advantage to weather the storm.
"Means more than you’ll ever know," Allgaier said. "It’s obviously not the finish we wanted tonight. Wanted to be in Victory Lane. But this team never quits."
Behind Jones in the winner's circle, JR Motorsports' Carson Kvapil took second, followed by JGR's Brent Crews in third. Championship contender Jesse Love of Richard Childress Racing finished fourth, and Viking Motorsports racer Parker Retzlaff rounded out the top five. Creed slipped back to sixth at the checkered flag.
For Love, missing out on back-to-back titles by 14 points was a bitter pill to swallow before his impending move to Wood Brothers Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. "I feel that at the end of the day obviously it stings, right? It’s a painful thing to go through, losing and it being close," Love admitted.
For Allgaier, the emotion ran deep. Having openly discussed retirement from full-time competition at the end of this year, the veteran stood trackside with his parents, wife, and two daughters to celebrate. He became the second-oldest series champion in history, trailing only a 41-year-old Tommy Ellis from 1988.
"The first one was for me and the first one I really enjoyed," Allgaier said of his 2024 crown. "Pero this one is for all these men and women standing back here. They have worked their tail off."
Chevrolet also wrapped up the series manufacturer's title on a brilliant night for the bowtie brand, capping off an unforgettable finale before the 2027 season kicks off on Feb. 20 at Daytona International Speedway.
