Pocono II Race Recap

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
• AJ Allmendinger started from the 29th spot at Pocono Raceway
• Allmendinger wheeled his way to a 19th-place finishing position at the 2.5-mile tri-oval
• Unofficially, Allmendinger sits in 17th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings

Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger lined up for the start of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Pocono Raceway in the 29th position. Once the green flag flew, he quickly assessed that he needed some help with the handling of the car in Turn 1. When the first caution flag waved on Lap 13, crew chief Greg Erwin called his driver into the pits for four fresh tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment.

After the restart, Allmendinger held down 21st place and communicated to the crew that his Best Buy Ford was a little better. The team chose to stay out during the next caution period, which came at Lap 20. Allmendinger struggled with the handling of the car for a while and the weather conditions, which alternated between sunny and cloudy for much of the race, didn’t help. A pit stop at Lap 41 enabled Erwin to make a track bar adjustment to the car while bolting on four new tires and fueling up the car. At the Lap 50 mark, the Best Buy Ford held down a spot just inside the top 25.

Allmendinger remained in the top 25 while fighting a tight handling racecar. The team continued to make changes to the car during pit stops and at the halfway point of the race, stood in 20th position. A rain shower on Lap 123 forced NASCAR officials to park the cars while they dried the track, resulting in a lengthy delay. When the track was dry and the cars hit the pavement once again, Allmendinger continued to fight a tight race car. As the run wore on, the handling of the Best Buy Ford improved, and Erwin continued to tweak the handling of the car during the remaining stops to make it better. Allmendinger remained in the top 25 for the next 65 laps until he broke into the top 20 with nine laps to go. When the checkered flag flew after a long day at Pocono Raceway, Allmendinger held down the19th spot.

Allmendinger stands in 17th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings heading into the final road course event of the season next weekend.

Credit - Ford Racing