Dover Race Preview

Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver AJ Allmendinger doesn’t hesitate in naming Dover International Speedway as his favorite track along the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series tour. To say that Dinger is looking forward to getting back to the high-banked “Monster Mile” for this weekend’s FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks would be an understatement.

“I love going to Dover and really look forward to getting back there for this weekend’s race,” said Allmendinger, who will be making his 11th career start on the 1.0-mile concrete oval. “It’s my favorite track on the circuit. It has high banks, it’s really fast and I’ve had a lot of success there over the years.

“It’s always been my favorite track since I started racing in the Cup Series in 2007,” Allmendinger said. “Plus, Dover has one of the greatest trophies of the season, so it’s one I really want to take home.” (Dinger is referring to the “Miles the Monster” trophy, a miniature version of the 46-foot Monster Monument that stands in “Victory Plaza” behind the main grandstand area.)

“I think it is a fun race track to drive and I think there are a lot of things you can do on the race track to get around it and run pretty fast,” AJ added. “I have always had a fairly good car there, especially the last couple of years which makes it easier. To me, I just show up to the race track and I am excited to be there. I just genuinely like the race track and think when you are able to do that you can go there and have a good attitude about it and be pretty fast.”

Inasmuch as Allmendinger enjoys racing at Dover, it’s easy to analyze his record there and see that he and the “Monster Mile” have a great relationship going entering this weekend.

Of the 341 total laps Dinger has led in his NASCAR Sprint Cup career, almost half of them (152 or 44.575 percent) have been recorded at Dover. After 164 career race starts entering this weekend, he still points to the September 2010 AAA 400 as the “big one that got away.”

“I led 143 laps in that race and I had a car that was capable of winning until a flat tire took me out of contention on Lap 200,” Dinger recalled. “That was the first race where I really felt like I could easily take the lead and I could run with the big boys. We ended up finishing 10th because of the flat tire, but it was still a great race because it was a sign that I could run with anyone. It was really cool to take the lead and just drive away. It gave me confidence that if we have the car, we can definitely get the job done at Dover.”

Shell-Pennzoil Dodge crew chief Todd Gordon is equally as enthusiastic in seeing the Sprint Cup Series head to Dover.

“AJ has identified Dover as his personal favorite track ever since our first conversations between driver and crew chief,” Gordon said. “I could tell from the Goodyear test we did there back in April that he loves racing there. When you consider his fondness for racing there and the success the 22 car had there in winning last fall’s race, we’re all hoping for a successful race weekend there.

“Based on the Goodyear testing, I felt like we had a really good balance. We were able to get in several 40-lap runs and I felt like we would have a great shot at winning against all those teams there at the test (including Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch and Marcos Ambrose). The only question mark now would be considering the new skirt package we are working with.

“The bottom line, though, is that Dover is a track where AJ expects to do well on and that’s the feeling of our entire Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Team,” said Gordon. “The driver is going in there with a great level of confidence and so is everyone on our No. 22 Penske Racing team.”

In 10 career Sprint Cup starts at Dover, Allmendinger is still looking for his first career win and top-five finish there, but he does have three top-10 finishes to date. He was running at the finish in eight of the races and finished on the lead lap four times. He has completed 83.1 percent of possible laps (3,324 of 4,000). He has led 152 laps at Dover, the most he has led at any track. Overall, Dinger has a 13.7 average start and 23.3 average finish at Dover.

Allmendinger started second and finished 37th in last spring’s Dover race. He came back last October to start seventh and finish seventh.

“When qualifying got rained out and we were second-fastest in practice, we started second in the spring race,” Dinger recalled. “We had a great run going and had a really strong car in the race, but the engine just let go all at once and there was no sign of it happening. We started seventh there last fall and got spun only five laps into the race. We started from the rear, but got all the way back up to the top-five just before the race was half-way. We did a two-tire stop and led some laps and ran top-10 for the rest of the race to finish seventh.”

Allmendinger, Gordon and crew will be racing their “PRS-817” Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger in this weekend’s FedEx 400. This chassis has been raced only once; in the March 25 Auto Club 400 at Fontana, Calif. Dinger started 25th and finished 15th in the rain-shortened race. The “PRS-807” will serve as the backup Dodge Charger.

This weekend’s Dover International Speedway action gets under way on Friday with practice set from 11:00 a.m. till 12:25 p.m. (live on Speed-TV) and from 2:45 p.m. till 4:15 p.m. Qualifying for all 43 starting positions is set for Saturday at 12:10 p.m. (live on Speed-TV & MRN Radio). Sunday’s FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks (400 laps, 400 miles) on the “Monster Mile” is scheduled to get the green flag at approximately 1:00 p.m. EDT. Race No. 13 of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule will feature live coverage by FOX-TV and MRN Radio.

Credit - Penske Racing PR

Dover Notes of Interest

--AJ Allmendinger and his Todd Gordon-led Penske Racing No. 22 Team will be racing their “PRS-817” Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger in this weekend’s FedEx 400 at Dover International Speedway. This chassis has been raced only once; in the March 25 Auto Club 400 at Fontana, Calif. Dinger started 25th and finished 15th in the rain-shortened race. The “PRS-807” will serve as the backup Dodge Charger.

--AJ Allmendinger and his Todd Gordon-led Penske Racing No. 22 Team are testing today (Tuesday) at Virginia International Raceway, the 3.27-mile road course located near Danville, Va. “We’re using the test at VIR in our preparation for Sonoma,” Gordon said. “AJ is a great road racer and we’re on a mission to help him get the win out there in the California Wine Country.”

--Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver AJ Allmendinger doesn’t hesitate in naming Dover International Speedway as his favorite track along the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series tour. To say that Dinger is looking forward to getting back to the high-banked “Monster Mile” for this weekend’s FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks would be an understatement. “I love going to Dover and really look forward to getting back there for this weekend’s race,” Dinger said. “It’s my favorite track on the circuit. It has high banks, it’s really fast and I’ve had a lot of success there over the years. It’s always been my favorite track since I started racing in the Cup Series in 2007. Plus, Dover has one of the greatest trophies of the season, so it’s one I really want to take home.” (Dinger is referring to the “Miles the Monster” trophy, a miniature version of the 46-foot Monster Monument that stands in “Victory Plaza” behind the main grandstand area.)

--What is so appealing about racing at Dover International Speedway to Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver AJ Allmendinger? “I think it is a fun race track to drive and I think there are a lot of things you can do on the race track to get around it and run pretty fast,” Dinger said. “I have always had a fairly good car there, especially the last couple of years which makes it easier. To me, I just show up to the race track and I am excited to be there. I just genuinely like the race track and think when you are able to do that you can go there and have a good attitude about it and be pretty fast.”

--Inasmuch as Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver AJ Allmendinger enjoys racing at Dover, it’s easy to analyze his record there and see that he and the “Monster Mile” have a great relationship going entering this weekend. Of the 341 total laps Dinger has led in his NASCAR Sprint Cup career, almost half of them (152 or 44.575 percent) have been recorded at Dover.

--Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver AJ Allmendinger recalled the first time he visited Dover International Speedway: “It was the trucks in 2007 before Cup practice started,” Dinger said. “We were standing on pit road and my crew chief told me not to look at any of the trucks coming off turn four and I said, “Why, I need to learn.’ Me, being done said I was going to look and Hornaday came off turn four the first time and it looked like the tires weren’t even touching the ground and he was sideways and I was like, ‘I am not doing that. I am leaving.’ It is an insane race track but it is all those characteristics that make it so much fun.”

--Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver AJ Allmendinger describes the thrill of racing at Dover International Speedway: “It is pretty insane, especially to go into turn one,” Dinger said. “It feels like the bottom drops out from under you. It seems like it disappears when you take off and once it lands it is like a punch to the guy. When it compresses, it compresses so hard. It feels like you honestly drop 50 feet in the air and land. The biggest thing is to have a good balance when it does land that the car isn’t moving around at all and isn’t tight or loose. You want it to land nice and smooth and have the confidence to get it turned and get back to throttle, especially in qualifying. In the race you lay the corner back so much that the bottom, when it lands, is not as critical. In qualifying you are so fast that once you land you have to be back in the throttle.”

--After 164 career Cup starts, Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver AJ Allmendinger still points to the September 2010 AAA 400 as the “big one that got away.” “I led 143 laps in that race and I had a car that was capable of winning until a flat tire took me out of contention on Lap 200,” Dinger recalled. “That was the first race where I really felt like I could easily take the lead and I could run with the big boys. We ended up finishing 10th because of the flat tire, but it was still a great race because it was a sign that I could run with anyone. It was really cool to take the lead and just drive away. It gave me confidence that if we have the car, we can definitely get the job done at Dover.”

--Shell-Pennzoil Dodge crew chief Todd Gordon is equally as enthusiastic in seeing the Sprint Cup Series head to Dover. “AJ has identified Dover as his personal favorite track ever since our first conversations between driver and crew chief. I could tell from the Goodyear test we did there back in April that he loves racing there. When you consider his fondness for racing there and the success the 22 car had there in winning last fall’s race, we’re all hoping for a successful race weekend there.”

--Shell-Pennzoil Dodge crew chief Todd Gordon likes his team’s chances for a great performance in Sunday’s FedEx 400 at Dover International Speedway: “Based on the Goodyear testing, I felt like we had a really good balance. We were able to get in several 40-lap runs and I felt like we would have a great shot at winning against all those teams there at the test (including Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch and Marcos Ambrose). The only question mark now would be considering the new skirt package we are working with. The bottom line, though, is that Dover is a track where AJ expects to do well on and that’s the feeling of our entire Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Team. The driver is going in there with a great level of confidence and so is everyone on our No. 22 Penske Racing team.”

--In 10 career Sprint Cup starts at Dover International Speedway, Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver AJ Allmendinger is still looking for his first career win and top-five finish there, but he does have three top-10 finishes to date. He was running at the finish in eight of the races and finished on the lead lap four times. He has completed 83.1 percent of possible laps (3,324 of 4,000). He has led 152 laps at Dover, the most he has led at any track. Overall, Dinger has a 13.7 average start and 23.3 average finish at Dover.

Credit - Penske Racing PR

Tuesday Ramble: Diary of a Frustrated NASCAR Fan

Diary of a Frustrated NASCAR Fan


NASCAR fans come in every shape, size, age, sex, and from every walk of life you can imagine. Every driver has them – from drivers who are just starting in the sport, to drivers who have been retired for years. Most NASCAR fans probably even root for more than one driver, or have so many favorites that they can’t choose which driver’s gear to wear on race day.

When you’re a fan of a NASCAR driver, you are with that athlete through all of their ups and downs. You celebrate their victories - whether that’s a win, a pole, a top ten finish, or sometimes just qualifying for the race can be considered a victory. And as a fan you also weather the hard times – the missed races or blown engines, and winless streaks that seemingly drag on forever.

Which means that sometimes being a NASCAR fan is easy … and sometimes it’s really tough.

I’ve been an AJ Allmendinger fan since he came to the Cup series in 2007. Which means I’ve watched him through the agony of missing races and the joys of his first start at Bristol . I’ve seen him devastated when he missed the Daytona 500 in 2008, and ecstatic when he made it into that same race in 2009 with the help of his teammates. And with great pride, I’ve watched him hone his raw talent into a force to be reckoned with.

