Justin Allgaier was growing comfortable and nearly content to be an ARCA Series lifer.

A shot at breaking into one of NASCAR's national touring series looked grim and after three seasons of winning ARCA races with his family-owned team, that opportunity looked down right impossible.

"I thought it was never going to happen, we didn't have the money to move forward," said Allgaier, a 22-year-old racer from Riverton, Ill. "And unless you have a check to bring a NASCAR team, there's no way you're getting a ride."

“

I thought [racing in NASCAR] was never going to happen, we didn't have the money to move forward. And unless you have a check to bring a NASCAR team, there's no way you're getting a ride.

”

-- JUSTIN ALLGAIER

The discouraged Allgaier was wrong. Penske Racing restored Allgaier's faith in the system, a system where a young driver toils in the trenches, pays his dues and eventually gets a shot to prove his worth when the team announced Sept. 18 Allgaier will join the organization and compete in Nationwide Series events later this season.

"We've had our eye on Justin for some time, and Penske Racing is fortunate to be in a position to bring him on board," said Tim Cindric, president of Penske Racing. "Roger [Penske] always enjoys the opportunity to grow people within our system and we are looking forward to helping him achieve his career goals."

Allgaier, ranked fifth in the 2008 ARCA point standings, will drive a limited Nationwide Series schedule in '08 and '09 as part of a development program outlined for Allgaier, who has raced against Penske drivers Sam Hornish Jr. and David Stremme in the past.

Car numbers, sponsors and which races have yet to be determined, Allgaier said.

"I'm just focused on getting down to North Carolina and developing chemistry with the crews and guys at the shop," he said.

From the Midwest, Allgaier said relocating him and his wife, Ashley, to the South will be a huge undertaking but it's one worth making.

"It's been crazy from the time we signed the contract to meeting all the guys at the shop. We are trying to find a place to live and I need to try and finish my season, I have three ARCA races left," said Allgaier, who has posted three wins, one pole, 11 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes in 18 races to date in the ARCA Series.

But handling the pace and hectic life of racing is nothing new for Allgaier, he's been behind the wheel of a car since age five.

It all started one week when his father, Mike, was away on business. His mother, Dorothy, took him to a Wednesday night Quarter Midget race to keep him entertained and because her girlfriend's young son was racing.

Of course, Allgaier wanted to race almost immediately.

"My dad called us to check in that night and I told him my plan," recalled Allgaier. "I was going a million miles an hour about the race. But my dad said 'no we are not going racing.' I said, 'but mom said I could' and he said, 'put your mother on the phone.'

"I got back on the phone with my dad and he told me that if we were actually going to go racing that we needed to do it the right way, I got my first Quarter Midget that Christmas."

Since that day, Allgaier and his father have been racing with the family team.

Allgaier went on to rack up five national Quarter Midget championships and more than 100 feature wins. At 14, Allgaier made history as the youngest driver in history to advance to the main event at the famed "Chili Bowl" midget race.

In addition to ARCA racing, Allgaier has also run eight Truck Series races (2005, 2006, 2008), represented the United States at the South Pacific Saloon Car Championship in New Zealand where he posted two top-five finishes, and he spends time on off-weekends running his dirt Late-Model machine and midgets throughout the Midwest.

He's ready to move forward with one of the most respected team owners in motorsports, Roger Penske.

"What a great opportunity," Allgaier said. "This happened when I least expected it."