HScott Motorsports 2014 Review/ 2015 Preview: Justin Allgaier

For Justin Allgaier, 2014 was his first full-time season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Along with HScott Motorsports, the year was the team’s first attempt to contend for points in the Cup Series after running the end of 2013 following the purchase of Phoenix Racing.

Allgaier, who had competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for several seasons, had declared to compete in the Cup Series – making him eligible for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors. While competing in a rookie class that included that included seven drivers, Allgaier managed to keep himself among the top half of the group. By the end of the year, he went on to finish in third behind Kyle Larson and Austin Dillon.   

Throughout the year, Allgaier found some consistency capturing 10 top-20 finishes. Some of his best results came towards the final races of the year. He captured a 15th-place finish at Charlotte, 17th at Martinsville, a 20th-place finish at Texas and a 15th-place result at Homestead.
By the end of the season, Allgaier went on to finish 29th in the points standings. Both his average start and finish were 25.9. He did improve on his average starts and finishes from his four starts in 2013, where his best finish was a 24th-place effort at Talladega.

Although he did improve on some aspects, Allgaier found trouble along the way. With an inexperienced race team, he struggled with a mere 12 finishes on the lead lap. But working with veteran crew chief Steve Addington, the pair was able to guide HScott Motorsports to some consistency late in the season. During the Chase for the Sprint Cup race at Talladega, he failed to qualify into the race during a chaotic round of knockout qualifying. Throughout the year, he captured six DNFs.. 

2015 Preview:

Heading into 2015, Allgaier will be back with HScott Motorsports for his sophomore Cup Series season. After getting comfortable in the Cup Series and improving on his results from previous starts, Allgaier has room for growth in 2015, especially with the organization’s alliance with Hendrick Motorsports.

Although HScott Motorsports announced some new partnerships for its teams in the Xfinity Series and K&N Pro Series East, no significant changes have been made towards the No. 51 Cup Series team.

Christine Valdez