AJ’s career can be defined by one word – instability. He has been with several teams that have had varying levels of equipment, but he has improved his skills every year. Despite the fact that he’s currently 24th in points, this year has been no different. In my opinion AJ has done some of his best driving ever with the #22 Penske team in 2012. They are consistently fast, but have had some unfortunate circumstances keep them from contending.

I won’t lie – this has been the hardest year for me as a fan of AJ’s. It has been frustrating at times and devastating at others. Even watching AJ miss races in 2007 and get pulled out of his car in 2008 was better than this year has been. Why? Because AJ has come so far and has gotten so close to where he wants to be as a driver, only to have it pulled away time and time again.

Let me clarify – this isn’t frustrating to me personally. If AJ never won a single race I wouldn’t care. And it’s not frustrating because my driver isn’t satisfied with the performance of the team. To be honest, if AJ was satisfied with the way this year has gone, I’d have some serious doubts about whether or not I’d want to be a fan of his. Athletes should always strive for perfection in their sport.

No, this season has been frustrating because so much is riding on the team’s performance. What happens to the driver, what happens with the sponsors, and ultimately what happens to the team all hinges on one season. Unfortunately that situation has become the reality for most race teams these days. NASCAR has never been more ‘what have you done for me lately’ than it currently is.

Sponsorship dollars are so hard to come by in this economy that even championship caliber drivers like Matt Kenseth are struggling to put a full season together. It seems to me like it’s an unfair amount of pressure to put these race teams under. And it’s even worse when your driver is the type of athlete who takes the weight of the entire team on his shoulders.

Unfortunately, as fans there really isn’t anything we can do to help our drivers anymore. It used to be the case that fans could spend money with their drivers’ sponsors, on merchandise bearing the sponsor’s logos, and that would convince sponsors to stick with that driver. But now it seems like no amount of support that fans show their driver is good enough to convince sponsors to stay in place.

I’ve spearheaded all kinds of support campaigns for AJ over the years, and I’ll continue to do so because it’s my way of showing that I’ve got my driver’s back – that my belief in his ability hasn’t wavered. But it’s just a regrettable circumstance that my support no longer helps to lessen the pressure on him or his team. Sponsor’s decisions on whether to stay or go seem to be arbitrary and unaffected by what fans want.

So that’s why this season has been the worst ever. Because even though 90% of the #22 team’s finishes aren’t AJ’s fault, this season still seemingly hangs on his shoulders. And as a fan of his all I can do is sit back and hope for the best. I’ve tried ten different lucky shirts and followed specific pre-race rituals in the hopes of bringing him good fortune, all to no avail. At this point all I can do is be a fan ... a very frustrated fan.

Charlotte Race Recap

Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver AJ Allmendinger finished 33rd in tonight’s Coca-Cola 600 here at Charlotte Motor Speedway after braking system problems relegated him to the garage for lengthy repairs. Allmendinger completed 361 of the 400 laps and fell to 24th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings after 12 races have been put into the 2012 record books.

“I really don’t know what to say,” crew chief Todd Gordon said on the team radio when the race concluded. For Allmendinger, Gordon and the No. 22 Penske Racing Team, it was just another chapter of the bad luck that has plagued the team so far this season.

“We’re bound to turn it around soon and I can’t think of a better place to do that than next weekend at Dover,” Gordon said back at the team transporter as the crews began loading their race cars. “It was a hub failure and we know that. We’ll take all the parts we removed from the car when we had the problem and see if we can figure out exactly what happened.

“We’re headed to VIR (Virginia International Raceway) on Tuesday to do some road course testing and we’ll be back at it full force next Friday at Dover,” Gordon added. “AJ has said that Dover is his favorite race track. He’s excited about going there and we’re really looking forward to next weekend.”

Allmendinger started 11th in tonight’s race and encountered a tight-handling Dodge Charger early into the race. The team used air pressure, wedge and track bar adjustments that offered little relief, but were hoping the changing track conditions might eventually see things come their way.

Allmendinger leveled off running between the 12-18 positions and was shown as 15th when he radioed that something was drastically wrong with his brake pedal. He was able to get the car to the inside and hit pit road as he completed Lap 172. The team went under the hood and took the left-front wheel off.

A hub problem was diagnosed and the team was forced to push the car backwards down pit road and into the garage. When the damage prevented the wheel to turn at all, a rolling jack had to be placed under it in order to get the car back to the garage stall to make repairs.

The team replaced the left-front hub and all the components and Allmendinger returned to the race running 36th and 38 laps down to the leaders. He had to just ride it out to the finish, coming home 33rd.

Kasey Kahne proved to have the fastest car down the stretch as he drove his Quaker State Chevrolet to a 4.295-second victory over runner-up Denny Hamlin. Kyle Busch finished third, with Greg Biffle fourth and Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski fifth. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards completed the top-nine drivers who finished all the laps. Matt Kenseth finished 10th, running one lap down.

With 264 points, Allmendinger is 24th in the Sprint Cup point standings. He is 108 behind 10th-place Edwards and 66 points behind 15th-place Kahne. He trails 20th-place Marcos Ambrose by 23 points. Teammate Keselowski is currently 11th in the standings with 368 points.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series now heads to Dover International Speedway, the “Monster Mile,” for next Sunday’s running of the FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks.

This weekend’s Dover International Speedway action gets under way on Friday with practice set from 11:00 a.m. till 12:25 p.m. (live on Speed-TV) and from 2:45 p.m. till 4:15 p.m. Qualifying for all 43 starting positions is set for Saturday at 12:10 p.m. (live on Speed-TV & MRN Radio). Sunday’s 400 lap/400 mile battle is scheduled to get the green flag at approximately 1:00 p.m. EDT. Race No. 13 of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule will feature live coverage by FOX-TV and MRN Radio.

