Two seasons and one race into his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career, AJ Allmendinger (No. 44 Charter Communications Dodge) won’t demur when asked for its highlight:
Last Sunday’s third-place finish in his first–ever Daytona 500.
A huge step, and eye-opening to some, especially for a driver who had to race his way into a starting spot. That third-place finish also means he’s third in the series standings heading into Sunday’s Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway, another career high.
“For our team’s sake, we would have loved to have had a chance to win the Daytona 500,” Allmendinger said of last Sunday’s rain-shortened race, “but leaving there with a third-place finish isn’t all that bad. I’m not going to complain.”
Now, Allmendinger returns to his home state of California with significant momentum and confidence, all necessary for a driver who’s filling a part-time role with the newly-minted Richard Petty Motorsports. A Los Gatos native, he’s set to run the first eight races of 2009, plus the July event at Daytona International Speedway, while RPM officials work to secure fulltime sponsorship for his team.
Continue reading “Allmendinger hopes to build on Daytona Finish”
Paul Chodora, a licensed crew member in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, has been indefinitely suspended from NASCAR for violating the sanctioning body’s substance abuse policy.
Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports Again Looking For Auto Club Speedway Rebound
After nearly 10 days filled with season-opening competition at Daytona, it’s on to this weekend’s events at Auto Club Speedway, where several drivers hope to build — or continue — what they started on the East Coast.
The Final Lap Weekly 