Allmendinger riding Top-15 Pocono finish into Watkins Glen race weekend

In his own words, A.J. Allmendinger had an “OK day” at Pocono Raceway this past Sunday.

Allmendinger started and finished 14th, improving upon a 22nd-place effort at Pocono back in June.

“From where we were in practice, we were able to get a clean run, that first run there,” Allmendinger said. “We lost a little bit of track position on that second stage there, and kind of got shuffled.”

“We got a little lucky with those yellows, I was not great in traffic. In clean air, we were about an 18th to 20th place car, got a couple of good restarts there and maximized the day.”

This weekend, Allmendinger returns to the site of his only career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory, Watkins Glen International.

Known for his road racing prowess, Allmendinger is always a part of the conversation when the series visits a road course. Sonoma and Watkins Glen are always mentioned as two of his best chances to make the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

Unfortunately, Allmendinger had a disappointing visit to Sonoma Raceway back in June, as he lost an engine early and finished 38th. Last year, Allmendinger finished ninth at the Upstate New York circuit.

The driver of the No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet currently sits 23rd in the Points Standings, and essentially needs a win if he wants to make the 2018 Playoffs.

“I’ll just go and do my best, that’s all I can do.”

SOURCES:
Racing-Reference.info
NASCAR

DISCLAIMER: Opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.

Dominic Aragon contributed to this story