Allgaier Will Start 9th On Saturday in Nashville
April 11, 2009
LEBANON, TEN. (April 11, 2009) – Justin Allgaier, driver of the No. 12 Verizon Wireless Dodge Charger for Penske Racing, will start Saturday’s 300-mile event at Nashville Superspeedway in the ninth spot.
The team had a two-hour practice session on Friday evening to dial their machine in for Saturday’s race. Rookie sensation Justin Allgaier battled a tight racecar during the first segment of the practice session. [Crew chief] Chad Walter made some major adjustments to the front end settings of the Verizon Wireless Dodge hoping it would help the car rotate through the corners. With every change the team made, the car moved up the speed chart. By the end of practice, the No.12 crew was happy with the progress they had made and felt as if they would be a contender to take home the famous Nashville guitar come Saturday afternoon.
The team went out 27th to make their qualifying attempt on Saturday morning. The 22- year old Illinois native ran a time of 29.564 seconds which put him on the inside of the fifth row for start of the 300-mile event at the Nashville Superspeedway. This is Allgaier’s first NASCAR Nationwide Series start at the 1.33-mile concrete speedway.
“The car was better than the driver this morning,” commented driver Justin Allgaier. “I left a lot on the table. [Crew chief] Chad Walter and all the guys on the Verizon Wireless Dodge did a great job making the right calls on this car. We made a number of changes after practice, which really helped the car turn in the corners. I was a little timid getting back to the gas which hurt us on the stopwatch, but we have a solid starting spot which is really important at a place like Nashville. I know we have a great car for the race and I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel for 300-laps.
The NASCAR Nationwide Series 300 can be seen live on Saturday, April 11 on ESPN with coverage beginning at 3 p.m. ET. The event can also be heard live on MRN Radio as well as Sirius Satellite Radio, channel 128.
Driver: Justin Allgaier
Position: 9th
Time: 29.564 Seconds
Speed: 162.319 MPH
Pole: #60-Carl Edwards