Don’t be surprised if there’s a little extra good-natured, down-home ribbing this weekend between NASCAR Nationwide Series drivers Justin Allgaier and Danica Patrick.
Both drivers are Illinois natives: Allgaier hails from Riverton, just outside of the state capital of Springfield, while Patrick was born and raised in Roscoe, on the outskirts of the state’s second-largest city, Rockford.
Allgaier said Friday that both drivers have looked forward to returning to race in their home state, but also to continue their off-track rivalry of sorts, especially when it comes to talking about sports, particularly baseball.
“The only thing we disagree on is sports teams, which is a good thing,” Allgaier said. “(Danica) likes the White Sox, while I like the St. Louis Cardinals.”
Allgaier currently leads in the bragging rights category with Patrick for two reasons: First, his Cardinals won last year’s Major League World Series.
And then there’s the second one: “I can hold it over her head that I won at Chicago before she did, so we’ll just stick with that,”
Allgaier said with a smile, referencing his NASCAR Nationwide Series win at Chicagoland Speedway last June.
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