Road Course Ace, Allmendinger Goes for First Win at Sonoma

Photo – Sarah Crabill/Getty Images

Considered NASCAR’s top road course racer, AJ Allmendinger has dazzled in qualifying at Sonoma Raceway with three top-two starts in as many years – but his results don’t match his speed.

Allmendinger entered all three races as the favorite to win, but finished 14th last year, 37th in 2015 and 37th in 2016. Despite the tough finishes, he’s led a series-high 56 laps across the three contests. The Chevrolet driver was doomed by a pit road penalty that cost him the opportunity to win last season, a fuel system issue in 2015 and damage to his car in 2014.

A native of nearby Los Gatos, California, Allmendinger will try to turn his Sonoma luck around in Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350.

“It’s a place I truly love,” Allmendinger said. “It’s my home race. We haven’t really capitalized yet in a three-year span. Hopefully, we can do that this weekend.”

Allmendinger currently sits 26th in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings, 196 points behind Matt Kenseth for the final playoff spot, but can earn a berth in the postseason with a win on Sunday. In fact, he achieved the feat in 2014 when he won at the Watkins Glen International road course after entering the race 25th in the standings.

“We’ve got to clean up our own mistakes and make sure we are on point,” Allmendinger said. “If you can conserve rear tires – if you can do that – you have a great shot to win the race. We hope to go into Sonoma strong and come out on top.”

The Monster Energy Cup Series will race the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway on Sunday, June 25 at 3 pm ET. Coverage is available on FOX Sports 1, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Byron Hopes to Bounce Back at Iowa

William Byron, driver of the #9 Liberty University Chevrolet, looks on during the NASCAR XFINITY Series Irish Hills 250 at Michigan International Speedway on June 17, 2017 in Brooklyn, Michigan. Photo – Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Heartbreak summed up William Byron’s Saturday at Michigan International Speedway last week.

The 19-year-old JR Motorsports driver looked on his way his first career NASCAR XFINITY Series win when Denny Hamlin passed him on the final lap for the victory. Byron finished second by a miniscule 0.012 seconds. Continue reading

Nemechek Goes for Second Straight Win

John Hunter Nemechek, driver of the #8 Chevrolet Silverado poses for a photo after winning the NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series Drivin’ for Linemen 200 at Gateway Motorsports Park on June 17, 2017 in Madison, Illinois. Photo – Jeff Curry/Getty Images

A proven winner in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series finally visited Victory Lane after a tough start to the season.

John Hunter Nemechek passed two-time series champion Matt Crafton with five laps left to win last Saturday’s race at Gateway Motorsports Park – his fourth career victory. Continue reading

A Blast from the Past Greets Regan Smith in his TV Booth Debut

Photo – FOX Sports

Regan Smith has TV booth debut in Saturday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series Race on FS1

Driver Pairs with Childhood Friend of 29 Years & FOX Sports Producer 

NASCAR driver Regan Smith will have an old, familiar voice in his ear when he makes his television booth debut Saturday for FS1’s live coverage of the NASCAR XFINITY SERIES race at Iowa Speedway (8:00 PM ET). While Mark Smith (no relation) isn’t Regan’s crew chief, he just might be the next best thing.    Continue reading

Fan4Racing NASCAR Weekend Preview of Sonoma, Iowa and Madison

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Join host Sharon Burton and co-host Jay ‘MJ’ Husmann every Thursday night 8:30 to 10 pm ET for Fan4Racing NASCAR Weekend Preview, for your complete guide to the upcoming weekend of racing!

On this episode, we’re previewing the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and K&N Pro Series West at Sonoma Raceway, the XFINITY and Camping World Truck Series at Iowa Speedway and ARCA Racing Series at Madison International Speedway. We’ll also have some updates from the K&N Pro Series East.

Call 929-477-1790 or tweet @Fan4RacingSite or @MoparMJ8 with any questions or comments during our LIVE broadcast.

Our show begins at 8:30 pm ET on Thursday, June 22, 2017.

As always…Thanks for listening!