Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series Dollar General 300 Powered by Coca-Cola at Chicagoland Speedway on Sept. 17 in Joliet, Ill. - Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR

This was Keselowski’s 3rd series win of the 2011 season, his 15th series career win and his 1st series win at Chicagoland Speedway.

Following Keselowski and Edwards to the checkered flag were pole sitter Brian Scott finishing in third, Aric Almirola finishing fourth and Sam Hornish Jr., finishing in fifth.

Elliott Sadler (who now trails the series points leader Ricky Stenhouse , Jr., by 14 points) finished in the sixth position, while Jamie McMurray finished seventh, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. eighth, Paul Menard ninth and Reed Sorenson finished in the tenth position.

RACE NOTES:

Average Speed: 148.637 MPH
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 01 Mins, 06 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 8.568 Seconds
Lead Changes: 8 among 5 drivers
Cautions: 3 for 11 laps
Attendance: 36,000

Unofficial Top-Ten in the Point Standings: 1. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – 986 (Leader) 2. Elliott Sadler – 972 (-14 Points Behind The Leader) 3. Reed Sorenson – 939 (-47) 4. Aric Almirola – 922 (-64) 5. Justin Allgaier – 905 (-81) 6. Jason Leffler – 859 (-127) 7. Kenny Wallace – 813 (-173) 8. Steve Wallace – 791 (-195) 9. Brian Scott – 778 (-208) 10. Michael Annett – 772 (-214).

Next Up:  The teams will have next weekend off, and will return to action in the OneMain Financial 200 at Dover International Speedway on Saturday, October 1st, with ESPN2 beginning their pre-race coverage at 3:00 PM (EDT).

2011 NNS Dollar General 300 Race Results

(i) Ineligible for Points in this Series
# Denotes Rookie
PE Post-Entry (No Points Awarded)

Brian Scott - Photo Credit: Rainier Ehrhardt/Getty Images for NASCAR

Sharing the front row with Scott, and starting second with a qualifying lap speed of 176.626 mph, will be Brad Keselowski, followed by Paul Menard (175.999) starting third, Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Ryan Truex (175.873) fourth and Elliott Sadler (175.518) starting from fifth.

Rounding out the top-ten starting positions will be Aric Almirola (174.984) starting sixth, Sam Hornish Jr. (174.950) seventh, Joey Logano (174.933) eighth, Trevor Bayne (174.921) ninth and Carl Edwards (174.746) will start from tenth.

Failing to make the starting lineup were the #44 driven  by Angela Cope; #47 driven by Brian Keselowski; #13 driven by Jennifer Jo Cobb and the #42 driven by Tim Andrews.

Today’s Dollar General 300 powered by Coca-Cola is scheduled to get underway approximately around 3:50 PM (EDT) later this afternoon, and ESPN2 will begin their pre-race coverage at 3:00 PM (EDT).

2011 NNS Dollar General 300 Starting Lineup

(i) Ineligible for Points in this Series
# Denotes Rookie

No. 31 BRANDT Chevrolet Impala (Justin Allgaier) - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen / Getty Images for NASCAR

Defending Chicagoland Winner… Justin Allgaier is the defending NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) winner at Chicagoland Speedway. This past June he claimed victory by saving enough fuel and coasting to the finish line to earn his second-career NNS victory. Having never finished outside the top-10, he has earned one victory, one top-five and three top-10 finishes in just three career starts at the 1.5-mile oval. He has an average start of 11th with an average finish of seventh along with a 100% lap completion rate.

Home Again, Home Again… Allgaier, hails from Riverton, Ill., about 2.5-hours from Chicagoland Speedway. The 25-year-old, who got his start racing quarter-midgets throughout the Midwest, progressed through the ARCA Racing Series and made his NNS debut in 2008. Since then he has captured two wins, three poles, 17 top-five and 46 top-10 NNS finishes.

