AJ Allmendinger rocketed to his third pole at Road America. (Photo: Maddie Skidan | The Podium Finish)
ELKHART LAKE, Wis. – The path to AJ Allmendinger’s comeback as a full-time, competitive stock car competitor may have catalyzed at Road America in 2013.
After a tumultuous 2012 in which his world turned upside down, the 2013 running of the Henry 180 at Road America sparked the comeback for the California kid. Starting from the pole in Team Penske’s No. 22 Discount Tire Ford Mustang entry, he rocketed to a popular, sentimental win in dominant fashion.
When Allmendinger emerged from his winning ride, the then 31-year-old Los Gatos, California native was as jubilant and emotional as can be.
That second chance sparked a sensational story that continues to this day with two NASCAR Cup Series wins and 16 more NASCAR XFINITY Series wins. It is an understatement to say that Allmendinger cherishes Road America and how it refueled his racing career.
Over 10 years later, the driver of the No. 10 LeafHome Water Solutions Chevrolet Camaro, fielded by Kaulig Racing, is in a familiar spot at the 4.048-mile road course for the 41-year-old racer – the pole position.
On Friday afternoon, Allmendinger reaffirmed why he remains one of the top road course racers in the stock car scene. Posting the third quickest time in an extended practice session, the cagey veteran racer won the pole in spite of a determined effort by JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier.
Unlike the race in 2013, Allmendinger points out how the fresh blacktop at Road America has changed the name of the game at the FIA Grade 2 venue.
“With the repave, it’s definitely a different racetrack,” Allmendinger said. “Coming into the weekend, we were trying to make our best guesstimate of what we needed. (I) talked to Mike Shank a bit about their INDYCAR weekend (and) Scotty McLaughin just a little bit about what they thought about it.
“From there, (we were) just trying to make our best guess on what we really needed to do to the racecar knowing that the racetrack had the potential of having more speed in it.”
Prior to taking on the faster, rejuvenated road course, Allmendinger turned to a familiar old scene with open wheel racing. Like race fans during Father’s Day weekend, he tuned into the race and learned a great deal about the mechanical nuances ahead of his special NASCAR XFINITY Series start.
“I watched the INDYCAR race,” he said. “You could see there was more speed once the track got worn in. So, just kind of trends of setup directions that they went. Obviously, these cars are completely different than INDYCARs. But I think you can still figure out trends and from there, just guessing how much do we go in that direction.
“It helped because kind of what they said was very true of it and just trying to manage, “OK, these cars are a lot different with how much they roll compared to an INDYCAR.’ So you’re just trying to get it in that right little box of what makes grip but still makes a car not roll over too much or be too stiff. It definitely helped talking to them because it was the right direction of what they told us.”
Despite the great pace and performance from the No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro entry, Allmendinger sought for more comfort and long run speed. With tougher competition with Allgaier and Cole Custer ready to pounce at any moment, the Californian gave it all he had in his distinct ride.
Allmendinger hugs the corners as he gets the grip on Road America’s repaved surface. (Photo: Mike Moore | The Podium Finish)
“I think just through practice, we were just trying to make the car better,” he said. “It was never really comfortable and I thought the first round of qualifying, we made it better. But seeing Justin’s lap with what he ran and I knew Cole was really quick, I felt like I had to put it together the second round to really have a chance at it. Honestly, I came through (Turn) 13 and when I crossed the line, I just thought to myself, ‘That was about all I had. That was about as smooth of a lap that I could put around the racetrack.’
“We improved the racecar. It’s better but I think we need to keep making it better. Long run speed is still probably not quite there. But I’m just really proud of all the men and women at Kaulig Racing for bringing fast racecars. From the start of practice, from where we were at, just improving to get the pole.”
Ahead of Allmendinger’s sixth start at the Wisconsin speed palace, he recognized the track’s stark differences with its smooth surface and distinct curbs around its 14 turns.
“To me, even if you missed the apex at most of the corners, it still had some grip in it,” Allmendinger said. “To be quite honest, what is shocking is how rough the curbs are now. And I don’t know if the track is so smooth that the curbs feel violent. But the curbs have always been a little sensitive with these cars.
“As you hit the curb, it upsets it and that kind of jolts it through the tire. And with this pavement, the tire is always on that edge of grip anyway. The curbs are way rougher than in the past couple of years or at least how it makes the car reacts, so that’s the most shocking to me.”
Saturday’s 48-lap race offers a bit of a different scenario than prior NASCAR XFINITY Series road course races. As the second and only other standalone event of the year, Allmendinger and his peers will not have the benefit of live stops and a race void of stage break cautions.
If Allmendinger wants his second victory at this storied venue, it will essentially take a perfect performance from himself and his team in terms of preparing the car. Pre-race strategies and preparations with the car will prove as important as a driver who believes in their team.
It may be a battle between the experienced Allmendinger and the hometown favorite in Sam Mayer. (Photo: Logan Skidan | The Podium Finish)
Then again, if any driver is up to these incredibly difficult tasks at hand, it is the man who will get little rest after Saturday’s race when he flies back to Richmond, Virginia for Sunday’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway.
“I think with the way the strategy of the race is now, with no real, live pit stops, if you pit, you don’t lose any spots of the guys that pit with you,” he said. “Tire wear is definitely not going to be as big of a deal as in the past where if you got off the wrong strategies on tires, you paid the price, or if you chose the right strategy, it made up in the deficiencies of where you were at.
“So, starting up front and staying up front, not making mistakes, is going to be ultra important just because you don’t have the strategy of pitting before the end of a stage to really make a difference. When the race is kind of more straightforward, it’s important to be up front because I do think it’s going to be hard to pass, honestly. There’s enough speed and these cars get in such dirty air that even when I caught somebody, I got behind them and it got the car loose. Not making any mistakes and staying up front is going to be ultra important.”
