Justin Allgaier, No. 12 Verizon Dodge - Dover International Speedway Preview
September 21, 2010
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• This Week’s Verizon Dodge … Justin Allgaier will pilot Penske Racing chassis PRS-029 in Saturday afternoon’s Dover 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. He then drove this chassis at Nashville in April, where he started third and finished fourth. Two months later, Allgaier raced this chassis again at Nashville, where he won the pole and finished fourth. It most recently raced at Iowa Speedway in July, where the 2009 Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year started, and finished, eighth.
• Through 27 Races … With 27 races of the 2010 season in the record books, Allgaier has accumulated one pole, one win, six top-five and 14 top-10 finishes, an average starting position of 12.4 and an average finish of 12.6. Allgaier has led 133 laps of competition and has completed 97 percent of the laps contested (4,786 of 4,934) so far this season.
• Get to the Points … Allgaier ranks fourth in the NNS championship point standings heading into this weekend’s event at Dover. He trails current point leader and Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski by 790 points, and third-place contender Kyle Busch by 207 points.
• 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 Trevor Bayne, currently ranked seventh, by 401 points.
• Allgaier at Dover … In three NNS starts at DIS, Allgaier boasts one top-10 finish. His best showing at the one-mile oval is a 10th-place finish, which he achieved in his first start at the ‘Monster Mile.’ Additionally, the 24-year-old driver has an average starting position of 23.5, an average finish of 17th and has completed 98.7 percent of the laps contested (597 of 605).
• Penske Racing at Dover … In eight previous NNS starts at DIS, Penske Racing entries have recorded one win (Ryan Newman, September, 2005), two top-five and three top-10 finishes along with two pole awards. Penske Dodges have been atop the leaderboard for 350 circuits in their time at Dover, and have completed all but 15 of the laps contested (1,595 of 1,610).
• Penske Racing in 2010 … With 27 races completed in the 2010 season, Penske Racing’s two NASCAR Nationwide Series entries have recorded six poles, five wins, a combined 25 top-five and 36 top-10 finishes. Penske Dodges have completed 4,786 of 9,868 laps contested, and have been atop the leaderboard for 1,090 laps with drivers Allgaier and Keselowski.
• Last Time Out … Allgaier had a strong run going in the Virginia 529 College Savings 250 two weeks ago at Richmond International Raceway, but a string of caution periods over the second half of the event prevented him from taking full advantage of a machine that was strongest on long, green-flag runs, leaving him 12th when the checkered flag waved.
• Cast Your Vote … Some 30,000 fans have cast their votes since July 6, and Allgaier is currently ranked among the top-five in the NNS Most Popular Driver award voting (through Wednesday, Sept. 15). Fans can visit www.nascarnationwideseries.com to vote for their favorite NASCAR Nationwide Series driver. Voting continues through Saturday, November 13.
• Concrete Averages … In 11 NNS starts at concrete facilities - Bristol Motor Speedway, Dover International Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway – Allgaier has accumulated one win, four top-five and five top-10 finishes, an average starting, and finishing average, of 15.2. He has led 87 laps in those races, and has completed 2,504 of 2,609 possible laps.
• How I Spent My Summer Vacation … Allgaier headed to Indiana over the penultimate off-weekend of the 2010 season to attend Saturday night’s ARCA race at Salem Speedway with his family-owned Allgaier Motorsports team. Crew chief Chad Walter enjoyed his time off by doing housework and spending time with his family.
• Meet the Driver … Fans can meet Allgaier on Friday, September 24 from 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 EDT at the Penske Racing souvenir trailer, located in the midway at DIS. 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.
“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.”
“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.”