Credit - Penske Racing PR

Charlotte Qualifying Report

After claiming the pole for last week’s Sprint Showdown here at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver AJ Allmendinger returned to the track today looking to win the pole for Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600. However, his qualifying lap of 28.372 seconds (190.328 mph) was only fast enough to claim the 11th starting spot and now his Todd Gordon-led team’s full focus is getting their No. 22 Dodge Charger dialed in for the race.

“We’ve just got to keep working on it,” Allmendinger said after the qualifying session had concluded. “The car is not bad. It’s got a lot of speed in it, obviously. You kind of get spoiled last week with our Dodge being so good so we’ve got to keep working on it. It’s not far off. There are a lot of good qualities about it but I’m a little bit disappointed to end where we did. That was a good lap for Aric (pole-winner Aric Almirola), but I really thought that we could have a chance at it

“We’ve been fighting too loose all day,” Dinger said. “(I) Fought it in my last qualifying run and my last practice run it was really bad, it was really loose, and it was loose again. The good qualities about the cars, if we can keep them and get the rear in the racetrack, I think we’ll be just as fast as last week. We’ve just got to keep working on it.”

Almirola picked up the Coors Light Pole Award here tonight with his fast lap of 27.988 seconds (192.940 mph). Marcos Ambrose made it an all Richard Petty Motorsports front row by taking the outside-front-row spot with a lap of 28.184 seconds (191.598 mph). Jimmie Johnson (lap of 28.217 seconds/191.374 mph), Greg Biffle (28.234 seconds/191.259 mph) and Clint Bowyer (28.243 seconds/191.198 mph) rounded out the top-five qualifiers.

Mark Martin, Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin, Paul Menard and Regan Smith completed the top-10. Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski starts the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge from the 24th spot (qualifying lap of 28.591 seconds/188.871 mph).

Dinger knows the importance of getting his Dodge dialed in here in Saturday’s practice sessions.

“The way these green flags have run so much that you’ve got to be spot-on from the start of the race,” AJ said. “Even in a long 600-mile race like this if there’s not a lot of yellow flags you can find yourself a couple of laps down really quick and that makes for a long night. But I don’t think we’re going to have worry about that. I think we’ve got enough speed in the car. We just have to keep fine-tuning it. The biggest problem is that none of the practice sessions are really relevant for what time we race. We’ll go back to the drawing board and luckily we’re not far off. I’m more disappointed about not having a chance at the pole but I think we’re close. We’ll keep talking and they’ve got a full day to come up with some magic and then we’ll be ready on Saturday.”

There is no action scheduled here at CMS on Friday. Saturday’s schedule calls for practice from 10:00 a.m. till 10:55 a.m. (live on Speed-TV) and from 1:00 p.m. till 2:00 p.m. (live on Speed-TV). Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 (400 laps, 600 miles) on the 1.5-mile quad-oval track is scheduled to get the green flag just after 6:00 p.m. The Coca-Cola 600 will feature live coverage by FOX-TV and PRN Radio beginning at 5:00 p.m. EDT.

Credit - Penske Racing PR

Charlotte Race Preview

Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver AJ Allmendinger is looking forward to this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The 600-mile, 400-lap battle at CMS is the longest race on the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule. Some consider it NASCAR version of an endurance race.

One thing is for sure and that’s if any driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup garage knows about endurance racing, it’s Allmendinger. After all, the Dinger was extremely impressive during his final stint at the wheel in winning February’s 50th anniversary Rolex 24 at Daytona for Michael Shank Racing.

“It’s the toughest race we run in NASCAR and you really want to give it your very best lap after lap,” Allmendinger said of the Coca-Cola 600. “The race is 400 laps around a mile-and-a-half track and it’s a challenge to stay on top of the changing track conditions. The crew has to be on their game, making the right adjustments and giving you great pit stops. It’s definitely a case of putting a complete race together.

“Obviously running 600 miles is a lot different than last weekend’s 40-lap Sprint Showdown and the segments that made up 90 laps in the All Star Race. But based on the way we ran last weekend, I think it’s safe to say that we are very capable of having success at Charlotte this weekend and in our 1.5-mile program in general. I really think we learned a lot of things about the car last weekend that we can apply to this weekend’s race.”

Allmendinger has enjoyed recent success on the 1.5-mile CMS quad-oval track and hopes to keep it going in this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600. He was quite impressive there last weekend, claiming the pole for the Sprint Showdown and charging back to finish second after having a flat tire just as the field was coming to the green.

Dinger started second and finished fifth in last year’s Coca-Cola 600 and returned to start fourth and finish seventh in last October’s Bank of America 500.

AJ had the third-best average finish in the two 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Charlotte Motor Speedway (a 6.0 average finish). Only Kevin Harvick (3.5) and then-teammate Marcos Ambrose (5.5) had better average finishes.

No driver had a better average starting spot. Dinger had a 3.0 average starting position in 2011 CMS Sprint Cup action. Carl Edwards also had a 3.0 average start, while Jimmie Johnson was third (7.5).

Allmendinger started on the outside pole for last year’s edition of the Coca-Cola 600, clocking in with a lap of 28.170 seconds (191.693 mph). That was just shy of current Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski’s Coors Light Pole Award-winning lap of 28.112 seconds (192.089 mph). Dinger was even faster in claiming the pole for last Saturday night’s Sprint Showdown with his lap of 28.057 seconds (192.465 mph).

Dinger recalled his run to the fifth-place finish in last year’s Coca-Cola 600. Harvick came home the winner in the race after Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran out of fuel in the fourth turn on the final lap. Jimmie Johnson’s blown engine in the waning laps forced a green-white-checkered finish and extended the distance to 402 laps (603 miles).