Allgaier Heads to Chicagoland Fifth in Points… Allgaier heads to Chicagoland in fifth-place in the NNS championship point standings after his ninth-place finish at Richmond International Raceway. He is 75 points behind leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr. All three championship-contending Turner Motorsports drivers are currently in the top-10, with Reed Sorenson in third and Jason Leffler in sixth-place.

This Week’s Impala… The No. 31 BRANDT Chevy team will hit the track with chassis TMS-121 this Saturday afternoon at Chicagoland Speedway for the Dollar General 300. This chassis claimed victory at Chicagoland earlier this spring. In five starts this season, this chassis has notched one win, two top-five and three top-10 finishes.

In the Loop… Thus far in 2011, Allgaier ranks among the top-10 in several of NASCAR’s Loop Data statistics: Quality Passes (3rd), Fastest on Restarts (6th), Laps in the Top-15 (6th), Average Running Position (8th), Percentage of Laps Run on the Lead Lap (8th), Fastest Speed in Traffic (9th), Fastest Early in the Run (10th) and Fastest Late in the Run (10th).

Turner Motorsports In the Hunt… In 27 Nationwide Series events in 2011, Turner Motorsports-prepared entries have notched three wins, 20 top-five and 53 top-10 finishes.

Dollar General 300 powered by Coca-Cola… Longtime Turner Motorsports partner, Dollar General, will serve as title sponsor of this weekend’s NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) event at Chicagoland Speedway. Dollar General will also serve as title sponsor of the October NNS event at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the Dollar General 300 Miles of Courage.

Reporting From the Car… Allgaier will be the broadcast in-race reporter this Saturday afternoon from Chicagoland Speedway. Race coverage begins at 3pm live on ESPN2.

Justin Allgaier - Photo Credit: John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCAR

“I’m so excited to head back to Chicagoland this weekend. We’re coming off two top-10 finishes and have the extra confidence going into the weekend as the defending winner. I have a feeling that we’ll unload really well, have a strong night and be in contention to find ourselves back in victory lane celebrating with Brandt and Dollar General. It would be great opportunity to grab another win for BRANDT especially since this is their home track, as well as my own.”

Follow the No. 31 team on Twitter! Twitter.com/No31TurnerNNS

Follow Justin Allgaier on Twitter! Twitter.com/J_Allgaier

Follow Turner Motorsports on Facebook! Facebook.com/TurnerMotorsports

- Turner Motorsports Press Release

Rexall welcomes back Kasey Kahne… Kasey Kahne will make his second start with primary sponsor Rexall this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. This will mark Kahne’s seventh start of the season for Turner Motorsports this season. Next up, Kahne will compete in two more races for the team at Dover International Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Familiar voice on the radio… The No. 30 Rexall crew is the same team Kahne works with when he jumps behind the wheel of Turner Motorsports’ No. 38 entry. Under Stewart Cooper’s guidance this season, Kahne has earned two top-five and three top-10 finishes, leading 43 laps along the way.

Dollar General 300 powered by Coca-Cola… Longtime Turner Motorsports partner, Dollar General, will serve as title sponsor of this weekend’s NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) event at Chicagoland Speedway. Dollar General will also serve as title sponsor of the October NNS event at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the Dollar General 300 Miles of Courage.

Chicagoland Speedway: by the numbers… In six NNS starts at Chicagoland Speedway, Kahne has one top-five and one top-10 finish.

Turner Motorsports: In the Hunt… In 27 Nationwide Series events in 2011, Turner Motorsports-prepared entries have notched three wins, 20 top-five and 53 top-10 finishes. All three of Turner Motorsports’ championship-contending drivers are inside the top-six in the driver point standings with Reed Sorenson in third, Justin Allgaier in fifth and Jason Leffler in sixth.

This week’s Impala… The No. 30 Rexall team will hit the track with chassis TMS-124 this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. This chassis has seen track action several times this season at Texas Motor Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Charlotte Motor Speedway and Michigan International Speedway.

