AJ Allmendinger will race for JTG Daugherty Racing in the next two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events in the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway and the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. He is also slated for the season-finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
At Dover, Allmendinger’s best finish is seventh-place twice (9/27/09 and 10/2/11) and his best start is second twice (5/13/11 and 9/24/10) in 11 starts. The 31-year-old has three top-10 finishes at the track.
Allmendinger scored the team’s best finish (10th) of the season at Watkins Glen International.
DOVER QUOTES:
AJ behind the wheel at Dover: “We think Allmendinger’s record at Dover is really good,” JTG Daugherty Racing co-owner Tad Geschickter said. “He has led a good number of laps there, come close to winning and it is a track that suits his style. There is not a more aggressive physical track on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule than Dover and when you hit there you hit a ton. While Bobby is still recuperating from his broken ribs, Dover is a race that we have decided to put AJ in the No. 47 House-Autry Toyota.”
Taken to the track: “Dover International Speedway is a good track for me,” Allmendinger said. “It is probably one of my favorite tracks that we race on the circuit. I feel like I have taken to that track. Actually, I felt that way the first time I got there. You can be aggressive driving it. It is really fast. You can be more aggressive on that track the way you charge the corner. I get along pretty well with it because of that factor.”
Close in some cases: “I have had chances to win some races there and it did not work out,” Allmendinger said. “I have had decent success there. Stat-wise it is one of my better tracks. I am looking forward to getting back to the track and continuing to work to make the cars better and developing them as we learn each other as a team.”
A chance to shine: “We feel like we’ve really gained some momentum as a team,” crew chief Brian Burns said. “We’ve got AJ in the car this weekend and it will give us a chance to get better at communication and have a better understanding of each other. AJ enjoys being around the team and the more time we are together, the more it is going to help heading into next season. We feel like this is a strong track for him and we have a good baseline setup. We have high expectations as good as he is and it is a place where I feel like we can overachieve. He hasn’t been in these cars at this track, but I don’t feel like that is going to hurt us at all.”
A new experience: “I have not had the chance to race with these cars at Dover yet,” Allmendinger said. “When I raced there with the old car with the tire they brought, the track would rubber up. There would be a lot of rubber buildup and you would have to drive around it. It made you think about how to get around it.”
Making rounds at Dover: “Some guys will run around the bottom,” Allmendinger said. “You can diamond the corner and make some speed. Concrete-wise the surface does not change as much as pavement or asphalt. However, it does rubber up and keeps changing. You have got to keep up with the track. It makes it tough. At the same time, it has been always fun to race and I really enjoy it. We are hoping to run well. At Chicagoland Speedway, it was not one of our better races, but we learned where we need to be.”
Having some down time: “When you are off, the off time is good and bad,” Allmendinger said. “It gives me time to reset. During the NASCAR season, you do not have that if you race full-time. I would rather be in a car. When I do have time, I take care of daily things in life. It has given me a chance to train really hard and get back into form of setting goals for myself. I have been working out or driving a go-kart to stay in shape. I’m doing a big go-kart race in Las Vegas after racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway. I’m excited about that.”
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