Bristol: Winning team interview

JUSTIN ALLGAIER (No 12 Verizon Wireless Dodge Charger) Race Winner

WHAT A GREAT WIN FOR YOU TODAY?

"It feels really good. To come here and to know that we've been as good as we have been in the past and to have the drive that our guys have -- the last two weeks is great. I was nervous because we had two weeks off and we had some really good momentum going from Vegas. The guys put a lot of TLC in the car and everybody that's a part of bending the first piece of steel to the time that it rolls into the trailer is a big part of it. I couldn't be happier to get the Verizon Wireless Dodge in victory lane. It's even better when you can do it here at Bristol. This is one of my favorite race tracks of all time and to be able to come out of here with a win means a lot."

WHAT GAVE YOU THE SENSE THAT YOU WERE GOING TO WIN TODAY?

"The Verizon Dodge guys are awesome. I just have to thank everybody at Verizon Wireless. They came onboard with somebody from the Midwest that was trying to make it in this industry and I couldn't be happier to be here. I have to thank all our sponsors. We have the best sponsors in the world. We have Dodge behind us, Penske engine power and all the guys back in the shop. This is an unbelievable win. We want to thank the fans; this is why we do what we do. That battle with Brad at the end was awesome. I couldn't be happier to see two Penske cars running up there for the win."

WHAT DOES THIS FIRST VICTORY IN THE NATIONWIDE SERIES MEAN TO YOU?

"It feels pretty awesome. I have to admit that it's pretty unbelievable. Like I said before, it's all to these (Verizon) guys. They gave me great pit stops all day long. We had a great car in practice and I screwed up qualifying and didn't get the run that we really needed and had to start 30th. Chad (Walter, crew chief) told me that if I was there all day long and you push it really hard, you'll be in victory lane and we're here. I got to thank Verizon Wireless and Mobil 1, Snap On and Mazak and PPG all of our associate sponsors with the team. They're the ones that keep us running. This is unbelievable. I hope this is the first of many more to come this year."

ROGER PENSKE (Winning Car Owner -- Penske Racing)

YOUR THOUGHTS ON A GREAT DAY FOR PENSKE RACING?

"You couldn't ask for anything better than 1-2. I said to Brad with about five (laps) to go, 'Take care of ourselves here.' That's all that I could say. I didn't need to have the two of them in trouble and I think once they cleared the 18 (Kyle Busch) it was up to who had the best car and I think that Justin (Allgaier) was up on the wheel, you could see it on that restart. It was a thrill for us because last year, we got into this series; Justin joined us. He's learned a lot and is getting better and better. With Brad coming out, we have two guys that respect each other and really make the team get better. The commitment for the whole team -- I think that our engine department has really stepped up -- and obviously the chassis and Chad (Walter, crew chief) and Paul Wolfe (No. 22 crew chief)...when you think about it, you got Paul, Chad , Justin and Brad...we've got a real combination here. Certainly our Dodge folks stepped up. They're only sponsoring one team and to have them supporting us the way that they are is just amazing when you think about what's going on in the world.

"I think bringing the Verizon Dodge into the winner's Circle and having the Discount Tire Dodge in second and these guys running side by side is great. We led a lot of laps. We led the right laps. We were racing the top guys in the series with Kyle (Busch), (Kevin) Harvick and certainly Carl Edwards. I'm sure it was bittersweet for Brad to sit on the pole and end up second. We'll take first and second every day."

WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHT DURING THOSE LAST 10 LAPS WATCHING YOUR CARS RUN 1-2?

"I think the key was that I wanted to see both of them kind of work together for four or five (laps) to go and once they did that there was some distance. I said to Brad on the radio before that last restart, 'Just take care of yourself' and obviously Justin was doing the same thing. It's out of my hands. If he was nervous the first time that he sat down with me, I was nervous watching today. I guess we're even now (laughs)."

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO STAND AGAINST THE CHEVROLETS, FORDS AND TOYOTA'S WHEN YOU'RE THE ONLY DODGE TEAM?

