Allgaier on top of learning curve in Nationwide Series

Justin Allgaier, the leader in the Nationwide Series rookie of the year race, knows where he is and where he wants to be.

"I'm much more like Kyle Busch; I kind of like to let it all hang out," Allgaier said. "My ultimate goal is to race like Mark Martin. He might not run up front the entire race, but he's always there at the end, and that's where I'm headed."

Allgaier's issue is his aggressive driving style.

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"It gets me in trouble sometimes," he said. "Earlier in my career, when I started racing ARCA, we either won the race, or they towed me back in with the wrecker. I've been trying to pull the reins back."

Give Allgaier credit. Although only 22 with a meager 14 Nationwide starts, Allgaier knows what aspects of his driving need to be addressed. His next test is Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway in the Carquest 300.

"It's easy to see he's got a lot of talent and a lot more than the rookie stripe gives you," said Chad Walter, his crew chief. "He adapts to tracks really well. His biggest problem is that he always wants to go fast, and sometimes you can't always manage that."

Allgaier, the 2008 ARCA champion, is ninth in the point standings. He has five top-10s in 10 races and is coming off a fifth-place run at Darlington.

THREE TO WATCH
Scott Lagasse Jr., No. 11: Lagasse, 28, trails Allgaier by eight points in the rookie race but is one spot ahead of him in the series standings by six points. Lagasse finished 13th last year in his only start at Lowe's.

Kyle Busch, No. 18: Busch swept the Lowe's races last year and has four wins and seven top-fives in 11 starts overall. His 112.6 Driver Rating is tops among drivers with at least five starts at Lowe's.

Jeff Burton, No. 29: Burton will become the 13th driver with 300 Nationwide starts. Three of his fourth-ranked 27 victories have come at Lowe's, where he has made 30 starts, more than at any other Nationwide track.

TRACK CHATTER
Jason Leffler: "We all consider Lowe's Motor Speedway to be our hometown track, and even though most of us are not from here, this is a place we have all made our home. Winning here in Charlotte would be a really big deal to me. The field is always stacked with a lot of Sprint Cup drivers, so you are racing against the best of the best when you race here."

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: "It's home ... there's a lot of pride in racing at this track. It's been around a long time, and there are a lot of good memories there. One of my best moments as a race car driver came right there at Lowe's Motor Speedway when we won the All-Star Race in 2000. It sure would be cool to win there in my own car. That'd be nice."