There are several NASCAR Cup Series drivers who deserve better rides. AJ Allmendinger is one of them. Will he ever get a ride with a top-tier team?
AJ Allmendinger, 35, has spent several seasons in both the NASCAR Cup Series and in IndyCar. While he has 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, so it stands to reason why he hasn’t been a regular contender for race wins.
Allmendinger’s Cup Series career started back in the 2006 season when he drove for Team Red Bull. However, he failed to qualify for the two races he entered that season. The following season, he continued driving for Team Red Bull, but again, he struggled in qualifying, failing to qualify for 19 of the 36 races on the schedule.
In 2008, Allmendinger moved on from Team Red Bull and began driving 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 extremely impressive, especially given the fact that he wasn’t driving for a top-tier organization.
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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 324 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. Much of his success has come in his five seasons as a driver for JTG Daugherty Racing. Half of his top 5 finishes and his lone Cup Series victory have come in that time.
So far this season, Allmendinger’s 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 best drivers who is not currently driving for a top-tier team.
He currently sits in 27th place in the championship standings, which is actually higher than one driver who currently drives for one of NASCAR’s top-tier teams. That driver is Danica Patrick, who sits in 28th as a driver for Stewart-Haas Racing. Hopefully Allmendinger gets the opportunity to drive for one of NASCAR’s top teams before he calls it a career. After all, he is 35 years old, which isn’t exactly young by Cup Series standards.
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