September 24th, 2010 
Journo Penske Racing is an organization on the move. As they transitioned this season into their role as the sole Dodge team in NASCAR, Penske has found success and wins. Despite their move up in the world, they are in familiar territory for race teams these days – light on sponsorship and heavy on drivers.
Sirius Speedway reported last week that Verizon Wireless was out as sponsor on Penske’s NASCAR programs and would likely transition strictly to the IndyCar Series – obviously the company is running into exclusivity issues with Cup Series title sponsor Sprint. On top of Verizon, the company is searching for a replacement to Mobil 1, which is leaving Penske at the end of the year because of a conflict with new sponsor Shell. While this leaves Sam Hornish Jr. in a bad spot, it’s Justin Allgaier who’s the real loser.
Allgaier burst onto the scene in 2008 after winning the ARCA championship for his family owned team. If you’ll remember, that was the season Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Scott Speed each ended the others shot at the Championship in the final race.
Allgaier joined Penske in the Nationwide Series full time last season. And by all accounts it’s been a good deal for ‘The Captain’ and his team. Allgaier has shown consistently why he is one of NASCAR’s future stars.
In 2008 he had three top-five finishes, 12 top-10 finishes, averaged a 16.5 and ended the season sixth in points. This season he’s been improved, scoring his first win, and raking up six top-fives and 14 top-tens. He’s fourth in the points – the highest running Nationwide only driver, and one of only five in the top-10.
With eight races to go in the season, Allgaier probably won’t win the championship, but he is well positioned for more solid finishes – maybe even another win.
Despite all that, Allgaier’s future is uncertain. If Verizon does indeed move on, and Penske doesn’t find another sponsor to fill the void, he could be out of a ride. Or if FoxSports has the story, he could lose his ride to none other than Penske teammate Sam Hornish Jr.
According to Sirius Speedway:
That doesn’t sound to me like a team committed to keeping Allgaier in a ride. It’s frankly hard to comprehend a driver like Allgaier being in this position at all. He’s done absolutely everything he could do in the car – he’s run well, he’s won, and he hasn’t torn up much equipment. And he has great future potential.
We’ll see what happens over at Penske in the coming weeks and months, but I feel bad for this kid. He deserves to have a top-notch ride with a team that is fully committed to him (from the sound of it Penske is not). The good news is, if Penske does let him go, I have a feeling he’d land on his feet. Penske’s loss could be someone else’s gain.
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I agree! This is not sounding too good for Justin. Wonder if him and Sam could flip rides with Justin moving up to cup and Sam taking the NW car. I would think that with the success that Justin has had in NW that it might be easier to find him a sponsor in cup than it would be for Sam. Nothing against Sam but the results just haven’t been there.
Also where does Parker Kligerman fit into the Penske development? Thought that he was the next one in line after Justin– and then there is supposedly Dakota Armstrong waiting behind Parker.
Wait a minute, you “feel bad” because the driver’s talent is not taken into consideration when fielding a Nationwide or Sprint Cup car? When does one’s talent as a driver ever supersede one’s talent to attract sponsorship? And, yes, I do feel bad for Mr. Allgaier, but, there are many with talent that are overlooked or replaced because it is not the kind of “right” talent that produce the dollars. Dollars certainly trump finishes.
Stanley: I’m not sure we can say that Allgaier isn’t the “right” talent. He’s a good driver, extremely personable, and he doesn’t have a snaggle tooth. I think the issue we are seeing with Allgaier is the same issue other teams are running into with guys like Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart. And that is the sponsorships are becoming harder and harder to find and keep. Companies just aren’t lining up to throw dollars at these teams anymore. Hopefully Penske is able to put something together, because at the end of the day Allgaier really is the total package.
I have watched this young man race during this season and felt sure he would not have to worry about a ride. He has done such a great job! The Nationwide series is meant for just this kind of driver. It will lose its credibility if it continues to be dominated by just Sprint Cup folks.
You know in the end Justin will be just fine. He has a strong faith in God and he knows that when one door closes another one opens up. Justin is the real deal. He’s a good driver and doesn’t tear up equipment, the fans love him and he loves his fans. I’ve know Justin for about 10 years and he’s the same guy as the one I watched racing all over Central Illinois back then. Success has not went to his head. He will land on his feet whether it be at Penske with a new sponsor or with another team. I wish Justin nothing but the best in his future!
I thought Justin and Verizon were a nice fit, both on and off the track. The Verizon TV ads featuring Justin were both entertaining and effective.
But as I understand it, Verizon has decided to trim down their sports marketing program. Not only will Penske’s NNS team be cut next year, but the popular and long-running PGA Tour tournament at Hilton Head is also losing Verizon sponsorship.
In my humble opinion, Justin is the real deal. But he’s hitting the unemployment line at a very bad time. I just hope he does not settle for some “start-and-park” team just to stay in the game.
Come on…Hornish will NEVER be successfull in NASCAR. Put him in an Indy car and continue to let a young driver learn in the Nationwide Series. There is WAY more upside to Justin, than an older Hornish who has done nothing but run in the back in the Sprint Cup Series.
JGR likes young talent – would be nice to see him and/or Bayne in their lineup.
Everyone is blaming the #48 for decreased ratings. What about the lack of driver development by the other 42 teams? Don’t blame Jimmie Johnson. Blame the other 42 teams that don’t know talent when it lands in their lap. They expect a driver to walk through the door with a $20m sponsor. All the driver should be doing is driving the car. Hornish? Gimme a break.