Justin Allgaier, No. 12 Verizon Dodge - Iowa Speedway Preview

July 26, 2010


Verizon Team News and Notes
• This Week’s Verizon Dodge … Justin Allgaier will pilot Penske Racing chassis PRS-033 in Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR Nationwide Series event at Iowa Speedway. This is a brand-new Verizon Dodge that will be put through its first paces this weekend.
• Through 20 Races … With 20 races of the 2010 season in the record books, Allgaier has accumulated one pole, one win, five top-five and 11 top-10 finishes, an average starting position of 12th and an average finish of 11.4. Allgaier has led 131 laps of competition and has completed 99.3 percent of the laps contested (3,678 of 3,705) over the first 20 races.
• Last Time Out … Allgaier started ninth and ran inside the top 10 all night long at O’Reilly Raceway Park last Saturday night, taking the checkered flag in the seventh position.
• Get to the Points … Allgaier ranks third in the NASCAR Nationwide Series championship point standings heading into this weekend’s event at Iowa Speedway. He trails current point-leader and Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski by 498 points, and second-place contender Carl Edwards by 293 points.
• Best in Class … Allgaier’s third-place position in the point standings is best among full-time, Nationwide Series-only drivers. Allgaier leads fellow Nationwide-only driver Steve Wallace, currently ranked seventh, by 353 points.
• Allgaier at Iowa … In 2009’s inaugural NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Iowa Speedway, Allgaier tied for fastest-time in qualifying, but started second when current owner points were used as the tie-breaker. Allgaier led 35 laps before suffering right-front damage that relegated him to a 15th-place finish.
• Are You Experienced? … In addition to his one previous Nationwide Series start at the Midwest oval venue, Allgaier has competed in three ARCA Series races at Iowa Speedway, posting his track-best finish of fourth in April of 2008.
• Penske Racing in 2010 … With 20 races completed in the 2010 season, Penske Racing’s two NASCAR Nationwide Series entries have recorded five poles, four wins, a combined 19 top-five and 28 top-10 finishes. Penske Dodges have completed 7,382 of 7,410 laps contested, and have been atop the leaderboard for 897 laps with drivers Allgaier and Keselowski.
• Busy Week … Allgaier spent Tuesday, July 27 at Bristol Motor Speedway for a media event. On Wednesday, July 28, he heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he will compete in go-kart races against media members and selected race fans. Friday morning he finally heads to Iowa, where he will participate in events for series sponsor Nationwide at the track that afternoon before practicing his Verizon Dodge later in the day.
• Meet the Driver … Fans can meet Allgaier on Friday, July 30 from 3:30 – 4 p.m. CDT at the Nationwide stage, located outside Turn 1, when he will participate in a question-and-answer session for fans. The following day, he will participate in the NASCAR Nationwide Series group autograph session, behind the Manatt Grandstands, from 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.
• Meet the Crew Chief … Fans can meet Allgaier’s crew chief, Chad Walter, on Saturday, July 31 from 2:30 – 3 p.m. at the Nationwide stage, located outside Turn 1, when he will participate in a question-and-answer session for fans.
• Did You Know … Penske Racing’s media website has several features available to registered media members including pre- and post-race notes, photographs, audio quotes and more. Log onto media.penskeracing.com for more information.

Justin Allgaier on Iowa Speedway
“I love Iowa. It’s one of my favorite tracks on the circuit. I’ve raced there a few times in the ARCA Series. We always seemed to be able to lead plenty of laps there but we never did get a win. We were really good there last year in the Nationwide Series. We almost sat on the pole, we actually tied for the pole, but we started second. We raced well all night, but had some problems not of our own doing that took us out of contention. I’m excited about going back there. Our Verizon Dodge has been really strong as of late, and I’m looking forward to the next couple of races. We hope to run really strong and gain some of these points back.”

Crew chief Chad Walter on Iowa Speedway
“I love heading to Iowa. I absolutely love the track. We had a promising race going last year until a mishap on pit road damaged our right-front fender and that cost us track position, which got us back in the pack and ultimately involved in a late-race incident. I’m looking forward to Iowa, for sure. I feel it’s one of those tracks that we can head to with a lot of confidence, and know that if we play our cards right, we’ll come out of there with a strong finish.”