News

Justin Allgaier
No. 12 Verizon Dodge Charger
Talladega Superspeedway – Aaron’s 312
April 24, 2010

Verizon Team News and Notes
• This Week’s Verizon Dodge … Justin Allgaier will pilot Penske Racing chassis PRS-552 in Saturday’s Aaron’s 312 at Talladega Superspeedway. Built new for 2008, this Verizon Dodge debuted at Daytona International Speedway last July, where the 23-year-old driver recorded an eighth-place finish. It made its 2009 debut in the season-opening DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona in February where Allgaier finished fourth.
• Allgaier at Talladega … In his only previous Nationwide Series start at Talladega Superspeedway, Allgaier finished 32nd after being involved in a late-race incident while battling for position inside the top 10.
• Seven Races In … Over the season’s first seven races, Allgaier has accumulated three top-five and five top-10 finishes, an average starting position of 14th and an average finish of seventh. The Riverton, Ill. native has led 28 laps of competition and has completed all 1,397 laps contested thus far. He enters Talladega fourth in points, 101 markers behind point leader Kyle Busch.
• Penske Racing in 2010 … Seven races into the 2010 season, Penske Racing’s two NASCAR Nationwide Series entries have recorded one win (Allgaier, Bristol), along with a combined nine top-five and 11 top-10 finishes. Penske Dodges have completed 100 percent of the laps contested (2,794 of 2,794) with drivers Allgaier and Keselowski, and have led 185 laps.
• Previous Winner … While Allgaier has not yet won at Talladega in NASCAR Nationwide Series competition, he has visited Victory Lane there once before.  Driving the No. 16 Dodge for Allgaier Motorsports, Allgaier won the ARCA Re/Max 250 from the 25th starting position on October 3, 2008.
• Allgaier’s Newest Fan … Engine tuner Dave Ward and his wife, Shannon, welcomed their first child, Rylee James to the world on April 8 at 3:24 a.m.
• Happy Birthday, Alex … Interior mechanic Alex Cunningham will celebrate his 21st birthday on Sunday, April 25.   
• Meet the Driver … Fans will have several opportunities to meet Allgaier this weekend in Talladega. The 2009 Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year will sign autographs on Friday, April 23 from 1:30 – 2 p.m. CDT at the Penske Racing souvenir trailer, located in the midway at Talladega Superspeedway. From there, Allgaier will head to the Dodge Motorsports display from 2 – 2:30 p.m. That evening, he will be at the Verizon Wireless store located at 671 Snow St. in Oxford from 6 – 7 p.m.

Justin Allgaier on Talladega Superspeedway
“Everyone at Penske Racing has been working hard to build strong Verizon Dodges week in and week out, and this weekend at Talladega will be no different. I was fortunate enough to win the ARCA race here in 2008, and some of the No. 12 guys were actually part of the team that day. Everyone wants to win one at Talladega, it’s just one of those tracks. We’re going to give it all we’ve got. We feel like we’ve got a great Verizon Dodge with a strong engine, so we feel like we’ve got a shot to win. I don’t know that we’ll have a great qualifying car, but I know that we’ll be strong come time for the race.”

Crew chief Chad Walter on Talladega Superspeedway
“Talladega and Daytona are anomalies where, unlike most tracks, track position is not as important. You can get from the back to the front in one lap. The keys to having a successful day are having good horsepower and pulling the draft. We just need to keep our nose clean all day and I am confident we will have a solid finish.”