Photo – Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images
With the rumors swirling on whether JTG-Daugherty Racing will move to two cars in 2017, AJ Allmendinger is certainly giving early indications that the team may be ready to do so.
After delivering two top-ten finishes the past two weeks at Kansas Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, Allmendinger came to Martinsville and made it three-for-three with a tenth-place showing in Sunday’s Goody’s 500.
“Just a good day,” said Allmendinger. “Just missed it a little bit, couldn’t quite get the car to turn kind of right through the exit of the center of the corner to get it pointed. Just kind of struggled with the same thing all day. Compared to the spring I thought we were just a little bit off, but we still had good speed, ran in the top-ten all day.”
What Sunday’s finish won’t show however was how good Allmendinger’s No. 47 Kroger / Clorox Chevrolet was in the final short track race of the season.
Starting inside the top-five, Allmendinger kept his Chevrolet up front and in contention, including leading five laps, but when the race saw green flag pit stops begin to occur on lap 356, Allmendinger kept his car out on the track and found himself leading the field when the caution waved on lap 357 for Carl Edwards.
Under a lengthy yellow while NASCAR sorted out the race order, Allmendinger on fumes and the race leader slowed on the track out of fuel. He pitted while pit road was still closed sending him to the tail end of the field where he used the final 114 laps to the best of his ability to earn his eighth top-ten of the year.
“The way that played out I thought we were actually going to be real fortunate and have a shot and unfortunately I just ran out of fuel and had to make the decision to try to go right to pit road there to make sure we didn’t get stuck on the racetrack,” he said.
“Never seen a race at Martinsville last 100 laps green, I thought if we could have got a caution there we could have maybe fought back up to sixth, seventh or eighth that is kind of where we could run, I thought on outright speed.”
After finishing second in the spring to Kyle Busch, bookending the season with back-to-back top-ten finish continues to prove that the tight historic short track is one of the driver’s favorite.
Although the 34-year-old driver contributes the run to more than just a liking of Martinsville, but rather that his team is improving. Looking ahead, “Dinger” thinks there is still more left on the table with three races remaining.
“Third top-ten in a row, I think it’s the first time I’ve ever had three top-ten’s in a row,” Allmendinger said. “I think it’s the first time the team has ever had it. Martinsville has always been a good place.
“A lot of these places that we are going to it’s definitely helping. Looking forward to the last three races, brand new cars and Texas and Phoenix are places we have kind of struggled at, look forward to going there and trying to improve.”