CONCORD, N.C. — Justin Allgaier will return to the cockpit of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet this weekend at North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Speedway.
The reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion will be Kyle Larson’s fill-in driver for practice and qualifying for the NASCAR All-Star Race at the five-eighths-mile race track.
Allgaier subbed for Larson during last year’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway and finished 13th in the rain-shortened race, which Larson missed because of his participation in the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Larson will miss practice and qualifying for the All-Star race while attempting to qualify for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500.
Allgaier will be the reserve driver for the All-Star Race and the following week’s Coca-Cola 600.
“We’re fortunate to have Justin and we appreciate him stepping in to help,” said Cliff Daniels, crew chief for the No. 5 team. “He and Kyle are very similar in size, so there’s a lot in the cockpit that’s common between the two.”
Allgaier also serves as a driver for Chevrolet in the wheel-force program, used to gather data during test sessions.
“I think that serves him well and it serves us well,” Daniels continued. “He’s had some time in the simulator driving the track and he did the wheel-force test there a year ago, so he’s got some experience in the Cup car at North Wilkesboro. We’re looking to put in a solid practice and make sure the car drives good.”
“At the end of the day, I just want to make sure Justin is comfortable in what he feels and he, of course, trusts the feedback he’s going to give us. If there’s something he can provide to us to make the car faster, we’re going to listen. We’re going to do those little things and then we’re going to kind of stick to a little bit of what we think the track is going to evolve through, throughout the weekend.”
