CONCORD, North Carolina – Justin Allgaier’s hopes for his second top-10 finish of the season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) took a immediate halt after a crash on Lap 136 in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.
It’s been a frustrating couple weeks for Allgaier’s No. 51 HScott Motorsports team since scoring an eighth place finish at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in April.
Allgaier running 30th began rim-riding his No. 51 BRANDT Chevrolet SS against the outside wall as NASCAR’s longest race pressed on, but the former ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards champion ran out of room and collided with the wall.
Two laps later, Allgaier said over his team radio that a tire blew and he pounded the Turn 4 wall.
“It’s hurt,” Allgaier said to his team moments after the crash.
The Riverton, Illinois native brought his machine to pit road for repairs, but the team took his automobile behind the wall for additional repairs.
Since scoring his first career NSCS top-10 finish at Bristol, the likable driver finished a solid 18th a week later at Richmond. The past two weeks however, Allgaier has struggled to finish inside the top-20 at Talladega and Kansas. The team entered the 600-mile event Sunday optimistic after an eighth place effort last Friday night in the Sprint Showdown in a field of 28 drivers.
Allgaier entered Sunday’s race 28th in Sprint Cup Series points after a 30th place finish two weeks ago in the SpongeBob SquarePants 400 at Kansas Speedway.
The 29-year old finished 37th in his first Coca-Cola 600 last May.
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