AJ Allmendinger’s trademark point to the fans was podium caliber at Atlanta. (Photo: Trish McCormack | The Podium Finish)
HAMPTON, Ga. – In the past 10 weeks, AJ Allmendinger has picked up the pace in efficient fashion.
After dropping to a season low ranking of 27th following a 29th place DNF at Talladega, the Los Gatos, California native has been on a tear. Considering how Kaulig Racing is in its second full-time NASCAR Cup Series season, its leading veteran driver has raised the bar.
Namely, Allmendinger tallied seven finishes of 18th or better in the past nine races. In that stretch, he has two top 10s and five top 15 results, propelling the two-time Cup race winner to 19th in the points standings.
Fittingly, the driver of the No. 16 Farmsmart Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry qualified 19th for last Sunday night’s Quaker State 400. Given his prowess on the superspeedways and progress by the Kaulig organization, Allmendinger clawed his way toward the front of the field.
Following a 12th place result in Stage 1, the stock car veteran rocketed his way to a fifth place finish in Stage 2. With six stage points and a fast car, it looked like a remarkable night was in the offing for the Californian.
As rain approached the track, teams began plotting their best strategy for the win. While some opted for the conservative route, Allmendinger and crew chief Matt Swiderski elected to swing for the fences.
Allmendinger was more like Cole Trickle, Part II at Atlanta. (Photo: Kevin Ritchie | The Podium Finish)
With each passing lap, the 41-year-old racer kept working ardently at taking the lead. Once he drove to the third position, he seemed ready to strike before a Lap 179 incident in Turn 3 involving Bubba Wallace, Ryan Preece and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. brought things to a stand still.
Not long after, rain arrived at the 1.54-mile speedway, prompting the red flag and bringing the field to pit road. All for naught, Mother Nature and William Byron prevailed in the Peach Tree State while Allmendinger settled for his third place finish.
Despite coming up short for his first career Cup oval victory, Allmendinger praised his team and the effort displayed in Round 19.
“At the end of the day, I am proud of everyone at Kaulig Racing,” Allmendinger said. “We brought a really, really good Nutrien Ag Solutions FARMSMART Chevy. We didn’t quite have the speed, but it really handled well and I could maneuver it like it needed to.”
The emerging superspeedway specialist muscled his Camaro with the frontrunners displaying confidence, poise and determination especially in Stage 3. Likewise, he moved up to the 18th position in the championship standings, just 13 points behind 16th place Michael McDowell.
Although Allmendinger may have lacked race winning pace, he will count his blessings especially with perennial contenders being eliminated in single or multi-car accidents in Stages 2 and 3.
“We didn’t have enough speed to lead, but it was a lot of fun to drive,” he said. “I’m proud walking away from this one. We had a good points day, top-five finish, our best finish of year. We rebounded after the disappointment last week and we moved on to the next one.”
