AJ ALLMENDINGER
NO. 47 KROGER®/HUNGRY JACK® CHEVROLET SS
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY PREVIEW
Track: Michigan International Speedway
Race: Quicken Loans 400
Date/Time: Sunday, June 14th / 1 PM ET
TV/Radio: FOX Sports 1 / MRN / SIRIUSXM
TEAM QUOTES:
Michigan International Speedway: “I’m really looking forward to Michigan International Speedway and running the Red, White and Blue Kroger/Hungry Jack Chevrolet,” Allmendinger said. “It’s awesome to have Kroger back on the hood of the car along with Hungry Jack at Michigan. Before the repave at Michigan, I enjoyed Michigan International Speedway because it was a really lively track. It had almost gotten like Fontana (Auto Club Speedway) where all the sudden the last couple of years it has put on some of the best racing, but the pavement started separating from the track and they needed to repave it. It’s getting better. The groove is starting to get a little bit wider. After you have the NASCAR Xfinity Series race, it kind of widens out the groove for us.”
Wide open: “It is going to be interesting in qualifying this year because I think we will be wide open around there and that’s crazy to think,” Allmendinger said. “I would be surprised if we are not. If you watch some of the really good cars at the bigger tracks, they are close to wide open. I think the track has got a lot of grip when you show up. Depending on the weather Sunday, if it is hot it has gotten slick and if it is cool and cloudy, it is pretty fast and still it has got a lot of grip. It’s going to be the same deal with needing track position. It’s important to qualify up near the front.”
Since the repave: “The track is starting to widen out a little bit since they repaved it, but it’s still not that wide,” Allmendinger said. “It’s maybe at most two cars wide. So, I mean it’s just going to be about how much can you be in the throttle. You are not going to really touch the brake pedal much and you are not going to be out of the throttle that much there.”
Engine, a good balance and track position crucial: “It’s all about big motor there,” Allmendinger said. “It’s decent downforce if you can be wide open or close to wide open. It’s going to be hard to pass. So, getting your car to roll through the corner pretty good and getting that balance – not too tight, not too loose, it’s got to be neutral – is really what you need. In the end, it’s all track position based. That’s the way the race is going to be I feel like. You know, if you can be up front in clean air that’s going to really make a world of difference. If you get middle of the pack, the air is really going to affect you, especially if everyone is close to wide open. The only way you are going to make passes is if a guy makes a mistake in front of you behind another car. It’s just the nature of racing that we are facing right now.”
It’s Friday: “Fridays are important,” Allmendinger said. “We know we need to unload and be quick off the truck. That is going to be pretty important. If you can start inside the top 15ish, you are kind of safe from being lapped early on, but if you start 20 something on back, the leaders are going to be coming pretty quick.”
Making improvements: “Last year, we improved from the first Michigan International Speedway race to the second race,” crew chief Brian Burns said. “We made some big gains by the time we got to the second Michigan race. We were running in the top-10 and ended up finishing 13th. To be able to unload from where we finished off there will help.”
ECR Engines: “It’s one of the bigger tracks and we’ll be relying on ECR horsepower,” crew chief Brian Burns said. “Having them behind us, gives us a good feeling going into the weekend.”
Chassis 501: “We raced this car at Fontana (Auto Club Speedway) and at Charlotte (Motor Speedway),” Burns said.
Pancakes: “I eat pancakes a lot,” Allmendinger said. “I love them plain. I was never a big fan of doing anything else to them. Growing up, I remember mom would add strawberries or blueberries every now and then, but I just liked them with Hungry Jack syrup on top and that to me is how pancakes should be. When I was a kid and mom would make me breakfast, pancakes was the go to breakfast. She would make me a big ol’ stack of pancakes and I was happy. It’s true what they say ‘Everybody’s Happy When it’s Hungry Jack for Breakfast!’ Hungry Jack has everything you need for the most important meal of the day. You can pick up everything you need from Kroger.”
Piece of cake, pancake that is: “It’s no secret that I’m not a big cook in the kitchen, but Hungry Jack pancakes makes it so easy on a guy like me,” Allmendinger said. “They have a mix where all you have to do is add water, which is great. Also, they have the microwavable bottle. It doesn’t get much easier than that.”
Win prizes: “Hey race fans you could win cool race day prizes thanks to Hungry Jack,” Allmendinger said. “Follow @HgryJkPotatoes on Twitter to find out how to enter. Good luck!”
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FAST FACTS:
Career Starts: 241
Wins: 1
Top-fives: 7
Top-10s: 37
Pole Awards: 2
First Start: 3/25/2007 Bristol
First Pole: 4/10/2010 Phoenix
Last Pole: 4/22/2012 Kansas
Best Start: 1 – 4/10/2010 Phoenix
Best Finish: 1 – 8/10/2014 Watkins Glen
Driver DOB: 12/16/1981
Hometown: San Jose, Calif.
Crew Chief: Brian Burns
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HUNGRY JACK INTRODUCES:
COMPLETE BUTTERMILK PANCAKE & WAFFLE MIX WITH PROTEIN
Hungry Jack® is excited to introduce its NEW Complete Buttermilk Pancake & Waffle Mix with Protein.
Packed with 10 grams of protein, Hungry Jack Complete Buttermilk Pancake & Waffle Mix Is the perfect way to rev up any morning.
The new Hungry Jack Complete Buttermilk Pancake & Waffle Mix is a convenient breakfast option that requires you to just add water!
Hungry Jack Complete Buttermilk Pancake & Waffle Mix will be available at stores nationwide beginning June 2015 for a suggested retail price of $4.19.
For more information, tips and recipes, please visit http://www.hungryjack.com/ and follow Hungry Jack on Facebook
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RACING-REWARDS:
Each week throughout the NASCAR season Racing-Rewards members are given the opportunity to download exclusive AJ Allmendinger cellphone wallpaper. This week’s design design features AJ and his Hungry Jack car.
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AJ’S WHEREABOUTS:
Sunday, June 14th
9:30 AM to 10:15 AM Hungry Jack Meet & Greets with Bloggers / Sponsor Meet & Greets
