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No. 12 Penske Racing Verizon Wireless Dodge Charger News and Notes
• This Week’s Charger… The No. 12 Verizon Wireless Dodge team and driver Justin Allgaier will race chassis PRS-021 during Friday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Phoenix International Raceway. PRS-021 is a brand new machine to the No.12 team.
• Rookie Race… Allgaier leads the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings for the third consecutive week.  Allgaier has a five-point lead over second place contender Brendan Gaughan.
• Store Visit… Allgaier will be at the Verizon Wireless store in Tempe, Arizona on Thursday, April 16 from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm MST. The Illinois native will be visiting with store employees as well as signing autographs for fans.
• Past Performance… Allgaier has made one Nationwide Series start at the one-mile Phoenix International Raceway. At the end of the 2008 season, Allgaier started 20th and crossed the finish line 11th in Phoenix.
• Watch and Listen… The Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 be seen live on Friday, April 17 on ESPN 2 with coverage beginning at 9 p.m. ET. The event can also be heard live on MRN Radio as well as Sirius Satellite Radio, channel 128.

Justin Allgaier on driving at Phoenix International Raceway
“I really like going out to Phoenix. Last year, I ran the Nationwide Series race there in the fall and had a really good car. It is a really fun track. Turns 1 and 2 are so different than turns 3 and 4. You carry a lot of speed going into [turns] 1 and 2 and have to really slow the car down through [turns] 3 and 4. As a driver, it is challenging because you have to really focus on each lap. It is one of those tracks I have really been looking forward to getting back to. As a team, we have made so much progress since last fall and I am looking forward to seeing if we can keep the momentum going that we have built over the last couple of weeks.

“[Crew chief] Chad Walter has done such an awesome job putting together this group of guys on the Verizon Wireless Dodge team. They are all so good at what they do. Getting to be a part of it is awesome.  I am just lucky Roger [Penske] has given me this opportunity.” 

Crew Chief Chad Walter on racing at Phoenix International Raceway
“Phoenix is really tough for the drivers. It is hard to get in a rhythm. Braking into turn 1, you are slowing the car down straight, but getting into turn 3 you are braking sideways. I am confident Justin will adjust to the track. As a crew chief, I think it is more important to set the car up for turns 3 and 4. Those corners are a lot tighter than turns 1 and 2. If you can get the car to rotate through turns 3 and 4 you are going to have a car that, I think, will compete for the win.

“It is also really important to qualify well so you can get a good pit box. Pit road is really tight and having an opening either in or out is really important. Our pit crew has done a great job all year, but anything we can do to help them I am sure is really appreciated.”

Justin Allgaier Nationwide Series Career Totals
Races      Wins      Top-Fives      Top-10s      Poles      Money Won
   10              0               1                     3                  0             $278,788

Justin Allgaier 2009 Totals
Races      Wins      Top-Fives      Top-10s      Poles      Money Won
    6               0                1                      3                0               $204,918