She’s Become a Big Girl’: Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Veteran Star Reacts to His Daughter Riding in His Car for the First Time

At the Nashville Superspeedway, Justin Allgaier snatched his third win of the season. What was different about this win was the post-race celebration. As it turns out, his daughter Willow got a chance to ride in his race-winning #7 Chevrolet for the first time in her life. Normally, drivers either do burnouts or donuts to celebrate, which is a normal celebration after winning a race. However, some drivers like Kyle Larson have made it a thing to give his kids a ride in the race car after the hard-fought win. And this has become a new trend where more drivers are celebrating with their kids at the start-finish line. And Justin Allgaier also did the same with her younger one, Willow.

The JR Motorsports driver was the class of the field on Saturday, leading a race-high 101 of 188 laps. This was his second win in Music City, and he has one guitar each for his two daughters. This was Allgaier’s third win of the season, but the moment after the race was indeed a special one for him and Willow. At just 4, the sounds and the thrills of a stock car could’ve been overwhelming for the kiddo, but her enthusiasm and growth even caught his father off guard.

Allgaier told NBC Sports, “Willow has refused to ride. Now that she’s turned 4, she’s become a big girl, and she’s told me that many, many times. She made it very clear that she needs me to win after she’s 4 because now she’s going to ride. She told me in the car as we were riding to Victory Lane, she’s a big girl, and she wasn’t scared. I didn’t know that turning 4 had changed so many things, but if you’ve ever met my daughter, she has tested my wife and I rather handily through life. She’s turned 4 and all of a sudden she’s like completely changed course. It’s wild to watch, she’s definitely all grown up and that’s the sad part as a dad.”

Times have changed, and Allgaier is now entering a different chapter of his life. Watching his kids grow up and celebrate with him in the victory lane, these are memories for life lifetime. But if the veteran driver continues to rack up wins and solid finishes this season, it is going to be tough for his rivals to match his strides. Just take a look at his statistics from this year; he certainly is running in a different league.

#NASCAR … Justin Allgaier on 4-year old daughter Willow riding in his car to Victory Lane for the first time after tonight’s Nashville win. pic.twitter.com/GaPRnBD52D

— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) June 1, 2025

Winning the championship last year and being on a dominant run so far in 2025, this is perhaps the peak of his racing career. In 14 races so far, he’s only finished outside of the top 5 places just four times. Not only that, he is leading the points tally with an average finish of 9.2. If he continues to keep this pace, he will be able to repeat his heroics of 2018, when he won five races that year. Allgier was asked if this was his best phase as a race car driver, to which he responded. “I’m in the best position I’ve ever been.”

“I don’t know, me personally, as a driver, if I’m as good as I’ve ever been. There’s a certain point and time when age and experience, just all the details that kind of play into what makes a good race car driver… It is interesting to me because I’m working harder today than I’ve ever worked. Off the racetrack, in the simulator, studying with 7 group and going through all the resources we have. I spend ten times the amount of time that I did ten years ago. But to be relevant in this sport, you’ve got to put the effort into it.” He added.

Allgaier isn’t looking to relax or have a laid-back attitude; rather, he believes that the only way he can compete against the young talents is through grind. Even Connor Zilisch, who looked to be the contender against his teammate, had to settle for a runner-up finish.

Connor Zilisch congratulates Allgaier after a thrilling battle

This was just his 17th start in the Xfinity Series, and after the runner-up finish at Charlotte, he was hoping to complete the job on the concrete surface of Nashville. The 18-year-old took the green flag 10th and led 18 laps on the night, but he just wasn’t able to close the gap on the #7 car.

“It was all clean air today. The two of us had such similar race cars that just clean air makes the difference. That two or three percent of grip is what makes the difference, and I kind of just got tight behind him trying to get to him, and that’s why I fell off those last few laps. I couldn’t quite hold on. I just got side drafted back, and once we were side by side, I just didn’t have enough grip. Yeah, clean air is king,” Zilisch said after the race.

The margin of victory was just 1.289 seconds, but the restart with 48 to go proved to be a crucial moment in the race when Allgaier took the lead. But the JRM driver never looked back and cemented his spot at the top of the pile. The #7 team can work and experiment all they can until the playoffs, and who knows, they might bag a couple of wins before the knockout stages even begin.

The post She’s Become a Big Girl’: Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Veteran Star Reacts to His Daughter Riding in His Car for the First Time appeared first on EssentiallySports.