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By Lydia Mee
Sports Contributing Writer
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Hendrick Motorsports has confirmed that Justin Allgaier will step in for Kyle Larson in the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet during practice and qualifying for the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
Allgaier, who usually pilots the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet, will also be ready to replace Larson in the All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600 if Larson's current IndyCar commitments prevent him from making it to the race.
Larson is attempting to compete in the Indy500 and the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. This weekend, the 32-year-old driver is taking part in testing and qualifying for the Indy500, meaning he will miss practice and qualifying for the All-Star Race.
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Cliff Daniels, crew chief for Larson's No. 5 team, said, via a press release from Hendrick Motorsports:
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"We're fortunate to have Justin and we appreciate him stepping in to help. He and Kyle are very similar in size, so there's a lot in the cockpit that's common between the two.
"I think that serves him well and it serves us well. He's had some time in the simulator driving the track and he did the wheel-force test there a year ago, so he's got some experience in the Cup car at North Wilkesboro. We're looking to put in a solid practice and make sure the car drives good."
Daniels also spoke about the track evolution at North Wilkesboro, adding:
"I think no matter what there's going to be a general progression of balance from Friday through Sunday. The track is going to take more rubber. Friday, the groove is going to be a bit more narrow and Sunday I think it's going to open up a bit. So, there's still some changes regardless of Justin or Kyle that we would plan to progress through throughout the weekend.
"At the end of the day, I just want to make sure Justin is comfortable in what he feels and he, of course, trusts the feedback he's going to give us. If there's something he can provide to us to make the car faster, we're going to listen. We're going to do those little things and then we're going to kind of stick to a little bit of what we think the track is going to evolve through, throughout the weekend."
Speaking about his attempt to take on both iconic races, Larson explained, as quoted by NBC Sports:
"I hope it's not the last.
"I hope this year is not the last time we ever see anybody do it because I think it's huge for motorsports. It's huge for IndyCar, probably even bigger for NASCAR. Hopefully the schedules will work out in the future and maybe the rules will change a little bit, too."
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