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News and Notes

• Justin Allgaier will pilot Penske Racing chassis PRS-029 in Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This is a brand-new Verizon Dodge that will be put through its first paces this weekend at LVMS.
• Over the season’s first two races, Allgaier has accumulated one top-five and two top-10 finishes, an average starting position of 13.5 and an average finish of 6.5. The 2009 NNS Rookie of the Year has led one lap of competition and has completed all 272 laps contested thus far.
• One year ago, in his first start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Allgaier led five laps and finished eighth, recording his first top-10 finish in NNS competition. Additionally, the 23-year-old driver has completed 100 percent of the laps contested (209 of 209) at the 1.5-mile oval.
• Allgaier was able to overcome a late-race penalty to finish ninth in last Saturday’s Nationwide Series race at Auto Club Speedway.
• Fans can meet Allgaier on Thursday, Feb. 25 from 6 – 7:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time at the Verizon Wireless store located at 3870 E. Flamingo Road in Las Vegas, Nev.
• In two previous NNS starts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Penske Racing entries have recorded one top-five and two top-10 finishes. Penske Dodges have been atop the leaderboard for 47 circuits in their time at LVMS and have completed 100 percent of the laps contested (409 of 409).
• Two races into the 2010 season, Penske Racing’s two NASCAR Nationwide Series entries have recorded a combined two top-five and three top-10 finishes. Penske Dodges have completed 100 percent of the laps contested (544 of 544) with drivers Allgaier and Brad Keselowski, and have led five laps. Allgaier enters this weekend ranked fourth in the series point standings while Keselowski is fifth.

Justin Allgaier on Las Vegas Motor Speedway
“It was pretty neat to go out and be as successful as we were last year at Las Vegas. Our Verizon Dodge was fast all weekend. We didn’t qualify very well, but we were able to come through the field and race up front. The best part of that race, for me, was that I was able to pass Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards on a restart, and that’s how we got the lead. Unfortunately, I ran out of patience and hit the wall and that ruined our chances of winning the race. It’s a great track to race at, it’s a lot of fun, and I feel that we can build off what we accomplished there last year and be very competitive.”

Crew chief Chad Walter on Auto Club Speedway
“Las Vegas is a race that we’ve circled on our calendar after the performance we had there last year. The glitter of the town makes it a race everyone really goes after and wants to win. Justin ran really well here last year in his first time at the track. The track exudes speed, so the driver must have a comfortable car to hang it out on the edge. The Verizon team is ready to break out at Las Vegas against all odds.”