NASCAR standings leader Justin Allgaier reveals plan to retire at the end of current season

O’Reilly Auto Parts Series standings leader Justin Allgaier has revealed plans to retire from NASCAR action at the end of the current 2026 season, but says he could yet be persuaded to stay on.

The 39-year-old JR Motorsports star from Spaulding, Illinois currently heads the points table, 179 ahead of reigning champion Jesse Love, after claiming his fourth win of the year in Nashville on Saturday.

It’s been a terrific year so far for Allgaier, but until very recently he believed it would be his last in the sport.

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Allgaier had planned to retire at the end of 2026

He told SiriusXM NASCAR Radio: “I was quitting at the end of the year if I’m being perfectly honest with you.”

There is hope though for JRM fans, talks are ongoing with a view to Allgaier continuing his career in 2027 and beyond.

“We’re working on making that [retirement] not happen - JRM has been on me. After I won my third race of the year [at Martinsville in late March] I walked in on a Monday morning and LW and Joe pulled me into Joe’s office and they’re like ‘why are you quitting? Why are you doing this, why are you retiring?’”

Right now there is no definitive final decision from Allgaier, it is a case of ‘watch this space’ with retirement still a possibility.

“So we’ll see, I don’t know, I can’t promise you anything. But what I can tell you…my wife’s been on me to not quit, she doesn’t wanna see me quit.”

JRM may get some divine intervention in Allgaier bid

While JRM are trying to persuade Allgaier to shelve his retirement plans, they may also have assistance in the shape of some divine intervention.

“So the pastor from my church never calls me - we’ve text you know back and forth - he’s a race fan and he keeps up,” revealed Allgaier.

“And he called me randomly on a Tuesday and he goes ‘you know I haven’t seen you at church on Sundays’. He’s like ‘we’re supporting you, we’re disappointed you’re not here but we know why you’re not here’. And he doesn’t even know this conversation happened in this way.

“But we get ready to get off the phone and he’s like: ‘alright man, well when you win that championship this year I don’t want to hear any talk about quitting or retiring, cause the only way to win two in a row is if you win the first one’.

“So I called my wife immediately and I was like ‘did you get God involved in this?’, because if the pastor calls you it’s a little bit of a different story.”