"Its really special": Justin Allgaier admits he begged to get WWT Raceway back on the NASCAR schedule 

Justin Allgaier revealed that he'd been waiting for a 'long time' to get World Wide Technology Raceway back on NASCAR's calendar. He shared that his home is just 80 miles from the 1.25-mile track, making it a 'really special' outing for the reigning champion.

For the Illinois native, Gateway marks his home track and the site of his early days in racing. His last race at the track was in 2010, when he piloted the No.12 Dodge for Team Penske.

Notably, Allgaier had grabbed the pole that day but went on to finish third, while Brad Keselowski won the race outright. He now returns to the track after a 15-year hiatus.

Reflecting upon the same, Allgaier spoke to the press on Friday, September 5, and opened up about his long-awaited homecoming.

"I have been begging to get this racetrack back on the schedule for a long time now. And so the fact that we finally got it done, it's really special," he said via Youtube/Cup Scene.

"It's 80 miles from my doorstep to here. We literally just driving here earlier was 80 miles and you know it's so close. I remember coming down here so often um whether it be racing or coming down to watch my Cardinals play, right... this racetrack has meant a lot to me," he added.

As the regular season finale, WWT Raceway will decide the playoff picture for the Xfinity Series. Justin Allgaier trails his JRM teammate, Connor Zilisch, by 20 points. He faces stiff competition from Sam Mayer, who's 30 points behind him.

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Justin Allgaier prefers a win at WWTR more than regular-season title

Justin Allgaier weighed in on prioritizing the regular season title over a victory on his hometown track, WWT Raceway. He admitted that he'd rather focus on winning the race, more so than the championship.

"I haven't spent a lot of time worrying about it this week because I know that unless something happens, we're kind of where we're at and and that's the only opportunity I got to go and have some fun and listen. I would much rather win this race than to focus on winning the regular season championship and give that up," Justin Allgaier said, via aforementioned source.

A win at WWTR would mean a lot more for JRM as well. The team has won at every track the Xfinity Series has raced on, other than Gateway. It would also tip the team's win tally to 16, making it a record for single-season victories.

JRM's best result at the Midwest oval comes from Brad Keselowski's win back in 2008. On the other hand, the team's co-owner, Dale Earnhardt Jr., has won twice at the 1.25-mile track when he raced for Dale Earnhardt Inc.