Coming off victory at Bristol, Penske Racing's Justin Allgaier now a serious contender in Nationwide Series
Justin Allgaier races Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski at Bristol. // Sam Cranston, NASCAR Illustrated
Justin Allgaier came into the Nationwide Series in 2009 with little experience in the series but with expectations that he should run well considering he was driving for Penske Racing.
And whether he ran well in his rookie season is debatable. He finished sixth in the standings with three top-five and 12 top-10 finishes in 35 starts. But a victory eluded him.
“Last year, I don’t know that I felt like I had to win a race, but we wanted to win one really bad,” Allgaier said. “A win would have solidified a great rookie season for us, but we didn’t get that. … I wouldn’t say frustrated was the right word – I was more disappointed [not winning].”
During the offseason, Allgaier and crew chief Chad Walter talked about what they needed to do to get better and win races.
They got their first win just four races into the 2010 season as the 23-year-old Allgaier won March 21 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Not only did it help Allgaier move to third in the Nationwide standings, it solidified him as a championship contender and made him one of the favorites Saturday at Nashville Superspeedway, a headline event with the Sprint Cup Series off this weekend.
“The sky is the limit for this kid,” Walter said. “We just unleashed a monster. He has got a little confidence now. That’s a great thing. Look out. This kid can win. … He’s got talent.”
Allgaier has been driving since age 5 and made his name in racing circles in open-wheel cars – at age 14 he was the youngest driver ever to make the finals of the Chili Bowl, one of the biggest Midget events of the season. He began a transition to stock cars in 2003 and ran three full seasons in ARCA, winning the title in 2008 with six victories.
“A couple of months before everything went down at Penske Racing and we won the championship, my dad said, ‘Look, this is probably the last year we’re going to be able to run at the level that we’re running at. We’re going to have to cut back,’” Allgaier said.
“I worked really hard and all the guys worked really hard and we won races. … I never could have dreamed anything like this. It’s something you wish for growing up.”
Admittedly a little nervous when he first met team owner Roger Penske, Allgaier probably can be a little less nervous now that he’s won a race.
“We hired Justin because we saw how well he ran in ARCA and the type of person he is,” Penske said. “We want people who support the team. We have one team, not six teams. Justin fit that mold.
“The support his family has given him in his bringing up is the kind of person that would develop within our team. He wanted to win races last year and had some tough times. … Now, where he has someone to talk to [in Keselowski] about what his car is doing, has been a big help. This step [with the win] is what he needs. The confidence. You’re always close, but if you haven’t won that race, you need that.”
Allgaier and the 26-year-old Keselowski give Penske two young drivers, albeit with different styles. Keselowski won four Nationwide races and one Cup race a year ago but rubbed some other drivers the wrong way with his aggressive driving style.
Avoiding the spotlight last year, Allgaier didn’t make any enemies but also didn’t make many daring moves on the track, either.
“I’ve always been, not necessarily a patient driver, but I’ve never tried to be a dirty driver,” Allgaier said. “When it comes to passing guys, it’s tough especially at a place like this [at Bristol]. We had a good enough car, it didn’t warrant having to move people out of the way at all.”
In the victory at Bristol, Allgaier passed Keselowski for the lead on a restart with 27 laps remaining.
“He’s learned a lot,” Penske said. “He’s getting better and better. … He drove it hard. He drove it clean. And I think he’s got a great future with us.”
