HScott Motorsports NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Preview
Justin Allgaier
No. 51 Auto-Owners Insurance Chevrolet
Bristol Motor Speedway
Food City 500 in Support of Steve Byrnes | April 19, 2015
Welcome Back Auto-Owners Insurance…Auto-Owners Insurance returns to Allgaier’s No. 51 Chevy this weekend for their second season, and first 2015 race, with HScott Motorsports. The Tennessee-based Griffin Insurance Agency will be on the No. 51’s TV panel to represent an independent Auto-Owners Insurance agency. Auto-Owners will also be on the No. 51 Chevy at Talladega II and Martinsville II. Several North Carolina independent Auto-Owners Insurance agents spent Tuesday at the HScott Motorsports shop in Spartanburg, S.C. for a private tour given by Justin Allgaier and lunch.
Short Trackin’ at Bristol…Allgaier has two starts in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) at Bristol Motor Speedway (BMS). The NSCS Spring race last year was Allgaier’s best of his 2014 rookie season to that point with a 17th-place finish. Allgaier’s success at the 0.533-mile short track goes back to his days in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. He won at the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile” track in just his third try at the track. Allgaier also has one pole award in the XFINITY Series at the track, won in Spring 2013.
See Justin…Allgaier will participate in BMS’s Food City Race Night at 6:45 p.m. EDT on Friday, April 17. Lil’ Gator, Allgaier’s nickname, will take on some of his fellow drivers and industry representatives in a Wii Boxing competition. Food City Race Night is a free event from 4:00 – 9:00 p.m. EDT at BMS with various events including driver appearances and Question & Answer sessions.
Texas Race Recap…After a weekend off, the NSCS returned to action last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Allgaier made it to the second round of qualifying and earned the 24th starting spot for the Duck Commander 500. Unfortunately, Allgaier blew a tire with less than 100 laps to go in the race on Saturday. The heavy right-side damage sent the No. 51 FLIPPING SHIPS Chevy to the garage. After looking at the car, crew chief Steve Addington determined the No. 51 FLIPPING SHIPS Chevy was not repairable, and Allgaier ended up finishing in the 39th position for HScott Motorsports.
Justin Allgaier on Bristol Motor Speedway:
“Bristol [Motor Speedway] is one of the tracks that we go to that has a little extra special meaning. I got my first XFINITY win there, and that’s something I’ll never forget. It’s such a challenging track, and I can really make a difference there as a driver. Every year that we go to Bristol, the track builds more character the more we race on it, and as it ages. I remember this race being a big confidence booster for me last year. This is a big weekend with Auto-Owners Insurance on the car. They are going to have several guests at the track, so it’s important to give them something to cheer about.”
Crew Chief Steve Addington on Bristol Motor Speedway:
“Justin excels at Bristol [Motor Speedway] and at short tracks in general. He had good runs at both Bristol races last year. We have a good notebook to work from, and we’ve gone over ideas of different things we want to try for this weekend. The weather we are expecting will probably be the most challenging part this weekend. Depending on how the forecasts change, we may have to change our run plans around a little bit. This is a big a weekend for the team and for Auto-Owners Insurance, and I expect it to go smoothly.”
About Competition Director and Crew Chief Steve Addington:
Spartanburg, S.C. native Steve Addington joined HScott Motorsports in January 2014 as competition director and crew chief for the No. 51 Auto-Owners Insurance Chevrolet SS. Steve comes to the team from Stewart-Haas Racing, where he spent two seasons as crew chief on the No. 14 team, earning four wins with Tony Stewart. Addington also served as a NSCS crew chief at Team Penske and Joe Gibbs Racing, racking up a total of 20 wins in the series. Addington began his career working on dirt cars and is a former XFINITY crew chief. Addington resides in China Grove, N.C. with his wife Katie and has three children.
No. 51 Auto-Owners Insurance Team Members:
Crew Chief: Steve AddingtonCar Chief: Pierre KeuttelEngineer: Dave Winston
Engineer: Jonathan BowenShock Specialist: Tim LambertTire Specialist: Kyle Louchart
Interior Specialist:Jamie EdwardsMechanic: Ronnie GriffinMechanic: Mark O’Donnell
Engine Tuner: Billy Fraser
Truck Driver: Mike ClemenstonTruck Driver: Damon Lopez
About HScott Motorsports: HScott Motorsports, which was established in 1989 as Phoenix Racing, is owned and operated by Harry Scott Jr. and competes in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with technical support from Hendrick Motorsports. The team competes full time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Justin Allgaier driving the No. 51 BRANDT Chevrolet and Michael Annett driving the Pilot Flying J Chevrolet. Scott also owns HScott Motorsports with Chip Ganassi, which fields the No. 42 Camaro in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, and is the co-owner of HScott Motorsports with Justin Marks, which fields five entries in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. His vision is to build a championship contender by developing talented young drivers, partnering with dedicated sponsors and competing hard every week. For more information, visit HScott Motorsports on the web at: www.hscottmotorsports.com.
Bristol motor speedway apri 19 2015..when they interviewed the drivers..who was driver before chris buescher?