Allgaier Starts 11th On Saturday In Texas
April 2, 2009
Ft. Worth, TX. (April 2, 2009) – Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 12 Verizon FiOS Dodge Charger for Penske Racing, will start Saturday’s 300-mile event at the Texas Motor Speedway in the 11th spot.
During the two Thursday afternoon practice sessions, Allgaier and the No.12 Verizon FiOS Dodge team worked to fine tune their machine for the NASCAR Nationwide Series event. In both practices, the team labored trying to free up the Verizon FiOS Dodge. Allgaier explained his machine was tight at both ends of the one-and-a-half mile track. He also needed his Dodge Charger to be able to roll through the center of the corners in order to keep up the momentum he had on entry. The team worked feverishly making changes to the chassis trying to find the right combination. By the end of “happy hour” practice session, the Verizon FiOS crew felt like they had a strong car and was looking forward to Saturday’s 300-mile event.
The team went out seventh to make their qualifying attempt under almost perfect spring like conditions on Thursday evening. The 22- year old Illinois native ran a time of 29.153 seconds which put him on the inside of the sixth row for start of the O'Reilly 300 at the Great American Speedway. This is Allgaier’s second career start at Texas Motor Speedway.
“The Verizon FiOS Dodge was really good during our qualifying run,” commented driver Justin Allgaier. “The car was a tick tight but the team did a great job with the adjustments they made after practice. Any time you can start in the top-15 it is a good day. I am looking forward to Saturday’s race. (Crew chief) Chad Walter and all the guys on this Verizon FiOS Dodge Charger team worked their tails off today and it paid off qualifying. I carried a lot of speed into the corners and the car stuck on the bottom. I feel like we have a really good car and am looking to get another strong result on Saturday afternoon in Texas.”
The O'Reilly 300 can be seen live on Saturday, April 4, on ABC-TV with coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET. The event can also be heard live on PRN Radio as well as Sirius Satellite Radio, channel 128.
Driver: Justin Allgaier
Position: 11th
Time: 29.153 Seconds
Speed: 185.230 MPH
Pole:#18-Kyle Busch