Justin Allgaier Tabbed as Substitute Driver for Larson During All-Star Practice, Qualifying

Justin Allgaier will serve as Kyle Larson's replacement during practice and qualifying for this weekend's NASCAR All-Star Race while Larson is attending to on-track activities ahead of his second Indianapolis 500 attempt.

Allgaier, driver of the No. 7 for JR Motorsports in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, will handle practice and qualifying duties for the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports team at North Wilkesboro Speedway while Larson is testing and qualifying at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Allgaier will also be on standby as Larson's reserve driver for the All-Star Race, as well as the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 25.

When weather impacted Larson's attempt at the Memorial Day Double last year, Allgaier started the Coca-Cola 600 in his NASCAR Cup Series entry. Larson arrived in Charlotte prepared to take over driving duties. Inclement weather prevented him from joining the race as Christopher Bell won the rain-shortened race.

That makes last year's Xfinity Series champion the ideal candidate to be on standby for Larson's second attempt at the "#H1100."

“We’re fortunate to have Justin and we appreciate him stepping in to help,” said Cliff Daniels, crew chief for the No. 5 team. “He and Kyle are very similar in size, so there’s a lot in the cockpit that’s common between the two.”

Allgaier also serves as a driver for Chevrolet in the wheel-force program, used to gather data during test sessions.

“I think that serves him well and it serves us well,” Daniels continued. “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.”

With North Wilkesboro Speedway expected to change significantly during a busy weekend of racing, Allgaier's input will be valuable before Larson climbs into the car for Sunday night's All-Star Race.

“I think no matter what there’s going to be a general progression of balance from Friday through Sunday,” Daniels said. “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.”

The NASCAR All-Star Race is Sunday, May 18 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. The All-Star Open begins at 5 p.m. ET, with the All-Star Race at 8 p.m. ET.

-Photo credit: James Gilbert/Getty Images