"I think the way that the rules are now; NASCAR has tried to have a level playing field. I think the way that we have the tightness on templates, the cars are all pretty much the same. Obviously they have different grills and they look a little different because of the decaling, but I think we're basically the same aerodynamically. We've made a big step forward with Dodge helping us and certainly on the engine side, we think that we're at par...we never have enough power for these guys (Penske drivers), but Dodge has been terrific with us.

"They're doing everything they can to help us from an aerodynamic standpoint, engine development standpoint, supporting our drivers and it's great for the brand. I think we're in the best spot. I don't know if we need a lot other teams running Dodge's. We're going to try and do the job. On the other hand, with two cars in this series and Parker (Kligerman) running the third car and with three cars on the Cup side, we've got plenty of information that we can pass throughout the team. I don't feel that I'm at a disadvantage. I think that we're at an advantage quite honestly."

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT THAT YOU'VE SEEN IN JUSTIN?

"We hired Justin because we've seen how well he ran in ARCA, the commitment he had and the type of person he is. I think we want to have people that support the team. We have one team, not six teams. I think Justin fits that mold. I think the support that his family has given him, his up-bringing, he is the type of person that would develop within our team. He wanted to win more races last year. He had some tough times. I think now he's got someone to talk to and see what his car is doing. That has been a big help. I think the step today is what he needs--the confidence. You're always close, but if he hadn't won that race, you need that. I saw from the beginning watching him -- he came right up through the pack (today) from lap one. He jumped three or four cars right from the start and there was no question that he was the car to beat. I think he drove it hard, drove it clean. I think he has a great future with us."

DO YOU THINK THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT FOR PENSKE RACING WITH YOUR GUYS GOING 1-2 TODAY?

"Hopefully the fans and the media see the progress that we've made over the last 24 months. Last year, obviously with Kurt beating everyone but Hendricks's and that's a job in itself. We said that we needed to be competitive in the Nationwide Series and when you see the caliber of drivers today that were in this race that Justin and Brad beat, it's a pretty classy field. I take my hat off to Chad and Paul and the whole engineering group. Tom German jumped over to us from the IndyCar side. I think he's brought discipline in that we needed. Certainly, we've seen it on the Cup side. We have work to do. We went through two weeks of lots of noise with the accident in Atlanta. I hope that's behind us. Carl and Brad got together. It was a good conversation. The environment that NASCAR gave us this morning, where we could have an open dialogue and really talk about it was fair and clean. You saw them out there today; they were together ironically on a lot of these restarts. I think we're past that and close the book on it and worry about tomorrow."

YOU HAD TO BE PLEASED WITH THE WAY THEY RACED EACH OTHER CLEAN OVER THE FINAL 10 LAPS.

"I said to them; let's take care of ourselves here. We're in this for the season and the points, not just one race while some of these guys are in and out. We'd like to win the championship. I think it shows that we've made a good move with our cars. I think the support from Dodge on our motors, the chassis are better and the crew chiefs have done a terrific job. To see Justin get in the Winner's Circle is great."

CHAD WALTER (Crew Chief, No. 12 Verizon Dodge Charger)

"To say I'm proud of Jason is the understatement of the day. We've been close. Today, I think we've definitely turned the corner. I think we unleashed some confidence in that kid that's going to take him a long way and probably to the next level. We didn't have a very good qualifying effort and Bristol can be all about qualifying, but I told him 10 cars every hundred laps and we can be right where we want to be. He displayed great patience, caught a few breaks, missed a few wrecks and did what he had to do. I'm so proud of that kid right now."

MICHAEL NELSON (Vice-President of Operations -- Penske Racing)

"It was an awesome day for Penske Racing. We got the Verizon car in victory lane and the Discount Tire car ran really well and finished second. We had two of the best cars all day long. It was a great day for Dodge and everybody here. We're super excited; it's really awesome for Justin to get his first win."

WAS IT HARD TO GET HIM TO BE PATIENT STARTING BACK IN THE FIELD IN 30TH?

"We talked about it before the race. He knew he had a great car and could get back to the front. He just had to be patient. That what he did."

-source: dodge motorsports