NSCS No. 51 Martinsville Speedway II Race Preview

Martinsville Madness…Martinsville Speedway marks the second-to-last short-track race of the 2015 season. Justin Allgaier has made three starts at the 0.526-mile concrete paperclip. He has a best finish of 17th, and led four laps at Martinsville in last year’s fall race. In this year’s spring race at Martinsville, Allgaier was running in the top 10, but unfortunately he got caught up in an accident later in the race and had to go to the garage for repairs.

Final Weekend for Auto-Owners Insurance…Martinsville is the final primary race of the season for Auto-Owners Insurance. They were the primary on the No. 51 machine earlier this season at Bristol Motor Speedway in the spring, and last weekend’s race at Talladega Superspeedway. Allgaier’s best career Sprint Cup Series finish of eighth came while driving the No. 51 AOI Chevy at Bristol in April. The Danville, Va.-based Moore Insurance Agency will be on the No. 51’s TV panel to represent an independent Auto-Owners Insurance agency.

Talladega II Race Recap…Talladega Superspeedway last weekend was the final restrictor-plate race of the season. The weekend was full of highs and lows for Allgaier and the Auto-Owners Insurance team. After running the third-quickest lap in last Friday’s practice, Saturday and Sunday brought unexpected obstacles for the No. 51 team, culminating with an expired engine that relegated Allgaier to a 42nd-place finish in the Auto-Owners Insurance Chevrolet.

Justin Allgaier on Martinsville Speedway:
“Martinsville [Speedway] is my favorite track right behind Bristol [Motor Speedway]. I’ve always been a fan of the short tracks and Martinsville fits the bill. It’s definitely a driver’s track and it’s so physically challenging for us. You have to hit your marks so perfectly at Martinsville because one small mistake means you get stuck on the outside. Once you are in the upper groove, it’s so difficult to get back to the inside groove. The other challenging thing about Martinsville is passing cars. You can be faster than the car in front of you and be right on their bumper, but you have to wait for the right opportunity to make the pass. I’m excited to get back in the Auto-Owners Insurance Chevy this weekend. This is their last primary race of the season and I want to get them a good finish.”

Crew Chief Steve Addington on Martinsville Speedway:
“I’m ready to get to Martinsville [Speedway] this weekend. Short tracks are some of Justin’s best tracks. He’s just kind of taken to them in the Sprint Cup Series. A good starting spot is crucial at Martinsville because it is such a short track. It doesn’t take long for the leader to start lapping the field if we get a long green-flag run. It’s the last race for the Auto-Owners Insurance group, and we want to get them a solid finish this weekend.”

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 NXS 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 KuettelEngineer: Dave Winston
Engineer: Jonathan BowenShock Specialist: Tim LambertTire Specialist: Kyle Louchart
Interior Specialist: Trey TomainoMechanic: Ronnie GriffinMechanic: Mark O’Donnell
Engine Tuner: Billy Fraser
Truck Driver: Damon LopezTruck Driver: Steve Lawson

NSCS Career Statistics
Races
Wins
Poles
Top-Fives
Top-10s
Laps Led
71
0
0
0
1
17

NNS Career Statistics
Races
Wins
Poles
Top-Fives
Top-10s
Laps Led
174
3
4
29
84
617

NCWTS Career Statistics
Races
WinsPolesTop-FivesTop-10sLaps Led
800000

ARCA Career Statistics
RacesWinsPolesTop-FivesTop-10sLaps Led
86823145755

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.