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Best Career Finish at Phoenix International Raceway for Allgaier
AVONDALE, Ariz. (March 3, 2013) – Justin Allgaier started his second race of the 2013 season on Saturday afternoon at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) in the Dollar General 200 fueled by AmeriGas. Allgaier qualified fifth on Saturday morning in his No. 31 BRANDT Chevrolet Camaro for Turner Scott Motorsports (TSM) at the 1-mile track. After a clean race, Allgaier brought the No. 31 BRANDT Chevy home in the third position, his best career finish at PIR. His previous best finish at PIR was eighth in 2011.
Rolling off fifth meant good track position all day for the No. 31 BRANDT Chevy Camaro. The car stayed in the top-10 for the entire race. It didn’t take long for Allgaier to realize what a great car crew chief Scott Zipadelli and the No. 31 BRANDT crew had prepared for him. “This is another great car out of the shop guys. I can’t thank you all enough,” said Allgaier. With the help of spotter Eddie D’Hondt, Allgaier worked through traffic throughout the day's long green flag runs.
Allgaier wasn’t afraid of using Sprint Cup Series drivers in the 200 lap race to his advantage. On lap 66, while in the fifth position, Allgaier came over the radio and said, “I’m just going to school right now.” He was referencing learning from Kyle Busch, who was running in the fourth position. On lap 156, the No. 31 BRANDT Chevy Camaro restarted in the eighth position after coming down pit road under caution for two tires and fuel. It was a stellar day on pit road for the No. 31 BRANDT pit crew, as they spent the least amount of time on pit road out of all the teams who made three pit stops. After a seventh-place finish at Daytona International Speedway and a third-place finish at PIR, Allgaier is currently tied for first in the NASCAR Nationwide Series point standings with Sam Hornish Jr.
“We had a great day overall at Phoenix [International Raceway],” said Allgaier. “We qualified fifth and brought the No. 31 BRANDT Chevy home in third, and I could not have asked for a better car. My crew guys and crew chief, Scott Zipadelli, worked so hard on getting the car set up for a hot and slick race track. It’s always nice to start out the season with great finishes in the first few races, and I’m looking forward to continuing the good results at Las Vegas [Motor Speedway].”
The No. 31 BRANDT Chevrolet Camaro team returns to the track on Saturday, March 9 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.