Justin Allgaier leads the NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie-of-the-Year standings by two points over Brendan Gaughan and looks to add to that advantage in Saturday's Able Body Labor 200 at Phoenix International Raceway.
The Penske Racing driver considers PIR a favorite and is hoping to end the second-to-last race of the year on a positive note.
"I really like going out to Phoenix," Allgaier said. "In the spring, we started in the back due to an unfortunate qualifying incident. The backup car was really strong and I was able to drive all the way to the front, and got the finish we deserved (eighth place)."
The challenging one-mile desert oval may be tricky, but Allgaier enjoys racing there.
"It is a really fun track," he said. "Turns 1 and 2 are so different than turns 3 and 4. You carry a lot of speed going into (turns) 1 and 2 and have to really slow the car down through [turns] 3 and 4. As a driver, it is challenging because you have to really focus on each lap. It is one of those tracks I have really been looking forward to getting back to. As a team, we have made so much progress since the spring. I am looking forward to seeing if we can finish the season on a strong note."
Allgaier credits his entire team for the solid season he's had and for putting him in position to potentially be this year's top Nationwide Series rookie.
“(Crew chief) Chad Walter has done such an awesome job putting together this group of guys on the Verizon Wireless Dodge team," he said. "They are all so good at what they do. Getting to be a part of it is awesome. We have really made a lot of headway this season and I feel like we are building a program that will contend for the championship in 2010.”
So far in his rookie campaign, Allgaier has posted three top five and 12 top-10 finishes. Saturday will mark his third start at Phoenix.
