AJ ALLMENDINGER
NO. 47 RALPHS CLICKLIST CHEVROLET SS
AUTO CLUB SPEEDWAY PREVIEW
Race: Auto Club 400
Date/Time: Sunday, March 26th / 3:30 PM ET
TV Network/Radio: FOX / MRN Radio / SIRIUSXM
QUOTES:
Ralphs front and center: “Being on the West Coast, we’ve got Ralphs on board this weekend,” Allmendinger said. “It’s a great family store and one that also has ClickList at participating stores where you can order your groceries online and pick them up when ready. It’s so easy and convenient. Try it out!”
Fond of Fontana: “I always enjoy Fontana,” Allmendinger said. “Auto Club Speedway has been a great racetrack for us. I always look forward to going back there because it’s slick, it’s a tough race track. Although it is in southern California, I’m a northern California native, you can’t get those two mixed up. It’s a place that I really enjoy going to.”
It’s a bit tricky: “With this aero-package I think it’s going to be like Atlanta Motor Speedway,” Allmendinger said. “You are going to be using the tires up quick and slide around a lot. It’s four or five lanes wide. It’s a place that is enjoyable, but real tricky. The seams are tough there. It’s challenging to get around. I’ve enjoyed it the last couple of years. With the aero-package, we’ve got to figure out what it’s going to take there for us to have a solid run.”
Lots of grooves: “The track is getting old,” Allmendinger said. “As we’ve taken away downforce, the tires go away and there are so many grooves that you can run. It’s kind of weird because it flip-flopped in a year it seemed like, year-and-a-half period to where it was a terrible race and all of a sudden it’s great racing. I don’t see anything different now with lower downforce. We are going to be sliding around even more and it’s going to be a great race.”
Getting closer: “We are looking forward to going to California with our No. 47 Ralphs ClickList Chevrolet,” competition director and interim crew chief Ernie Cope said. “It’s been a good track for us in the past. We haven’t had the speed this year that we were hoping for and we keep trying new things. We have a new game plan going into this weekend. The finishes haven’t reflected it, but the last couple of weeks, I feel like we are getting closer. Auto Club Speedway is a good track for us to go and try some of the things to get more speed out of the car.”
West Coast drivers: “It is kind of crazy to think how many drivers are from California and just the West Coast in general,” Allmendinger said. “You just always thought it was such a Southern sport. Obviously, over the last 15 years it has changed a lot, but a lot of drivers are from California. It’s fun to be able to be from a place that has brought so many great race car drivers and just be a part of that.”
FAST FACTS:
Career Starts: 303
Wins: 1
Top-fives: 10
Top-10s: 48
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
