It’s crunch time for #51-Justin Allgaier. With only eight races left to qualify for this year’s NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup, the Central Illinois native is languishing in 29th place in the points standings and desperately needing a victory in one of the remaining outings to make the Chase field. There’s also another matter where time is running out and a speedy performance is of the essence. “My contract is up at the end of this year, so we’re still trying to figure all of the pieces out, still kind of working through all that,” said Allgaier. Allgaier’s Sprint Cup effort is sponsored by Brandt, a giant multi-national agribusiness concern headquartered in Springfield. Allgaier is hoping to see that arrangement continue beyond this season. “Obviously the ultimate goal would be to do what we’re doing again and I have a great relationship with Brandt,” he said. “I’ve been very fortunate to have them behind me, so I would hope we could keep putting something together. Their goal would be to have an entirely ag-based car. I know they haven’t given up on that dream and they’ve been actively seeking partners to come in and be a part of the program.” With Allgaier competing in the high-pressure, ultra-competitive world of multi-million dollar racing teams at NASCAR’s elite level, it’s vital that the pieces fall into place sooner than later.(Bloomington Pantagraph)(7-18-2015)
UPDATE: Harry Scott is close to re-signing Justin Allgaier. “Brandt has expressed an interest in coming back and doing what we’re doing,” said the team owner of HScott Motorsports. “And Justin wants to come back. So we’ll be able to put it back together.” While there has been talk of Scott moving his Cup operation to North Carolina, he says the game plan is to stay the course with a two-car team in Spartanburg, S.C. “My goal is to concentrate on doing our best with the two we have, getting them better and improving the program,” Scott added. “Unless something changes, our plan right now is to stay where we are. We like our shop. We love South Carolina, Spartanburg.”(Motorsport)(8-10-2015)
