Texas II: Justin Allgaier preview

* This Week's Verizon Dodge ... Justin Allgaier will pilot Penske Racing chassis PRS-032 in Saturday afternoon's O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway. Built new for 2010, this Dodge Charger debuted at Texas Motor Speedway in April, where Allgaier started 18th and finished 11th. The 2009 Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year then raced it at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he started 11th and finished fourth, and at Atlanta Motor Speedway in September, where the Riverton, Ill.-native started 20th and finished 13th. Most recently, Allgaier raced this chassis to a seventh-place finish at Kansas Speedway in October.

* Get to the Points ... Allgaier ranks fourth in the NNS championship point standings heading into this weekend's event at TMS. He trails current point leader and Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski by 866 points, and third-place contender Kyle Busch by 161 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 eighth, by 645 points.

* Dash 4 Cash Leader ... Allgaier currently leads the point standings for the 2010 "Dash 4 Cash" bonus program by 32 markers over second-place contender Bayne. Heading into the fourth and final Dash race of 2010 at TMS this weekend, Allgaier is in position to claim the $75,000 bonus for NNS regulars. Should a non-eligible driver win the race, Allgaier could collect a $150,000 check from the series sponsor.

* 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.

* Meet the Driver ... Fans can meet Allgaier on Thursday, November 4 from 6 -- 7 p.m. CDT at the Verizon Wireless store located at 12550 South Freeway in Burleson, Texas.

Justin Allgaier on Texas Motor Speedway

"Texas is a fun place. It's a fast mile-and-a-half track that has a lot of bumps in Turns 1 and 2. It's got very different banking characteristics than Charlotte or Atlanta. It's a place where you race hard every lap. We've had some decent races there, but the fall race has always seemed to be a weak point for us. I'm not sure if it's the weather or if it's that we're pushing that much harder because we know we didn't run as well as we would have liked in the spring. I think many of the problems we've had have been out of our control, other than when I spun out by myself last fall. It seems like we've gotten all of our mistakes out of the way, and we should be all set to have a good showing this weekend at Texas."

Crew chief Chad Walter on Texas Motor Speedway

"Texas Motor Speedway has been a track that we've never quite gotten a handle on. Handling and track position are the keys to success. Track position is crucial. The cars carry a lot of speed, and there's usually two, if not three lanes by the time the race begins. Driver comfort is always the first priority, then trim in speed. It's a great area, it's a fan-friendly venue, and I think we'll put on a good show for everyone this weekend."

-source: penske racing