“Our fuel mileage wasn’t that good, so that whole last run we were saving,” AJ recalled. “It was funny because the fuel numbers kept changing because we were 10 laps short, then we were two laps short, and then we were gonna run out coming to the checkered. At that point, I was happy when it stayed green and we made it on fuel. On that last restart we came in and were just hanging out that point. We just hoped we didn’t get into guys that were running out of fuel. I had a great restart and split the middle. The 31 (Jeff Burton) just completely ran out and the 99 (Carl Edwards) got into him. I checked up and it was pretty insane.”

Crew chief Todd Gordon said that last weekend’s performance by his team in the non-points racing provided valuable information that can be used in Sunday’s battle when the precious points are on the line.

“Racing in the Showdown and in the All-Star Race gave us an idea of what to expect as for the track conditions and the mood swings it goes through as it gets later into the night,” Gordon offered. “We’ll be racing from just after 6 p.m. till well after 11 o’clock and we understand better about what kind of adjustability we’ll need. Last weekend was great all around for AJ and our Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Team. We are all pumped up and ready to see how competitive we can be in the Coca-Cola 600.”

In 10 career Sprint Cup starts at Charlotte, Allmendinger has one top-five finish, two top-10s and one DNF. He has completed 89.263 percent of possible laps (3,126 of 3,502) and has led a total of 11 laps. Overall, he has a 21.5 average start and an identical 21.5 average finish.

Allmendinger, Gordon and crew will be racing their “PRS-825” Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger in this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 action at Charlotte. This is a brand new car in the No. 22 Penske Racing Team stable of Dodge Chargers. The “PRS-814” chassis will serve as the backup. It is a new Dodge Charger and has yet to make it onto a race track.

The Coca-Cola 600 weekend gets under way on Thursday with practice set from 3:30 p.m. till 5:00 p.m. (live on Speed-TV). Qualifying for all 43 starting positions is set for Thursday at 7:10 p.m. (live on Speed-TV & PRN Radio). There is no action scheduled at the track on Friday. Saturday’s schedule calls for practice from 10:00 a.m. till 10:55 a.m. (live on Speed-TV) and from 1:00 p.m. till 2:00 p.m. (live on Speed-TV). Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 (400 laps, 600 miles) on the 1.5-mile quad-oval track is scheduled to get the green flag just after 6:00 p.m. The Coca-Cola 600 will feature live coverage by FOX-TV and PRN Radio beginning at 5:00 p.m. EDT.

Credit - Penske Racing PR

Charlotte Notes of Interest

--AJ Allmendinger and his Todd Gordon-led Penske Racing No. 22 Team will be racing their “PRS-825” Shell-Pennzoil Dodge Charger in this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600 action at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This is a brand new car in the No. 22 Penske Racing Team stable of Dodge Chargers. The “PRS-814” chassis will serve as the backup. It is a new Dodge Charger and has yet to make it onto a race track.

--Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver AJ Allmendinger knows what to expect in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600. The 600-mile, 400-lap battle at CMS is the longest race on the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule. Some consider it NASCAR version of an endurance race. “It’s the toughest race we run in NASCAR and you really want to give it your very best lap after lap,” Allmendinger said. “The race is 400 laps around a mile-and-a-half track and it’s a challenge to stay on top of the changing track conditions. The crew has to be on their game, making the right adjustments and giving you great pit stops. It’s definitely a case of putting a complete race together.”

--Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver AJ Allmendinger has enjoyed recent success on the 1.5-mile CMS quad-oval track and hopes to keep it going in this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600. He was quite impressive there last weekend, claiming the pole for the Sprint Showdown (lap of 28.057 seconds/192.465 mph) and charging back to finish second after having a flat tire just as the field was coming to the green. “Obviously running 600 miles is a lot different than last weekend’s 40-lap Sprint Showdown and the segments that made up 90 laps in the All Star Race,” Dinger said. “But based on the way we ran last weekend, I think it’s safe to say that we are very capable of having success at Charlotte this weekend and in our 1.5-mile program in general. I really think we learned a lot of things about the car last weekend that we can apply to this weekend’s race.”

--Shell-Pennzoil Dodge crew chief Todd Gordon said it is correct to label Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 as an “endurance race,” but maybe not for the reasons you might think. “It’s an endurance race, but it’s a different kind of endurance than it was years ago,” Gordon said. “The cars, engines and chassis components we are racing today can withstand 600 miles of hard racing. The endurance factor now is a matter of staying on top of the changing track conditions throughout the race. We start the race just after six o’clock and race on into the night. The team that wins will have endured all the mood swings throughout the race and will have been able to make the right adjustments.”

--Shell-Pennzoil Dodge crew chief Todd Gordon said the additional 100 miles in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 can be a test of a driver’s staying power. “That’s one thing that we never have to worry about,” said Gordon. “AJ is in the greatest physical condition possible. He knows how to prepare for these races, eating the right things and staying hydrated. If it comes down to the final 100 miles and stamina comes into play, AJ will be one of the strongest guys out there.”

--Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver AJ Allmendinger had the third-best average finish in the two 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup races at Charlotte Motor Speedway (a 6.0 average finish). Only Kevin Harvick (3.5) and then-teammate Marcos Ambrose (5.5) had better average finishes. No driver had a better average starting spot. Dinger had a 3.0 average starting position in 2011 CMS Sprint Cup action. Carl Edwards also had a 3.0 average start, while Jimmie Johnson was third (7.5).

--Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver AJ Allmendinger recalled his run to the fifth-place finish in last year’s Coca-Cola 600. Harvick came home the winner in the race after Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran out of fuel in the fourth turn on the final lap. Jimmie Johnson’s blown engine in the waning laps forced a green-white-checkered finish and extended the distance to 402 laps (603 miles). “Our fuel mileage wasn’t that good, so that whole last run we were saving,” AJ said. “It was funny because the fuel numbers kept changing because we were 10 laps short, then we were two laps short, and then we were gonna run out coming to the checkered. At that point, I was happy when it stayed green and we made it on fuel. On that last restart we came in and were just hanging out that point. We just hoped we didn’t get into guys that were running out of fuel. I had a great restart and split the middle. The 31 (Jeff Burton) just completely ran out and the 99 (Carl Edwards) got into him. I checked up and it was pretty insane.”

--In 10 career Sprint Cup starts at Charlotte, Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver Allmendinger has one top-five finish, two top-10s and one DNF. He has completed 89.263 percent of possible laps (3,126 of 3,502) and has led a total of 11 laps. Overall, he has a 21.5 average start and an identical 21.5 average finish.

Credit - Penske Racing PR

Showdown Post-Race Transcript

AJ Allmendinger (No. 22 Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T)
Finished 2nd
“I can’t believe the luck of this race team (smiles). A flat tire before we come to green, I mean, we’ve got to do something to change our luck up, that’s unbelievable. The car was so fast. I mean, once we pitted and got back into the lead there, I was pulling away from Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) and I just knew the car was fast. I’m not going to give up on these guys. They work too hard; they deserve to be in this race. I knew if I got to his bumper (Jamie McMurray) I was going to move him the heck out of the way because I wanted to be in this race.”

COMMENT ON THE LAST 20 LAPS. “Man, to get a flat tire coming to the green. I don’t know if we’ve got to sacrifice a goat or what I need to do or what I’ve done wrong to somebody to keep having the bad luck. These guys deserve to be in this race and I just wanted to get them there. I gave it everything I had for 20 laps.”

YOU FOLLOWED JAMIE MCMURRAY LAP AFTER LAP AND FINALLY GOT BY HIM. “The Pennzoil Dodge was so fast. I got a flat tire coming to the green. I’m not sure what we’re doing wrong. I mean, he just had to get off the bottom. I was just aero-tight behind him. I was so much quicker than him (but) I was just aero-tight. Jamie is good and he knows how to get around this place. He kept making sure that he got the good exit shots and finally he just got off the bottom a little bit and at that point I wasn’t going to lift. I didn’t care if we all wrecked, if I got into him or what. These guys on this Pennzoil Dodge, this Penske organization, they belong in this race and they deserve it more than I do. I was going to do everything I could to get ‘em in or I was going to die trying.”


MEDIA CENTER INTERVIEW

HOW DID YOU MAKE YOUR WAY UP THROUGH THE FIELD AFTER THE FLAT TIRE EARLY? “A fast race car. I couldn’t believe we had a flat tire coming to the green. Guys did a good job to do left-sides and get me back out there before I got lapped. From there, the car was so fast I could see that I was pulling away from Dale when he was behind me and at that point I knew at least we had a shot at it. We needed to get to that 20 laps and do everything we could and after that I think I was one of the few cars that had four tires. The car was just fast. Twenty laps is a short amount of time to get there and I just gave everything I had. If I didn’t make it I didn’t want it to be for lack of trying. Everybody at this organization, especially on the 22 car, they’re used to winning, they’re used to being in this race and I wasn’t going to let ‘em down. I was going to do everything I could to get in there. I was going to wreck trying.”

WHEN YOU REALIZE YOU’VE GOT THE FLAT TIRE AND YOU HAVE TO PIT BEFORE THE RACE STARTS, HOW ARE YOU NOT READY TO SAY YOUR NIGHT IS OVER? “Ten races of bad luck, getting used to it. At that point it is what it is. You can’t do anything. I was shaking the car around just trying to warm the tires up and Todd Gordon (crew chief), he was on it because he saw it from the pit box and asked if I had a tire low as we were coming to one to go. And at that point I really started shaking the car around and I could feel that it was flat. Really the first five or six laps of the green flag run made me feel good ‘cause I could see that I was driving away from Dale. At that point at least I knew we had a fast car. Whether we had time to get there on a restart or not, I just knew we had time. We had a fast car and that’s all you can ask for at that point and then it was just getting aggressive. You know at the point I didn’t care if I wrecked. I mean I was going to do everything I could to get there. You know Jamie is one of the best, especially around this place. He knew I was quicker. I was way quicker and I knew once I cleared him it was game over. We were a little bit free on the first run so we tightened it up and I was just a little bit tight anyway so when I got behind him I was aero-tight. He was good. I could roll a ton of speed on him in to the corner but he could get the thing just pointed good enough off that I could never get to his bumper to get him up out of the way. And coming with two to go he got into one and he missed the bottom just a little bit and at that point that was my only shot. I got in the middle of the corner and just held it wide open. I didn’t care if I bounced off of him or we both wrecked. I figured we practiced last week wrecking together so I wasn’t scared to do it again.”

Credit - SRT Motorsports PR

Showdown & All-Star Race Recap

Pennzoil Dodge driver AJ Allmendinger may have provided the most excitement during the entire night here for the 2012 Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Dinger’s impressive run to a runner-up finish in the preliminary Sprint Showdown saw him advance into the “big show” and will likely be what many fans remember most of the evening.

Allmendinger won the pole for tonight’s Showdown in yesterday’s qualifying and was at the point with one lap before the green flag was displayed. However, a flat left-front tire forced him to hit pit road as the field came down the frontstretch to start the first of two 20-lap segments. He was able to take on two left-side tires and emerge from the pits four seconds in front of the leaders.

AJ maintained his composure and rode out the first 20-lap segment running just three seconds in front of leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. Still in the lead lap, he was able to scamper on back around the track and join the rear of the field. Crew chief Todd Gordon made the call for Dinger to hit pit road for four tires and a wedge adjustment.

