Atlanta Post-Race Quotes

AJ ALLMENDINGER – No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion
Finished 10th
“I felt like we were a solid top five or top six car early in the going and we just got pounded on that restart. I’m not sure what happened. Clint just ran into the back of us. I don’t know if I was spinning the tires and he was ready to go or not, but I got hooked and we got door-slammed by somebody and then from there it was just kind of a fight to get back on it. The whole left side was crushed in, so the guys did a good job of getting the fenders pushed back out. The crush panel in the rear was destroyed. The car wasn’t the same, but to fight back with 100 to go being 28th and to get back to 10th, I was impressed with the whole day.”

THERE IS STILL A SLIM CHANCE A WIN COULD GET YOU A WILD CARD. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS GOING TO RICHMOND? “We know the chances are still there. It’s still wide-open when it comes to having a chance to go win and anything can happen after that, but, for me, like I said from the beginning, the Chase, for me, doesn’t define the season. I’d love to get in the Chase, that’s the ultimate goal, but as a race team we keep getting better. If we can go into these last 11 races that we have and get to Homestead and be far better than where we started, that, to me, is a great season. We’re getting there. We still have a little ways to go, but every week I feel like we improve.”

YOU’VE HAD FOUR SOLID RACES FINISHING BETWEEN 8TH-12TH. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT WHERE YOU’RE AT RIGHT NOW AS A TEAM? “That’s right where we are as a race team right now. I felt like we legitimately had a top-five car and then when we got the damage that’s what makes a good race team because we fought back. At Michigan we didn’t have a good car, we got an 11th out of it, so it’s things like that where we can go and keep finishing well. That’s where we are as a team right now. We’re about an eighth to a 12th or 13th-place race team, but that’s better than where we had been, so that’s the improvement I’m looking for. If we can just keep getting there, whether we make the Chase or not, if we can go into those last 10 races and be a legitimate car every weekend that’s running inside the top-10 or top-five – maybe go to a couple tracks like Loudon or Dover and have a chance to win – then I’ll be really happy with the season.”

Credit - Ford Racing