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NASCAR: 10 small-team drivers who deserve Danica Patrick’s ride

By Asher Fair

LOUDON, NH - JULY 14: Danica Patrick, driver of the #10 Aspen Dental Ford, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Overton's 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 14, 2017 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)
LOUDON, NH - JULY 14: Danica Patrick, driver of the #10 Aspen Dental Ford, practices for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Overton's 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 14, 2017 in Loudon, New Hampshire. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images) /
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WATKINS GLEN, NY – AUGUST 06: AJ Allmendinger, driver of the #47 Kroger ClickList Chevrolet (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
WATKINS GLEN, NY – AUGUST 06: AJ Allmendinger, driver of the #47 Kroger ClickList Chevrolet (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /

#4 – AJ Allmendinger, JTG Daugherty Racing, No. 47 Chevrolet

AJ Allmendinger, 35, is like Danica Patrick in that he has spent several seasons in both the NASCAR Cup Series and in IndyCar. While neither driver has really been anything special in the Cup Series after several solid seasons in IndyCar, Allmendinger has certainly outperformed Patrick despite the fact that he has never driven for a team as good as she has in Stewart-Haas Racing.

Allmendinger started out his Cup Series career in the 2006 season for Team Red Bull, but he failed to qualify for the two races he entered. He drove full-time for Team Red Bull the following season, but he qualified for only 17 of the 36 events on the schedule.

In the 2008 season, Allmendinger drove for Michael Waltrip Racing and Gillett Evernham Motorsports. When he finally made his first career Daytona 500 start in the 2009 season driving for Richard Petty Motorsports, the team he drove for from the 2009 season through the 2011 season, he finished in 3rd place, which is three positions higher than Patrick’s career-high finish in any Cup Series race to this day.

In the 2012 season, Allmendinger drove for Penske Racing and Phoenix Racing. He continued driving for Phoenix Racing the following season before hopping over to JTG Daugherty Racing towards the middle of the season. He has driven for JTG Daugherty Racing to this day.

In his 322 career Cup Series races, a total that is a little bit less than two times what Patrick’s total is, Allmendinger has one race win and 10 top 5 finishes to his name, two things Patrick does not have in 177 races. Allmendinger’s total of 52 top 10 finishes is also well above Patrick’s total of seven.

Thanks to a 9th place finish at Watkins Glen, Allmendinger has more top 9 finishes in the last two races than Patrick has in the last 87 events. Her top finish over those 87 races is just a 10th place effort at Dover earlier this season. The fact that she drives for a team far superior to the one he drives for and still doesn’t perform as well as he does goes to show that he is more deserving of a top-tier ride than she is.

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