The top-seven cars did not pit before the start of the final 20-lap segment and Allmendinger lined up 10th in the running order. The Pennzoil Dodge driver put on an amazing display of his driving talent during the run to the finish. Dinger was up to sixth with 17 laps remaining and fourth with 15 to go.

Earnhardt had jumped to a huge lead at the beginning of the segment and Jamie McMurray had distanced himself from the pack and was running second. Dinger took the third spot from Martin Truex Jr. with nine laps remaining and managed to chase McMurray down. He cleared the No. 1 car with a lap remaining and closed to within 2.3 seconds of Earnhardt at the finish.

Earnhardt and Allmendinger earned the transfer spots into the All-Star Race, but either could have gained entry if needed by the special fan vote. Earnhardt gathered the most votes and Dinger was second. With both drivers racing into the show, Bobby Labonte was able to advance due to getting the third most votes.

The All-Star Race format featured four 20-lap segments, followed by a 10-lap dash for the $1 million winner’s prize. The winners of each 20-lap segment lined up first through fourth for a mandatory trip to pit road prior to the final 10-lap run to the checkers.

Jimmie Johnson won the first segment, Matt Kenseth claimed the second, Brad Keselowski won the third and Earnhardt took the fourth. Johnson, Kenseth and Keselowski took advantage of a caution late in the fourth segment to pit for fresh tires. That eliminated their need for doing anything other than a stop-and-go during the mandatory trip down pit road.

Allmendinger started 22nd in the first segment and finished 12th. He would pit for four tires after every segment. He started 14th and finished fifth in the second segment. Dinger started 11th and finished fourth in the third segment. He started fourth and finished third in the fourth segment.

Knowing they didn’t have a shot at winning unless they rolled the dice and went with four tires, that’s the option Allmendinger, Gordon and team took during the final trip to pit road.

Johnson was first on the final restart, with Kenseth second, Keselowski third and Earnhardt fourth. Dinger lined up 15th in the order.

The expected fireworks during the final 10-lap dash never materialized and was run caution-free. At the checkers, it was Johnson picking up his third career All-Star Race win by 0.841 seconds over Keselowski. Kenseth finished third, with Kyle Busch fourth and Earnhardt fifth. Allmendinger was able to advance four positions during the final segment to finish 11th.

“Winning those first three segments was everything because you could just ride around from there and focus on the final 10 laps,” Allmendinger offered after his long night on the track. “Our Pennzoil Dodge was fast. We tried to get the win in that fourth segment. We didn’t have a chance in the final segment against those teams with fresh tires. So, on the mandatory stop before the final 10 laps, we decided to take four tires and if something happened up front, it would give us a chance. It didn’t happen.

“Overall, the Pennzoil Dodge was fast all night. I can honestly say, by far, that’s the most fun I’ve ever had in a Cup car. It was fun. We showed that we were fast and have some good notes for next week.

“I’m proud of everybody and feel like I drove really well. The pit stops were awesome. Our team was really good tonight. Look on the stat sheet and it says 11th, but more importantly, we were fast and we showed we can come back next week and win this thing.”

“We needed to win that fourth segment or finish second so we could be behind the four segment winners coming to pit road for the mandatory pit stop,” crew chief Gordon said. “We ended up third and would have rolled off fifth in the final segment, but everybody in front of us had fresher tires. This race is about winning. So, the opportunity to take four tires was the decision. If a caution had happened like it normally does in these All-Star races, we would have been in good positions because now we had better tires than the rest of the field.

“I thought it was an awesome job by A.J. and the entire Pennzoil Dodge pit crew,” Gordon added. “We showed up and didn’t think we were that good. Our guys worked on the car through practice and tonight, we ended up passing a lot of race cars. That flat tire in the Showdown, it speaks to where our luck has been this year. We just dug back. A.J. dug in and we came from the back to the front. I’m proud of everyone for what we accomplished tonight.”

The NASCAR Sprint Cup tour heads back to Charlotte Motor Speedway next weekend for the longest race on the circuit, the 600-mile Coca-Cola 600. Action gets under way on Thursday with practice set from 3:30 p.m. till 5:00 p.m. (live on Speed-TV). Qualifying for all 43 starting positions is set for Thursday at 7:10 p.m. (live on Speed-TV & PRN Radio). There is no action scheduled at the track on Friday. Saturday’s schedule calls for practice from 10:00 a.m. till 10:55 a.m. (live on Speed-TV) and from 1:00 p.m. till 2:0 p.m. (live on Speed-TV). Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 (400 laps, 600 miles) on the 1.5-mile quad-oval track is scheduled to get the green flag just after 6:00 p.m. The Coca-Cola 600 will feature live coverage by FOX-TV and PRN Radio beginning at 5:00 p.m. EDT.

Credit - Penske Racing PR

All-Star Showdown Pole Winner Transcript

AJ Allmendinger (No. 22 Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T)
Qualified 1st “That was a good lap. More than anything the car just stuck to the racetrack. I was letting it free up off it, so it wasn’t anything scary. You know, we struggled a little bit in practice. The Pennzoil Dodge had speed in it but wasn’t really comfortable so Todd Gordon (crew chief) and the guys went to work. When you’ve got an impound race like this you’ve got to come up with a good race setup and just throw the qualifying areas at it. The car was really good, good starting spot, but we’ve got 40 hard laps to get in this thing (All-Star race).”

YOU HAVE BEEN FAST HERE ALL DAY. “Yeah, it was kind of an interesting day. Our Dodge had speed in it, but I never really felt comfortable with it. Just trying to figure out what areas we needed to work on. That was the problem; we kind of fought every area at one point. Todd Gordon and the guys, they went to work and we tried to come together and put all the notes we had from the practice session. The car was perfect in qualifying. Forty hard laps tomorrow and we’ll see what we have.”