Kasey Kahne on racing at Chicagoland Speedway

“I am looking forward to running in the Nationwide Series again this weekend. It’s fun to get a chance to run these races because we don’t worry about points, we are out for the win. I know we are close to getting to victory lane with these Turner Motorsports guys and hopefully we can do it this weekend in the No. 30 Rexall Chevy. Chicagoland is a great 1.5-mile track where you can run the bottom and middle groove. Recently, a lot of these Nationwide races have come down to fuel mileage and it wouldn’t be surprising to see it come down to that again this weekend.”

Follow the No. 30 team on Twitter! Twitter.com/No30TurnerNNS

Follow Turner Motorsports on Twitter! Twitter.com/TurnerMotorspts

Follow Turner Motorsports on Facebook! Facebook.com/TurnerMotorsports

- Turner Motorsports Press Release

No. 38 Great Clips Chevrolet Impala - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen / Getty Images for NASCAR

Leffler at Chicagoland Speedway, by the numbers… In his last three NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) starts at Chicagoland, Jason Leffler has proved impressive capturing three top-fives with an average finishing position of 4.6. In a total of eight NNS starts at the 1.5-mile track, Leffler has logged three top-five and four top-10 finishes.

Leffler’s In the Loop… According to NASCAR’s Loop Data Statistics, Leffler is ranked in the top-five in a number of categories at Chicagoland including Closers (1st), Green-Flag Passes (1st), Fastest Lap Run (5th), and Laps in the Top-15 (5th).

This week’s Impala…. This weekend at Chicagoland Speedway the No. 38 Great Clips team will unload chassis TMS-127. This is the team’s “go-to” chassis as it has more seen more track time than any other car in rotation. Leffler has driven TMS-127 at Kentucky Speedway (13th), Michigan Int’l Speedway (10th), Dover Int’l Speedway (11th), Charlotte Motor Speedway (21st) and Darlington Raceway (9th) and Atlanta Motor Speedway (9th).

Turner Motorsports: In the hunt… In 27 Nationwide Series events in 2011, Turner Motorsports-prepared entries have notched three wins, 20 top-five and 53 top-10 finishes. All three of Turner Motorsports’ championship-contending drivers are inside the top-six in the driver point standings with Reed Sorenson in third, Justin Allgaier in fifth and Leffler in sixth.

Dollar General 300 powered by Coca-Cola… Longtime Turner Motorsports partner, Dollar General, will serve as title sponsor of this weekend’s NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) event at Chicagoland Speedway. Dollar General will also serve as title sponsor of the October NNS event at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the Dollar General 300 Miles of Courage.

Happy 10-Year Anniversary, Great Clips… This season marks Great Clips’ 10-year anniversary as a primary sponsor in the NNS. The Minneapolis-based Great Clips, Inc., which is currently the longest-running primary sponsor in the series, came onto the scene in 2001 as a primary sponsor of Akins Motorsports No. 38 entry, then driven by Christian Elder.

Leffler on SIRIUS’ Morning Drive every Wednesday… Don’t forget to tune in to SIRIUS Radio’s “Morning Drive” with Mike Bagley and Pete Pistone every Wednesday at 10:30am to hear Leffler’s take on recent events in the Nationwide Series and what you can expect from the week’s upcoming race.

Follow the No. 38 team on Twitter! Twitter.com/No38TurnerNNS

Follow Jason Leffler on Twitter! Twitter.com/JasonLeffler

Follow Turner Motorsports on Facebook! Facebook.com/TurnerMotorsports

Jason Leffler - Photo Credit: John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCAR

“Chicagoland is a fast track with multiple grooves so it’s pretty easy to pass. You can run the high groove or the bottom groove and move around as much or as little as you need to based on how the car is handling. Generally, you don’t see a lot of cautions during this race so it often comes down to fuel mileage and pit strategy in the end. This Great Clips team has grown stronger and stronger at these 1.5-mile tracks and we have come away with top-five finishes in the last three races here, so I feel pretty sure that we can go in this weekend and be a top contender for the win on Saturday night in the Dollar General 300.”

