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NASCAR: 10 drivers who deserve better rides in the Cup Series

By Asher Fair

DAYTONA BEACH, FL - JULY 01: David Ragan, driver of the #38 Shriners Hospital for Chldrn 95th Annvrsry Ford, and Ty Dillon, driver of the #13 GEICO Military Chevrolet, lead the field to a restart during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 59th Annual Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway on July 1, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images)
DAYTONA BEACH, FL - JULY 01: David Ragan, driver of the #38 Shriners Hospital for Chldrn 95th Annvrsry Ford, and Ty Dillon, driver of the #13 GEICO Military Chevrolet, lead the field to a restart during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 59th Annual Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway on July 1, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Sarah Crabill/Getty Images) /
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BROOKLYN, MI – AUGUST 11: AJ Allmendinger, driver of the #47 Kroger ClickList Chevrolet (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)
BROOKLYN, MI – AUGUST 11: AJ Allmendinger, driver of the #47 Kroger ClickList Chevrolet (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images) /

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

AJ Allmendinger, 35, has spent several seasons in both the NASCAR Cup Series and in IndyCar. While he has never really been anything special in the Cup Series after several solid seasons in IndyCar, he has never driven for a top-tier team in the Cup Series.

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

In 2008, he drove for Michael Waltrip Racing and Gillett Evernham Motorsports. When he finally made his first career Daytona 500 start in 2009 driving for Richard Petty Motorsports, the team he drove for from 2009 season through 2011, he finished in 3rd place, which is solid since he wasn’t driving for a top-tier organization.

In 2012, Allmendinger drove for both Penske Racing and Phoenix Racing. He continued driving for Phoenix Racing in 2013 before making the transition to JTG Daugherty Racing towards the middle of the season. He has not left the team since.

In his 323 career Cup Series races, Allmendinger has one race win and 10 top 5 finishes to his name. He has also racked up 52 career top 10 finishes, and he has done that without driving for one of the sport’s top teams.

So far this season, his best finish is a 3rd place effort at the Daytona 500, his lone top 5 finish of the season. He has four other top 10 finishes this season and is one of the sport’s top drivers not currently driving for a top-tier team. Hopefully he gets that opportunity before he calls it a career. After all, he is 35 years old, older than every other driver on this list.

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