AJ ALLMENDINGER
NO. 47 KROGER CLICKLIST CHEVROLET
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
Race: FireKeepers Casino 400
Date/Time: Sunday, June 18th / 3 PM ET
TV Network / Radio: FS1 / MRN / SIRIUSXM
QUOTES:
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Michigan character traits: “Michigan is getting some of its old character back,” Allmendinger said. “Yeah, I mean it’s getting closer for sure. You kind of make practice where it’s one-and-a-half grooves wide. Then you have other races like the NASCAR XFINITY Series race that helps widen out the track on Saturday. On Sunday as we go, the racetrack widens out more.”
Putting on a good show for fans: “With this lower aero-package, it starts to widen out and if the weather is warm there it gets really slick,” Allmendinger said. “It’s not as bumpy and it doesn’t chew tires up as much. It widens the racetrack out and makes for good racing and it puts on a good show for the fans. We will feel it out and see what happens.”
Gain some strength in numbers: “I think my overall best finish at Michigan is 11th and we have a couple top-15 finishes there,” Allmendinger said. “It would be nice to come out of there with a strong finish and gain some momentum before heading off to Sonoma (Calif).”
Time to take turns: “Sonoma Raceway is fast approaching,” Allmendinger said. “It’s very different than Watkins Glen International where we got our first win. Tires at Sonoma are critical. It’s so easy to burn the rear tires up. I think it’s a completely different racetrack. It’s always interesting to see the people that are good at Sonoma and if they can carry it over to Watkins Glen. I think you have guys that are good at both places. And, then you have certain guys that just have Sonoma down. It’s like a short track to a certain degree. It’s all about conserving your rear tires and not over driving the car there. It is really easy to do. And, it’s the same deal where track position is critical there, but strategy really plays out too. It’s a challenge.
Heartbreak don’t come around here no more: “Sonoma is one of those racetracks that’s broken our hearts a little bit,” Allmendinger said. “Self-induced at times for sure. We’ve had speed there. Qualified on the pole. We haven’t had a good finish there since I’ve been here at the race team. Last year, I thought we had a chance to win for Kroger and all our partners. We lost a tire on pit road and had to start at the back and it cost us a chance to go win the race. We’ve got to clean up our own mistakes and make sure we are on point. If you can conserve rear tires – if you can do that – you have a great shot to win the race. We hope to have a solid finish at Michigan and go into Sonoma strong and come out on top.”
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FAST FACTS:
Career Starts: 313
Wins: 1
Top-fives: 10
Top-10s: 49
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: Ernie Cope
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