Justin Allgaier is currently preparing for his 11th season as the driver of the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts series. The 39-year-old’s nickname, “Lil Gator”, is a familiar part of who he is in the NASCAR garage, but its meaning goes beyond just a catchy moniker.
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In a 2019 interview with Frontstretch, Allgaier explained the origin of the nickname and how he came to embrace it despite not being very fond of it. He said, “Nobody likes to be called ‘lil’ anything, right? But when my father was born, they told my grandfather, “Mr. Alligator, you can come in and see your son now.” So my dad is always ‘Gator.'”
The JR Motorsports driver’s father, Mike Allgaier, worked in the ARCA Menards Series back in the day. He used to take Justin on trips to the garage at the time, and someone who worked there had said, “Oh, this must be the little gator you always talk about racing.”
From that point on, the nickname gained a stronghold and became his identity. Allgaier added, “I’ve carried that proudly because I have a lot of respect for my dad.”
Mike owned Justin’s ARCA car in the early 2000s and was instrumental in his son’s success in motorsports. The family business he created, Allgaier Performance, was involved with Hoosier Tire and was a key supplier to the ARCA series.
Allgaier’s sights are set on the 2026 Daytona 500
In 2025, Allgaier made his third Daytona 500 start with JR Motorsports. He finished the race in ninth place and fulfilled the massive expectations that were put on him. The race was much hyped because it was the debut Cup Series performance for the team, and things had to get started on a good note.
Following the success, the team will race in the event in 2026 as well, and Allgaier will reprise his role with the intention of winning.
He said, “It’s definitely special to be able to make another run at the DAYTONA 500 with Traveler Whiskey, Chris Stapleton, Dale, Kelley, and everyone at JR Motorsports. Last year was such an amazing experience, and I am just thankful to be the one who gets to be behind the wheel of this No. 40.
“We had such a great time last year, and I can’t wait to get down there and do it all again.”
Like last year, Allgaier will have to qualify the hard way. That is, through the time trials or in the twin 125-lap qualifiers.