- Turner Motorsports Press Release

No. 32 Dollar General Chevrolet Impala - Photo Credit: Chris Graythen / Getty Images for NASCAR

Trying to Pick Up Steam with Seven To Go - Reed Sorenson and his Dollar General team made gains with their eighth-place finish at Richmond International Raceway last weekend, even if it didn’t necessarily reflect as much in the point standings. On the season, Sorenson has one win, seven top-five and 16 top-10 finishes along with 85 laps led. While the Dollar General team still has an uphill climb to erase a now 45-point deficit, there are still seven races remaining in the 2011 season where anything can happen.

Dollar General 300 - Longtime Turner Motorsports partner Dollar General will serve as the title sponsor for this weekend’s 200 lap event at Chicagoland Speedway. This is the fourth year Dollar General has sponsored the event.

Sorenson at Chicagoland - Sorenson is making his sixth career NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) start at the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway. In his five previous starts, Sorenson has accrued four top-10 finishes and 30 laps led with an average start of 16.4 coupled with an average finish of 9.4. Sorenson has also completed 100 percent of the laps he’s attempted. In the spring Chicagoland race, Sorenson scored a sixth-place finish after starting seventh.

Reading with Reed at Chicagoland – Wanting to contribute to one of his sponsor’s key initiatives, Sorenson will again head out to the Kids Club Zone at Chicagoland Speedway at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, September 16 to read to a group of children who belong to the Kids Club. Dollar General’s commitment to literacy is a very important aspect of the company’s culture. Co-founder, J. L. Turner, was functionally illiterate when he started the company.

Fans Can Win Big with Dollar General - Dollar General, an Official Partner of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™ is offering customers the chance to win more than 9,000 prizes including free gas for a year, a trip for two to Las Vegas for NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion’s Week™ and $250,000. The “Race in to Win” sweepstakes officially launched Aug. 28 and runs through November 12, 2011. When customers purchase qualifying items from DG, they are given a code on their receipt to enter online at dollargeneral.com. It is the first-ever national retail program around the Chase, NASCAR’s version of the playoffs.

This Week’s Impala – This weekend, Sorenson will pilot TMS-309 in the Dollar General 300 at Chicagoland Speedway. This car last saw track time at the second Nashville race in July where Sorenson finished eighth after starting 11th.

Reed Sorenson - Photo Credit: John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCAR

“This weekend’s race is a pretty big deal for my team and sponsor. It would mean so much to be able to get them to victory lane at Chicagoland, especially being the title sponsor of the race. We still understand that we have an uphill climb as we try to regain the points we lost in the standings, but all we can do is continue to put ourselves in a position for solid finishes and capitalize on the mistakes of our competitors. We had a good race here earlier in the season and I think we can definitely apply what we learned then to our second start this weekend. Dollar General has been such a great sponsor for us at Turner Motorsports and it’d be great to be able to thank them with a win this weekend.”

Follow the No. 32 team on Twitter! @No32TurnerNNS

Follow Dollar General on Twitter! @DollarGeneral

Follow Turner Motorsports on Facebook! Facebook.com/TurnerMotorsports

- Turner Motorsports Press Release

2011 GEICO 400 at Chicagoland Speedway
Thursday, September 15th

11:00 AM            NCWTS HAULERS ENTER
12:30 PM            NCWTS REGISTRATION OPENS
1:00 PM             NCWTS GARAGE OPENS
4:00 PM             NNS HAULERS ENTER
4:00 PM 7:00 PM     Truck Challenge
5:00 PM             NCWTS REGISTRATION CLOSES
6:00 PM             NCWTS GARAGE CLOSES
7:00 PM             NSCS HAULERS ENTER

