AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 47 KROGER/KINGSFORD CHEVROLET SS
WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL PREVIEW
Event: Cheez-It 355 at The Glen
Date/Time: Sunday, August 7th / 2:30 PM ET
TV Network/Radio: USA/MRN/SIRIUSXM
Quotes:
Watkins Glen: “It’s no secret, I love this racetrack,” Allmendinger said. “I love road course racing.”
Fast course: “Watkins Glen is a fast racetrack for a road course,” Allmendinger said. “There are a couple of passing opportunities. If you compare it to Sonoma (Raceway), tires are really important at Sonoma. Aerodynamics is probably not that important at Sonoma and that’s why there is beating and banging on each other there. Sonoma is like a short track. Watkins Glen, I look at it like a mile-and-a-half to two-mile racetrack where you can’t mess the fenders up. Fuel mileage always plays a key factor in that race. Now, with the repave, I think strategy is going to be even more important. Tires don’t fall off a lot. It’s going to be an interesting race for sure.”
Job to do: “Obviously, for a win you’re going to take whatever risk you have to,” Allmendinger said. “We just have to go out there and do our jobs.”
Strategy will come into play: “Just testing there, the biggest thing really was that the tires Goodyear brought to the test were very hard,” Allmendinger said. “They don’t fall off. In a way, they kept getting faster – – where you can kind of cool down and go back out and go faster. For me, looking at that, there’s going to be a lot of strategy whether you take no tires, or whether it’s just based all off of fuel when you have to pit. Also, for us, it’s about finding more speed. We didn’t have enough speed at the test to go there and think we have a great shot to win the race. We have a little more work to do to go back to Watkins Glen and get ready to go.”
Good Friday: “Track position and unloading good on Friday, is always important,” Allmendinger said. “If you can unload and have a good platform to start with, it makes the weekend so much smoother. You are working out of a lot smaller box. You don’t have to try to throw the kitchen sink and try something way out in left field to try to make your race car work. The level of competition, no matter where you go in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, is high and you have to be on your game.”
Smooth: It’s for sure smooth,” Allmendinger said. “It’s tough to tell right now. The tire that’s with this pavement feels really hard and really slick. You are sliding around trying to get an understanding of what it’s going to take and how much grip is actually going to be available on the racetrack. We’ve had to change a lot from the last two years from where we have been.”
Most affected by repave: “I would say the bus stop,” Allmendinger said. “Correct me if I’m wrong, I think the curbs are the same size, but the track is just a little lower getting through there. Using the curbs through there is real challenging. You used to kind of just drive over the top of them. You can still hit them, but it definitely upsets the car a lot more. Everywhere else, it’s kind of the same thing. The exit of the corners to me have a lot of grip. But, this tire combo – I don’t think it’s really the racetrack, when the rubber comes in it will help – you are really on edge getting into the corners. It feels really stiff. There’s not a lot of grip in it right now. On the entries to the corners, you kind of hold your breath and just get to the middle of the corner. Once you get to that point and the car settles down, the exits of the corner are alright.”
Make a difference: “This is a place — Watkins Glen and Sonoma, just road course racing in general — where I think a driver can make more of a difference, but you’ve still got to have the right package,” Allmendinger said.
Bus Stop: “The bus stop was always somewhat challenging,” Allmendinger said, “I remember when we won there in 2014. Looking at the video, Marcos Ambrose was always good there. The bus stop, end of the carousel is where you can make up a lot of time. I wasn’t quite as good through the bus stop, but I remember through the carousel my car was really hooked up, and I could just drive away from people. It’s just trying to get that balance; that fine line. Last year, we were just a little bit too free everywhere. But, during the race the bus stop was the biggest challenge.”
Driver’s niche: “It’s definitely one of AJ’s niches — here, Sonoma, he runs really well and at Martinsville Speedway,” crew chief Randall Burnett said. “We’re definitely trying to capitalize on that. That’s why we were up there testing, making sure we can put our best foot forward on this deal. We’ve been working really hard on all of our programs — our mile-and-a-half stuff has come a really long way this year. We’ve still got to get better for sure.”
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FAST FACTS:
Career Starts: 284
Wins: 1
Top-fives: 8
Top-10s: 41
Pole Awards: 4
First Start: 3/25/2007 Bristol
First Pole: 4/10/2010 Phoenix
Last Pole: 8/8/15 Watkins Glen
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: Randall Burnett
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