YOU HAVE TWO SHORT RUNS IN THE SHOWDOWN TOMORROW NIGHT. IS THAT UNUSUAL TO PREPARE FOR IN PRACTICE THAN WHAT YOU DO ON A NORMAL RACE WEEKEND? “You still need the car to be good in a decently-sized run. You’ve really got to figure out if you’re going to pit or not. If you’re not, you’re really going to have to save those tires. We’ll see, but I was happy with the lap. Hopefully, with the impound race, we’ve got everything that we need for a good run tomorrow and, at least, gives us the best shot at this thing that we can get.”

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THE LAP? “The Pennzoil Dodge was fast. The car was perfect in qualifying. It was as good as the lap could get. I was kind of hoping when I came across the line that it was a good lap ‘cause if it wasn’t, I didn’t know what else to do because that was pretty solid. Just a little bit of a struggle today early on trying to figure out what we needed; was never really comfortable with the car. Todd Gordon and the guys did a good job to come up with something good, especially being an impound race. You’re going to need this car to be good in race trim since we’re not really going to get to adjust on it. A good starting spot and hopefully we can run 40 solid laps and get this thing in the show (All-Star race).”

WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU STAND FOR THE FAN VOTE? “I think we’re right there, now how close right there is I don’t know. With that said, I think that everybody needs to keep voting for me. We need all the help we can get. I’ll do sad face, happy face, whatever face you need to get me in. Hopefully, in the end, we don’t need that. Hopefully, we race our way in like I want to.”

MEDIA CENTER INTERVIEW

“For me it was a perfect lap. I felt in practice we struggled a little bit just trying to figure out what the car needed. Todd Gordon and the guys put together a good setup and I felt like that was as perfect as I could run a lap. Obviously with a short race, track position is going to be everything. The car felt good. Being an impound race, that’s a good sign for tomorrow. It’s going to be a tough race. We’ve got to be smart at that pit stop trying to figure out whether we’re going to pit or not. It’s really going to be determined by how the car is the first 20 laps. So far so good. Just happy to put the car up front and at least have a good shot at this thing.”

TWO WEEKS AGO ROGER PENSKE SAID HE REALLY LIKED THE WAY YOUR RACE TEAM IS GOING. DO YOU FEEL LIKE IF THINGS HAD GONE A DIFFERENT WAY HERE OR THERE THAT YOUR RESULTS WOULD HAVE LOOKED A LOT DIFFERENT? “I think the good thing is that we’ve had a lot of speed pretty much everywhere we’ve went. And even when we do struggle, our struggle is I would say 15th to 17th-place speed. The cars have been really fast. Obviously, it’s been showing all year. Brad (Keselowski) winning a couple races and us qualifying up front and running up front. It’s hard to look at the points and look at the results and take positives out of it. Ultimately this is more competitive than I’ve ever been. I’m up front a lot more than I’ve ever been, qualifying a lot better. The results, for whatever reason, whether it’s our own failures or last week getting caught up in a wreck that we had nothing to do with, it’s just the way it is. It’s the way this sport can be sometimes. Jeff Gordon is the same way right now. I forget it’s only my 10th race with the team, it’s only the 10th race for Todd Gordon ever crew chiefing the Cup car. Once we kind of get everything together and we can put a full race in, I feel like we’ll have a chance to win a lot of races. The toughest thing is just looking at those points. You know Roger, when it comes to a team owner, it’s the best I’ve ever had especially just knowing what it’s all about, knowing how this sport is and having patience. I’m the one up there (saying) we’ve got to go now and he’s the one like ‘It’s okay, we’ll be fine.’ When you have a team owner like that and an organization around you that says that, it makes it a little bit easier.”

FIRST-PLACE IN THE ALL-STAR RACE PAYS $1 MILLION. CAN YOU SPEAK TO WHAT THE FIGURE MEANS TO A DRIVER? “Yeah, I mean, I’m not speaking for anybody else, but for me, that number, I don’t even think about it. To me, it’s the prestige of trying to win the All-Star race. You’re not going to sit here and say the money doesn’t matter or doesn’t affect you. It’s always nice to have extra cash in your pocket but at the same point, when it comes to the All-Star race, the money is the last thing that is the reason why I want to win it. I just want to win it because I’d love to be able to be an All-Star champion for that night. When you win the All-Star race, you’re the best of the best. Everybody had everything out there; everybody laid it on the line. There was no holding back. That’s what makes this race so much fun. It’s not about points, it’s not about holding back. Everybody is giving everything that they have in those segments and if you can beat ‘em, then you’re the best that night. That’s something that would be pretty amazing to have. The first step is I’ve got to get through 40 laps tomorrow and get to that point. Hopefully we can do that and have a chance. I feel like we have a fast enough car. If we get in the All-Star race, we’ll have a chance at the thing.”

WOULD A WIN IN THE SHOWDOWN STILL BE A WIN IN YOUR BOOK? “Of course. You know there’s still fast guys in there. You look at (Martin) Truex and (Dale Earnhardt) Jr. You can argue that’s two of the best guys in the Sprint Cup Series and they’re in the Showdown. To go win the thing, it’s always nice to get a victory even if it’s not against everybody but more importantly, to win the thing you have a chance to go win the important one. I got the win in ’08 and it’s an amazing feeling. Everybody on this race car, everybody with this organization, my pit crew, my road crew, everybody back at the shop, they deserve to have this car in the All-Star race so I’m going to do everything I can. Hopefully, we have a chance at the end of 40 laps to get in the show and if we do that, then we’ll have a fun night.”