Friday, September 16th

6:00 AM             NNS GARAGE & REGISTRATION OPENS
7:00 AM             TRACK SERVICES MEETING
7:30 AM             NSCS REGISTRATION OPENS
7:30 AM             NCWTS GARAGE & REGISTRATION OPENS
8:00 AM             NSCS GARAGE OPENS
8:00 AM             NCWTS ROOKIE & SPOTTER MEETINGS &
                    RANDOM DRAWING
9:00 AM 10:00 AM    NCWTS PRACTICE
10:30 AM 11:30 AM   NCWTS FINAL PRACTICE
10:40 AM            NNS ROOKIE & SPOTTER MEETINGS & RANDOM DRAWING
11:40 AM 12:50 PM   NNS PRACTICE
12:00 PM            NSCS ROOKIE & SPOTTER MEETINGS & RANDOM DRAWING
12:30 PM            NSCS ** HOT PASS IN EFFECT **
1:00 PM 2:30 PM     NSCS PRACTICE
2:40 PM (3:40 PM)   NCWTS QUALIFYING (TWO LAPS, ALL POSITIONS)
3:30 PM 4:45 PM     NNS FINAL PRACTICE
4:30 PM             NSCS ** HOT PASS IN EFFECT **
4:50 PM             NCWTS DRIVER/CREW CHIEF MEETING (TENT)
5:00 PM 6:25 PM     NSCS FINAL PRACTICE
5:00 PM             NNS REGISTRATION CLOSES
5:30 PM             NSCS REGISTRATION CLOSES
6:35 PM             NCWTS DRIVER INTRODUCTION-SECURITY –CLEAR PIT ROAD
7:00 PM             NNS GARAGE CLOSES
7:00 PM (8:00 PM)   NCWTS RACE (150 LAPS, 225 MILES)
7:30 PM             NCWTS REGISTRATION CLOSES
8:00 PM             NSCS GARAGE CLOSES

Saturday, September 17th

8:00 AM             NNS GARAGE & REGISTRATION OPENS
9:00 AM             NSCS GARAGE & REGISTRATION OPENS
9:40 AM             TRACK SERVICES MEETING
11:05 AM (12:05 PM) NNS QUALIFYING (TWO LAPS, ALL POSITIONS)
12:00 PM 1:00 PM    NNS Minor’s Admitted in NASCAR Garage Area*
12:10 PM 12:40 PM   TV EXHIBITION RUN
12:10 PM            NSCS ** HOT PASS IN EFFECT **
12:15 PM            NNS DRIVER/CREW CHIEF MEETING (TENT)
12:30 PM            TRACK SERVICES MEETING-PIT ROAD
12:40 PM (1:40 PM)  NSCS QUALIFYING (TWO LAPS, ALL POSITIONS)
2:00 PM             NNS DRIVER INTRODUCTION-SECURITY –CLEAR PIT ROAD
2:30 PM (3:30 PM)   NNS RACE (200 LAPS, 300 MILES)
3:00 PM             NSCS REGISTRATION CLOSES
3:00 PM             NNS REGISTRATION CLOSES
4:00 PM             NSCS GARAGE CLOSES

Sunday, September 18th

7:00 AM             NSCS GARAGE & REGISTRATION OPENS
7:00 AM 11:30 AM    NSCS Minor’s Admitted in NASCAR Garage Area*
8:40 AM 9:40 AM     NASCAR Pace Car Rides
10:00 AM            TRACK SERVICES MEETING
11:00 AM            NSCS DRIVER/CREW CHIEFS MEETING (TENT)
12:00 PM            NSCS ** HOT PASS IN EFFECT ** UNTIL ONE HOUR AFTER RACE
12:30 PM            NSCS DRIVERS INTRODUCTION-SECURITY –CLEAR PIT ROAD
1:00 PM (2:00 PM)   NSCS RACE (267 LAPS, 400.5 MILES)
1:30 PM             NSCS REGISTRATION CLOSES
*With Proper Credentials
        (EASTERN)

