NASCAR: A.J. Allmendinger is a Week Late, 2 Points Short

By ryanpritt on October 11, 2014

While chaos was wreaking havoc on many of the favorites still left in the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup, A.J. Allmendinger quietly avoided trouble and came in with a solid 11th-place finish Sunday at Kansas Speedway. But for Allmendinger, that type of day was one week too late.

Allmendinger and the No. 47 car simply whiffed on the setup at Dover International Speedway the week prior, leaving him to scratch and claw just to come home 23rd. Unfortunately for him, most of the other drivers in the Chase avoided disaster and by the end of the day, he was two points short of the cutoff line, leaving him on the outside looking in as one of four drivers eliminated as the Challenger Round gave way to the Contender Round.

With Aric Almirola being the victim of engine problems at the first Chase race at Chicago and then limping home 28th at Dover, NASCAR’s two true Cinderellas were both eliminated on one sunny afternoon in Delaware. It seems like an especially bitter blow for Allmendinger now after Sunday’s solid run at Kansas as he would have undoubtedly been in good shape in this round.

Consider that favorites Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Brad Keselowski all had problems on Sunday and all currently reside under the cut line with two races left in the round. That includes Talladega Superspeedway looming a week from Sunday as teams’ last chance of making the field of eight as the Eliminator Round begins. Talladega has been the wild card in the Chase for years and in this year’s new format, it may be even more so.

In this year’s first race at the 2.66-mile tri-oval, Allmendinger came home with a fifth-place finish. As for Johnson, Earnhardt Jr. and Keselowski? The trio came home 23rd, 26th, and 38th, respectively. It’s a track built for underdogs where drivers like David Ragan can win (see May 2013) and drivers like Tony Stewart can finish last (see May 2014).

History suggests Allmendinger could and should be in the mix for at least a top-10 finish once the Contender Round reaches its final destination in a little over a week, provided that he avoids trouble. If not for two measly points at Dover, he could still be mashing the gas pedal with a glass slipper on once there.

Ryan Pritt is a NASCAR writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @RPritt or add him to your network on Google.