Justin Allgaier, No. 12 Verizon Dodge - Dover International Speedway Preview

May 11, 2010


Verizon Team News and Notes
• This Week’s Verizon Dodge … Justin Allgaier will pilot Penske Racing chassis PRS-029 in Saturday’s Heluva Good! 200 at Dover International Speedway. Built new for 2010, this Dodge Charger debuted at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March where Allgaier started 13th and finished seventh. It most recently raced at Nashville Superspeedway in April where the 2009 Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year started third and finished fourth.
• Allgaier at Dover … In two Nationwide Series starts at Dover International Speedway, Allgaier boasts one top-10 finish. His best showing at the one-mile oval is a 10th-place finish, which he achieved in the spring race last year. Additionally, the 23-year-old driver has an average starting position of 23.5, an average finish of 17.5 and has completed 98 percent of the laps contested (392 of 400).
• 50 and Counting … This weekend’s race at Dover International Speedway will mark Allgaier’s 50th career NASCAR Nationwide Series start. Allgaier has logged one pole, one win, six top-five and 17 top-10 finishes since his first start at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 10, 2008.   
• 10 Down, 25 To Go … Over the season’s first 10 races, Allgaier has accumulated three top-five and five top-10 finishes, an average starting position of 13.2 and an average finish of 9.6. The Riverton, Ill. native has led 38 laps of competition and has completed 99.9 percent of the laps contested (1,915 of 1,916) thus far. Allgaier enters Dover fifth in points, 209 markers behind point leader and Penske Racing teammate, Brad Keselowski.
• Best in Class… Allgaier’s fifth-place position in the point standings is best among full-time, Nationwide Series-only drivers. Allgaier leads fellow Nationwide-only driver Jason Leffler, currently ranked ninth, by 357 points.
• Bonus Points … Allgaier led 10 laps at Darlington Raceway last week, marking the first laps he has led since scoring his first NASCAR win at Bristol Motor Speedway in March.
• Last Week … Allgaier led laps in the early going of last Friday night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Darlington, but tire failure following a lap-39 restart along with a myriad of other issues relegated the third-year driver to a 17th-place finish.
• Penske Racing at Dover … In six previous Nationwide Series starts at Dover International Speedway, Penske Racing entries have recorded one win and two top-five finishes along with two pole awards. Penske Dodges have been atop the leaderboard for 347 circuits in their time at Dover, and have completed all but 15 of the laps contested (1,185 of 1,200).
• Penske Racing in 2010 … With 10 races completed in the 2010 season, Penske Racing’s two NASCAR Nationwide Series entries have recorded two poles, three wins, a combined 11 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes. Penske Dodges have completed 3,831 of 3,832 laps contested with drivers Allgaier and Keselowski, and have led 395 laps.
• Meet the Driver … Fans can meet Allgaier on Friday, May 14 from 11:20 – 11:50 a.m. EDT at the Penske Racing souvenir trailer, located in the midway at Dover International Speedway. Later that evening, he will head to the Verizon Wireless store located at 1045 N. DuPont Hwy. in Dover, Del. where he will sign for fans from 6 – 7 p.m.

Justin Allgaier on Dover International Speedway
“Dover is a great race track. It’s a concrete surface, which is something that has obviously been very kind to us here lately. It’s a fast track, and every time you drive off into the corners it’s equivalent to the height of a one or two-story building. It’s a place where you’re never able to relax. Even the straightaways are very demanding at Dover.”

Justin Allgaier on making his 50th career Nationwide Series start this weekend
“It’s pretty incredible to be making my 50th Nationwide Series start this weekend. I’ve been very fortunate to be part of the Penske organization for all of those starts. Hopefully we’ll be able to add another zero to that number in a few years and be talking about my 500th NASCAR start someday. The 50th start is the first one that really means a lot; it’s the first real milestone. It’s pretty special.”

Crew chief Chad Walter on Dover International Speedway
“Dover is a great place to race. As a crew chief, you have to get the car comfortable for the driver to be aggressive every once in a while. The car has to be predictable so when the driver sees an opening he can take it. We know we need to get a good starting spot in order to have a strong race.”