Harry Scott, Jr. has come to a definitive agreement with James Finch to purchase Phoenix Racing. Scott will formally take over control of the team as its owner on September 10, 2013 with Justin Allgaier behind the wheel of the #51 Chevy in time for the GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. ‘This is a very proud day for me as I will have the opportunity to compete against the best teams in motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as the owner of Phoenix Racing’ said Scott. ‘I am going to build a championship contender with hard work, the right people and the right partners. This team has a great foundation thanks to the efforts of James Finch. There is a lot to build upon and I am looking forward to getting started.” Scotts role as a co-owner in Turner Scott Motorsports (TSM) is unchanged and he will continue to take an active role in that team on and off the track. ‘I owe a lot of gratitude to Steve Turner for bringing me into the sport as an owner. My experience at TSM will continue to serve me well in this next step’ said Scott. Driver Justin Allgaier is making the move with Scott from TSM to Phoenix Racing and will be the teams driver in the #51 Chevy for its debut at Chicagoland Speedway on September 15 and two additional races this year. Allgaier, who is currently 5th in points in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS), will continue his pursuit of a championship in that series for TSM. Scott has signed a deal with BRANDT to be the primary sponsor of the #51 for three NSCS races this season. BRANDT, which also sponsors Allgaier in the NNS for Turner Scott Motorsports, will be the primary sponsor of the #51 at Chicagoland, Charlotte Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. Allgaier will be the driver for each of those races. Scott has committed to keeping the Phoenix Racing team intact for the remainder of the season. Allgaiers crew chief will be Nick Harrison. Harrison is a third year crew chief and has worked with several drivers including Kurt Busch, Landon Cassill and A.J. Allmendinger. Phoenix Racings general manager, Steve Barkdoll, will continue in his role after Scott takes over. The team will continue its relationships and alliances with Chevy, Hendrick Motorsports and Earnhardt Ganassi Racing. Scott is working with NASCAR for final approval.(Tuckahoe Strategies)(8-28-2013) UPDATE: Justin Allgaier, currently fifth in NASCAR Nationwide Series standings, will “¦ drive the #51 at [Chicago], Charlotte and Talladega. Scott said he has a driver in mind for the other seven races remaining in the 2013, adding the team would make another announcement on that front in the coming weeks. Phoenix Racing will remain a single entity and not be merged with Turner Scott, which Scott owns along with Steve Turner, and fields cars on three other NASCAR circuits. Scott believes all thats keeping the #51 car from being more consistently competitive is sponsorship “ and he says the team now has enough to finish out the 2013 season, as well as some already in place for the next two years. ‘In my opinion, theyve been on the cusp. Theyve been competitive at times, so theyve shown the ability to be competitive. Really what theyve lacked is sponsorship, and weve got some. Weve been fortunate to team up with some good partners, and that, I think, is going to give us what those guys have needed as far as a little more resources to kind of get them over the hump, to kind of take them to the next level’ Scott said. ‘That gives us the ability to plan and invest and know that weve got these two years to kind of prove ourselves and attract even more sponsorship. And potentially in 16, maybe well have two cars. Its going to give us what we need in order to succeed, in order to be confident youre making a good investment. We will have time to pay our dues.” The only sponsor announced thus far for the #51 car is Brandt, the agricultural products company that backs Allgaiers Nationwide car, which will appear on the vehicle for the three Sprint Cup events for which hes behind the wheel. Scott said the rest would be filled out by a variety of backers, although one company will serve as the teams primary sponsorship source, and there is inventory remaining on the vehicle going forward.( NASCAR.com )
