News

Justin Allgaier
No. 12 Verizon Dodge Charger
Darlington Raceway – Royal Purple 200 Presented by O'Reilly Auto Parts
May 7, 2010

Verizon Team News and Notes
• This Week’s Verizon Dodge … Justin Allgaier will pilot Penske Racing chassis PRS-007 in Friday’s 147-lap NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Darlington Raceway. This Verizon Dodge last raced at Bristol Motor Speedway in March, where the 23-year-old driver recorded his first career NASCAR win.
• Allgaier at Darlington … In his only previous Nationwide Series start at Darlington Raceway, Allgaier recorded a fifth-place finish in the 2009 running of the spring classic.
• Nine Races In … Over the season’s first nine races, Allgaier has accumulated three top-five and five top-10 finishes, an average starting position of 14th and an average finish of 8.8. The Riverton, Ill. native has led 28 laps of competition and has completed 99.9 percent of the laps contested (1,768 of 1,769) thus far. Allgaier enters Darlington fourth in points, 180 markers behind point leader and Penske Racing teammate, Brad Keselowski.
• Best in Class… Allgaier’s fourth-place position in the point standings is best among full-time, Nationwide Series-only drivers. Allgaier leads fellow Nationwide-only driver Brendan Gaughan, currently ranked ninth, by 313 points.
• Streaking … Allgaier heads to Darlington on the longest consecutive top-15 streak of his brief career - nine races.
• Last Week … Allgaier appeared to be headed for a third-place finish in last Friday night’s race at Richmond International Raceway, but an untimely caution with just a handful of laps remaining saw the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year relegated to a 15th-place finish.
• Penske Racing at Darlington … In six previous Nationwide Series starts at Darlington Raceway, Penske Racing entries have recorded two top-five finishes along with two pole awards. Penske Dodges have been atop the leaderboard for 37 circuits in their time at Darlington, have an average starting position of eighth, an average finish of 13th and have completed 99.9 percent of the laps contested (889 of 890).
• Penske Racing in 2010 … Nine races into the 2010 season, Penske Racing’s two NASCAR Nationwide Series entries have recorded two poles, three wins, a combined 11 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. Penske Dodges have completed 3,537 of 3,538 laps contested with drivers Allgaier and Keselowski, and have led 385 laps.
• Meet the Driver … Fans can meet Allgaier on Thursday, May 6 from 6 – 7 p.m. EDT at the Verizon Wireless store located at 107 Express Lane in Darlington, S.C. The following day, he will sign for fans at the Penske Racing souvenir trailer, located in the midway at Darlington Raceway, from 1 – 1:30 p.m.

Justin Allgaier on Darlington Raceway
“Any time you think about race tracks with a lot of history, Darlington Raceway is always at the top of the list. It’s an unbelievable track. You’re wide open through Turns 1 and 2, and you almost have to throw the anchor out when you get to Turn 3 because you slow down so much. Alongside Bristol Motor Speedway, Darlington is my favorite track to race at. The two races that I really want to win, the two that would mean the most to me, are Darlington and Bristol. We’ve accomplished one of those wins, now we’ve got to go get the second one.”

Crew chief Chad Walter on Darlington Raceway
“I can’t get enough of racing at Darlington. I absolutely love it. You carry a lot of speed into Turn 1 and have to really be on the brakes in Turn 3. Darlington is a place where the driver has to race the race track. Track position is critical there. It’s a short race, so being up front is extremely important. The key to success is being patient. We were extremely impressed with how well Justin ran there last year, especially considering it was his first time there. We’re bringing the same car that we won with at Bristol, and it would mean a lot for us to get another win this weekend.”