Penske Racing’s Justin Allgaier tests Sprint Cup car for team at Charlotte
Nationwide Series driver Justin Allgaier is testing a Penske Racing Cup car for the team during this week's test session at Charlotte Motor Speedway. // Mike Laczynski, NASCAR Illustrated
CONCORD, N.C. – Justin Allgaier is among the 42 drivers at Charlotte Motor Speedway testing Sprint Cup cars with spoilers today, but when he will make his Cup debut for Penske Racing is uncertain.
Drivers can take part in two NASCAR-approved test sessions without having to commit to running in a Cup event. A Penske Racing spokesman said there is no timetable yet for Allgaier to compete in Cup. The 23-year-old Allgaier captured his first Nationwide Series victory for Penske Racing Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway.
“I actually found out just before we were coming to Bristol, and I think that probably helped with the confidence level a little bit, I guess, that we were going to go do a little testing,” Allgaier said. “This was something that had been planned. … I am not going to speculate on what their plans are this year.
“My goal obviously is to win a championship on the Nationwide side, so this is just, for me, a way to come out and get laps. I am never going to turn the opportunity down to get in a Cup car.”
Allgaier has done some testing of the Cup car at tracks where NASCAR national touring series don’t compete. The Nationwide Series crew for Allgaier, headed by Chad Walter, is running the car at the Charlotte test.
“I have not really been to a track like here because we don’t have any that I can go to test at,” Allgaier said. “The majority of my testing comes on short tracks, and I think that was one of the plans why to come here.
“You can test short tracks all day long [but] this is what the core of the schedule is going to be if you do get to the Cup side, so how do we get more laps on a race track like this and obviously make myself better?”
In addition to Allgaier, there are two teams at the test today that aren’t running full time in Cup – Wood Brothers Racing with driver Bill Elliott and Braun Racing with Reed Sorenson.
There are 41 cars with 42 drivers participating in the test. David Gilliland and Kevin Conway are sharing the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports car.
Six teams that have run every race thus far in 2010 are not at the test today – Tommy Baldwin Racing (Mike Bliss), Nemco Motorsports (Joe Nemechek), Prism Motorsports (two cars – Michael McDowell/Michael Waltrip and Dave Blaney), Latitude 43 Motorsports (Boris Said/David Stremme) and Keyed-Up Motorsports (Casey Mears).
The test session is designed to give teams the opportunity to test the spoiler, which replaces the rear wing beginning this weekend at Martinsville.
“Obviously when I started at Penske Racing my goal was to reach the Cup level, so for me, this is a good way to come out and get some laps and see what these cars drive like,” said Allgaier, who is in his second year at Penske. “And hopefully we can help out the other guys. I think that’s the biggest thing [is] how do we benefit all three of our Cup teams and get me some experience at the same time? This is the easiest way to do it.”
