AJ Allmendinger looks on as he hopes to extract some Indianapolis magic on Sunday afternoon. (Photo: Logan Skidan | The Podium Finish)
SPEEDWAY, Ind. – If AJ Allmendinger wants to vie for his third career NASCAR Cup Series win, he has his work cut out for him at Indianapolis.
Starting deep in the field from 26th position, the driver of the No. 16 Dyna-Gro Seed Chevrolet Camaro may need to tap into his road course savvy on Sunday afternoon. Then again, the 41-year-old Los Gatos, California native is no stranger with driving through the field at the 2.439-mile, 14-turn Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.
During Saturday’s Pennzoil 150, the Kaulig Racing driver had to march his way through the field. In particular, his team opted to change from wets to slicks in part to believing that the track conditions would improve at the FIA Grade 2 venue.
The gamble paid off as Allmendinger wasted little time working his way up the leaderboard. From outside of the top 25 to the lead in a manner of laps, the energetic racer drove to the lead on Lap 19.
Although Allmendinger came up a spot short in the NASCAR XFINITY Series race, won by Ty Gibbs, it is clear that he has taken well to this unique road course. In fact, it is safe to say that he holds this track close to his heart.
“The last two years at Indy have been really special,” Allmendinger said in a Team Chevy press release. “To be able to kiss the bricks in the Xfinity Series and Cup Series has been a dream come true.”
Despite starting 26th, Allmendinger is ready for the battles ahead. (Photo: Logan Skidan | The Podium Finish)
In 2021, Allmendinger finished second to Austin Cindric in the Pennzoil 150 before winning the Verizon 200, a moment that seemed as euphoric as a championship for the passionate racer. Last year, he was victorious in the NASCAR XFINITY Series race before placing seventh in the Cup race during his part-time premier series schedule.
On Saturday afternoon, Allmendinger had decent pace as he posted the 11th quickest effort in practice. Nevertheless, he qualified 26th, a somewhat puzzling outcome considering how skillful and agile the the two-time Cup race winner has been on these venues.
Still, he remains upbeat and focused on getting the job done. With just 24 points separating him from a Playoffs spot, the next three regular season venues suit the Californian’s driving style.
As Watkins Glen and Daytona loom in the upcoming weeks, Allmendinger is determined to make the best of it at Indianapolis on Sunday afternoon.
“Our road course stuff hasn’t quite been where we need it to be, but we are definitely working hard on it,” he said. “We were close last year on the Cup side and if we get to Indy and unload well, we can have a shot to go win the race.”
While there is evidence that there is still some work to do for Sunday’s Verizon 200, never count out the versatile driver, crew chief Matt Swiderski and the over-the-wall crew to parlay some strategy for the win.
After all, it would be foolish to dismiss this combination as some may have prior to the 2021 running of this race which rewarded the Kaulig organization handsomely after a hard day’s work.
