News

Justin Allgaier
No. 12 Verizon Wireless Dodge Charger
Memphis Motorsports Park – Kroger on Track for the Cure 250
October 24, 2009

No. 12 Penske Racing Verizon Wireless Dodge Charger News and Notes
• This Week’s Charger… The No. 12 Verizon Wireless Dodge team will race chassis PRS-017 during Saturday’s 200-lap NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Memphis Motorsports Park. PRS-017 last saw racing action in July during the 200-mile race at Gateway International Raceway as driver Justin Allgaier crossed the finish line in the 11th spot.
• Come and See Me… Allgaier will be at the Verizon Wireless store just outside Memphis, Tenn. on Friday, October 23 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. CT. Allgaier will visit with fans, sign autographs and take pictures. The Verizon Wireless store is located at 1055 W. Poplar Avenue in Collierville, TN.
• Rookie Stripe… Saturday will mark Allgaier’s first time racing at MMP. The rookie driver has 14 starts this season at tracks where he has never turned a lap and he has produced three top-five and six top-10 finishes at those venues.
• ROY Watch… With five races remaining on the 2009 schedule, Allgaier remains the leader in the Nationwide Series Rookie-Of-The-Year battle. The Riverton, Ill. native is currently 18 points ahead of Brendan Gaughan in the rookie standings after 31 of 35 events.
• Press Time... Allgaier will be in the infield media center on Friday, October 16 at 12:15 p.m. CT to promote the final race in the 2009 Dash 4 Cash series, sponsored by Nationwide Insurance.
• Listen and Watch… The Kroger on Track for the Cure 250 will be seen on Saturday, October 24 live on ESPN2 with coverage beginning at 3 p.m. ET. The event will also be heard live on MRN Radio as well as Sirius Satellite Radio channel 128.

Justin Allgaier on driving at Memphis Motorsports Park
“I am pumped for this weekend’s race in Memphis. Memphis has a lot of history around the speedway, which makes it a cool track to compete at. Between the tight corners and the low grip the race track has to offer, the fans are in for some great racing action. Our short-track program has really improved since the fall race at Richmond International Raceway.  We are getting closer to the end of the season and our program is improving every week. It is time for us to really show what we can accomplish as a team on this great half-mile race track. 

“Getting a larger gap between the sixth-place competitor [in the point standings] has been really important. However, we know there are more threats coming behind him as well and we need to keep our program headed in a steady direction. Even though winning a race is important to us, the points battle and Rookie-of-the-Year battle is our main focus for the remainder of the season and it’s really important to all of us at Penske Racing and to the Verizon Wireless race team. With the four races left, we really feel that the race tracks we are heading to play well into our program.”

Crew chief Chad Walter on racing at Memphis Motorsports Park
“I love going to Memphis [Motorsports Park]. It is a short track bull ring with low grip.  As a crew chief, my challenge is to build grip into our setup. It is much easier said than done, but I am confident in the package we are bringing. We have really worked hard on our short-track program this year and every time we unload, we are making gains. Justin [Allgaier] has done a great job behind the wheel and I am looking for more of the same this weekend.  We know what we have to do as a team to finish off the season on a strong note. We just need to keep our nose clean all day and continue to knock off strong finishes.”

Justin Allgaier Nationwide Series Career Totals
Races      Wins      Top-Fives      Top-10s      Poles      Money Won
  35               0                3                    12                0             $965,468

Justin Allgaier 2009 Totals
Races       Wins     Top-Fives       Top-10s      Poles      Money Won
   31                0              3                      12                0           $891,598