Springfield, Ill., native Justin Allgaier is the classic racing success story.

  A racing prodigy, winning five quartermidget titles from 1993-1998 and at age 14 becoming the youngest driver ever to make it to the A-Main at the legendary Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, Okla., Allgaier rose through the ranks with the help of his parents, Mike and Dorothy, and his wife, Ashley, to race everything and everywhere he could. Whether it was a dirt late model at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo., or a POWRi Racing midget at Macon Speedway in Macon, Ill., or an ARCA stockcar at Gateway International Raceway, Allgaier and his family worked hard to find success.

  Like NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stars Jamie McMurray and Carl Edwards before him, Allgaier got his start in NASCAR with the help of St. Louis native Mike Mittler and his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team, MB Motorsports. He made eight starts with the Foristell, Mo.-based organization and began to catch the eye of many media members and team owners.

  In 2008, his hard work paid off. Allgaier become the only driver since 2000 not named Frank Kimmell to earn the ARCA RE/MAX series season title after a hard-fought championship battle with Roush Fenway Racing’s Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Red Bull’s Scott Speed. Both drivers had backing from top teams and top sponsors while Allgaier and his crew worked on a shoestring budget, winning six races along the way. The year also saw him make his NASCAR Nationwide Series, driving a Roger Penske-owned Dodge at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in October. He made a total of four NNS starts late in 2008, his best finish an 11^th-place effort at Phoenix International Raceway. During the offseason, Allgaier believed he would drive a limited schedule for Roger Penske, but in mid-January, it was announced that he would race for the series championship driving the #12 Dodge fulltime.

  "The biggest reason for that is Verizon Wireless came onboard and took over sponsorship on the #12 Dodge," he said. "They felt like to get what they wanted out of sponsoring a racecar, being onboard for the full season was definitely the route to go and I was the benefactor out of all that." The 22-year-old racer said he had to change his mindset in a hurry to prepare for the 2009 season, but it was a change he was fine with. "It’s going to be a lot different. When you’re setting yourself up for a 10- or 12-race schedule and you end up with the whole season, it definitely changes your mentality quite a bit." Now that he has sponsorship and is racing for Penske Championship Racing, Allgaier’s responsibility to the team is to focus on driving and make it to Victory Lane. It should take a huge weight off his shoulders.  Right? "It does, in one aspect," he said, "but at the same time, it’s very hard to relinquish the duties I’ve had before. It goes all the way down to the little things like helmets and stuff. They’ve got somebody that can take care of all that. It is a big difference for me and I hope that I’m handling it as well as possible."

  Since he is now racing the full NASCAR Nationwide Series this season, Allgaier is sure to be one of the favorites at Gateway International Raceway July 18 for the running of the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250. He has said publically on a number of occasions GIR is his favorite track and his most recent results here prove it, finishing fourth in the 2007 ARCA event at the 1.25-mile egg-shaped oval. He is eager to come back and be the first Nationwide Series driver to celebrate at the track’s new Victory Lane. "Gateway’s always held a spot in my heart," he said. "It was the one racetrack I always wanted to get an ARCA win at when they raced there. I’m looking forward to (the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250). Hopefully, we can put the Verizon Wireless Dodge in Victory Lane.  "That would be pretty cool."

   Allgaier, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, and the rest of the NASCAR Nationwide Series come to Gateway International Raceway July 18 for the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250. For information on this or one of the more than 200 annual events at GIR, call 866-35-SPEED or visit GatewayRaceway.com.