ALL TIMES ARE LISTED IN LOCAL / CENTRAL TIME ZONE
TENTATIVE, SUBJECT TO CHANGE

No. 12 Verizon Wireless Dodge Charger

This Week’s Verizon Dodge … Justin Allgaier will pilot Penske Racing chassis PRS-017 in Saturday night’s Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 at Gateway International Raceway. This is the same Dodge Charger that Allgaier used to record his first career Nationwide Series pole at Memphis Motorsports Park in October, 2009. It most recently raced at Richmond International Raceway in April, where the 2009 Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year started ninth and finished 15th.

Welcome Home, Justin … Allgaier, a native of Riverton, Ill., grew up just over 100 miles northeast of Gateway International Raceway. He began his career racing quarter midgets in his home state at the age of five. Since then, he has claimed two poles, one win, eight top-five and 22 top-10 finishes in 57 Nationwide Series starts; two poles, eight wins, 31 top fives and 45 top 10s and the 2008 championship in 86 ARCA Series starts; and two top-25 finishes in eight Camping World Truck Series races.

Mid-Year Report … At the midpoint of the 2010 season, Allgaier has accumulated one pole, one win, five top-five and 10 top-10 finishes, an average starting position of 11.9 and an average finish of 10.9. Allgaier has led 131 laps of competition and has completed 99.4 percent of the laps contested (3,283 of 3,304) over the first 17 races.
Get to the Points … Allgaier is currently ranked fourth in the championship point standings, 454 markers behind leader and Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski, and 29 points behind third-place contender Kyle Busch.

Best in Class … Allgaier’s fourth-place position in the point standings is best among full-time, Nationwide Series-only drivers. Allgaier leads fellow Nationwide-only driver Steve Wallace, currently ranked eighth, by 408 points.

Allgaier at Gateway … In his only previous NASCAR Nationwide Series start at Gateway International Raceway in July of 2009, Allgaier recorded an 11th-place finish.

Are You Experienced? … In addition to his one previous Nationwide Series start at the 1.25-mile venue, Allgaier has competed in four ARCA Series races at Gateway, posting his track-best finish of fourth in August of 2007.

Start Your Engines … Allgaier will join the race fans in attendance at Gateway International Raceway on Saturday night in giving the field the command to start their engines.

Last Time Out … Allgaier had a strong showing in last Friday night’s Dollar General 300 powered by Coca-Cola at Chicagoland Speedway, overcoming an untimely caution and late-race skirmish to record a 10th-place finish.
Penske Racing in 2010 … With 18 races completed in the 2010 season, Penske Racing’s two NASCAR Nationwide Series entries have recorded five poles, four wins, a combined 19 top-five and 26 top-10 finishes. Penske Dodges have completed 6,586 of 6,608 laps contested, and have been atop the leaderboard for 760 laps with drivers Allgaier and Keselowski.

Meet the Press… Allgaier will be available at Tri-City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Ill. to field questions from the gathered media on Thursday, July 15 at noon CDT.

Meet the Driver … Fans can meet Allgaier on Friday, July 16 from 3:15 – 4:45 p.m. when he participates in the NASCAR Nationwide Series group autograph session on pit road at Gateway International Raceway. The following day, he will sign autographs for fans at the Penske Racing souvenir trailer, located in the midway at Gateway International Raceway, from 12:45 – 2:00 p.m. Immediately following the autograph session, he will head to the Dodge display, also located in the midway, to participate in a question and answer session from 2:05 to 2:25 p.m.

Happy Birthday, Josh … Jack man Josh Pech will celebrate his 23rd birthday on Wednesday, July 14.

Riverton, Illinois., native Justin Allgaier waves to the fans prior to the 2009 Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Gateway International Raceway. Photo by Bill Barrett.)