Justin Allgaier, No. 12 Verizon Dodge - Nashville Superspeedway Preview
June 1, 2010
Verizon Team News and Notes
• This Week’s Verizon Dodge … Justin Allgaier will pilot Penske Racing chassis PRS-029 in Saturday’s Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville Superspeedway. Built new for 2010, this Dodge Charger debuted at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March where Allgaier started 13th and finished seventh. He then drove this chassis at Nashville in April, where he recorded his best starting spot of the 2010 season, third, and posted a career-best Nashville finish of fourth. It most recently raced at Dover International Speedway in May, where the 2009 Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year started 29th and finished 16th.
• Allgaier at Nashville … In three NASCAR Nationwide Series starts at Nashville Superspeedway, Allgaier boasts two top-15 finishes. His best finish is fourth, where he finished when the series most recently visited the high-banked oval in April. The 23-year-old driver has completed all but five laps of competition at the largest concrete track on the circuit and has a finishing average of 15.3. Additionally, Allgaier has competed in four ARCA Series races at Nashville, posting his best finish of eighth place in August of 2008.
• Eclipsing Totals … In 2009, Allgaier recorded three top-five finishes in 35 Nationwide Series races. Just 12 races into the 2010 season, Allgaier has already eclipsed his rookie season total, having picked up his fourth top-five last week at Charlotte.
• Testing, 1-2-3 … Allgaier and the Verizon crew spent Tuesday, June 1 and Wednesday, June 2 testing at Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, S.C. in preparation for the upcoming Bucyrus 200 presented by Menards at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. on June 19.
• After 12 Races … Over the season’s first 12 races, Allgaier has accumulated four top-five and six top-10 finishes, an average starting position of 14.3 and an average finish of 9.7. The Riverton, Ill. native has led 38 laps of competition and has completed 99.9 percent of the laps contested (2,323 of 2,324) thus far. Allgaier enters Charlotte fifth in points, 265 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 331 points.
• Meet the Press… Allgaier will be available inside the infield media center to field questions from the gathered media on Friday, June 4 at 4:15 p.m.
• Last Time Out … Allgaier recorded a fourth-place finish in last Saturday’s TECH-NET Auto service 300 powered by CARQUEST at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It marked Allgaier’s career-best finish at the 1.5-mile oval, and ended a streak of five races without a top-10 finish.
• Penske Racing at Nashville … In five previous Nationwide Series starts at Nashville Superspeedway, Penske Racing entries have recorded two top-five finishes. Penske Dodges have compiled an average starting position of 10.8, an average finish of 15.2, have completed 98.9 percent of the laps contested (1,113 of 1,125) and have been atop the leaderboard for 21 laps.
• Penske Racing in 2010 … With 12 races completed in the 2010 season, Penske Racing’s two NASCAR Nationwide Series entries have recorded two poles, three wins, and a combined 13 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes. Penske Dodges have completed 4,647 of 4,648 laps contested with drivers Allgaier and Keselowski, and have led 463 laps.
• Meet the Driver … Fans can meet Allgaier on Saturday, June 5 at the Nationwide Series mobile display, located in the midway at Nashville Superspeedway from 1 – 2 p.m.
• Happy Birthday, Justin … Allgaier will celebrate his 24th birthday on Sunday, June 6.
• Concrete Averages … In nine Nationwide Series starts at concrete facilities - Bristol Motor Speedway, Dover International Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway – Allgaier has accumulated one win, three top-five and four top-10 finishes, an average starting position of 18th and an average finish of 14.4. He has led 29 laps in those races, and has completed 2,093 of 2,134 possible laps.
Justin Allgaier on Nashville Superspeedway
“Nashville was a tough race track for us in 2009. We had a couple of problems in each of the races that gave us finishes that didn’t reflect how well we ran. It was the same story when I raced there in the ARCA Series, honestly. For whatever reason, we’d run well but something would go wrong. So, when we finished fourth at Nashville in April, that was awesome. Hopefully, now that we’ve figured out how to get a good finish, we can get another one this time around.”
Crew chief Chad Walter on Nashville Superspeedway
“Nashville Superspeedway is a faster race track than people think. The corners are really tight and come up on you in a hurry. One of the keys to success is getting your car to roll through the center of the corner. If you can roll the center with speed you will have a good day. The driver has to be able to manage a free race car all day long. I think by the end of the event there will be two grooves on the track, which gives the drivers the ability to work on both the top and the bottom of the track.”