AJ Allmendinger readies for his first ever Bristol Dirt Race on Sunday night. (Photo: Trish McCormack | The Podium Finish)
BRISTOL, Tenn. – As AJ Allmendinger progresses through his first, full-time NASCAR Cup Series season since 2018, he faces a relative unknown with Sunday night’s Food City Dirt Race (7 p.m. ET on FOX and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Although Allmendinger is no stranger to the 0.533-mile Bristol Motor Speedway, he has yet to formally race on the temporary clay surface used for the spring race since 2021. Then again, the 41-year-old Kaulig Racing driver is no stranger to these types of tracks, at least, when it comes to his memories of his dad’s racing days.
“I haven’t done any simulator work for this. I think dirt racing… and I’ve grown up watching dirt racing, it’s what my dad did locally back at home and we were at sprint car races every weekend of my life, it seemed like, growing up to a certain degree,” Allmendinger said. “I always kind of thought that might be my path, but it just never was. But I think a lot of it is just how the track changes lap after lap and as it gets tackier or as it gets drier, it your car can feel completely different from start to finish.”
Certainly, Allmendinger’s first laps in his No. 16 Gain Chevrolet Camaro entry transpired during Saturday afternoon’s second qualifying heat. Starting third due to a random draw, the Los Gatos, California native dropped to a seventh place finish.
Despite the result dropping the two-time Cup race winner to a 29th starting position for Sunday night’s 250-lap race, he understands how there is no substitute for actual, on track time.
“I think sim is hard to show that. I’ve raced on dirt before,” he said. “It’s fun, but I was very hesitant to go do sim work and think, ‘OK, this is what it’s going to be when you drop the green.’ And it’s not. Now, granted, I thought I was going to have a lot more practice before I had to go drop a green. So is what it is, though.”
Naturally, Allmendinger pursues the maximum result that he can achieve from his No. 16 car. While the track surface greatly differs from that typically seen in the fall race, in which he placed inside the top-10 last September, he can turn to teammates like Justin Haley and Jonathan Davenport, a couple of dirt track sligners.
As a variety of drivers expressed on Saturday, some prefer Cup cars to race on a dedicated dirt track. Allmendinger was quick to offer a viable solution that has fared well with NASCAR and SRX.
“I think Eldora always puts on a good show,” he said. “I think it seems like it’s Tony (Stewart) and all those previous before Tony owned it and stuff. As they learn how to, I think, a lot of it is with these vehicles is just how to maintain the track because as we see, you can’t have it super tacky because then it just takes the radiators and windows full of mud.
“So there’s a certain degree of you of it has to be dry, but you don’t want it too dry. Then it’s just a dust bowl. But Eldora has always put on good racing. But there’s a ton of dirt tracks all across the country that probably would be really good at.”
While it remains to be seen if Eldora will host a NASCAR race in its immediate future, Allmendinger’s dedication to stock car’s top level is second to none. In spite of his incredibly agile racing skills, do not expect him to clamber into an SRX stock car for the interim.
“I’ll be honest, I didn’t put a lot of thought into it. I’ve been racing a lot the last couple years, so I haven’t really felt like adding more,” Allmendinger said.
Editor’s Notes
Jasmine Sharpe contributed to this article directly on-site from Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee.
