Allmendinger needs a win for berth in postseason
Fortunately, The Glen has been good to him
Three years ago, AJ Allmendinger didn’t want the second Sunday in August to end, so he lingered in Victory Lane at Watkins Glen International to soak in the atmosphere with his crew.
The victory on the road course in Watkins Glen, New York, stamped Allmendinger as a threat to win every time NASCAR’S Cup series visits the two twisting layouts.
With playoffs looming, he’s 27th in points and needs a victory to make the postseason as the series stops at The Glen, his best shot left to produce that needed result.
If there’s any added pressure, he says he doesn’t feel it.
“No pressure, man. Honestly,” said Allmendinger, who drives the No. 47 Chevrolet for JTG Daugherty Racing. “I think the outside world tries to put pressure on it.”
That victory in 2014 came in Allmendinger’s 213rd Cup start, and he did it by winning a two-lap duel at the end with Marcos Ambrose.
Ambrose had been dominant in NASCAR’S top two series at The Glen, winning two straight Cup races and four straight events in the second-tier Xfinity series.
Sunday’s I Love New York 355 at The Glen is the second straight Cup race with a condensed schedule. Teams won’t practice until Saturday, and qualifying is three hours before Sunday’s race.
Gaughan savors schedule
If Las Vegas native Brendan Gaughan qualifies for the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoff, the month of August likely will play a large part in his success.
Three of the next four Xfinity races are on road courses, broken up only by a short-track event at Bristol.
Saturday’s Zippo 200 at The Glen, followed by trips to Mid-ohio (Aug. 12) and Road America (Aug. 27, after Bristol) are the events that have Gaughan’s attention.
In qualifying for last year’s playoff, Gaughan finished eighth at Watkins Glen and Mid-ohio before posting a runner-up finish at Road America. The latter two races were settled in the rain.
“Everybody knows I love me my road racing,” said Gaughan, who drives the No. 62 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. “I circle this month at the start of the season and say, ‘This is what I look forward to.’
“This month to me is one of the coolest months of racing NASCAR’S ever come up with. If it rains, that doesn’t bother me much at all. I will be very, very happy if it rains.”
Gaughan, 42, is 12th in the series standings, squarely on the playoff bubble.
Teammates set pace
Team Penske teammates Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano topped the speed charts in first and second Xfinity series practices at Watkins Glen.
Keselowski had the fastest lap at the 2.45-mile road course, running 122.200 mph in the first session. Keselowski was the lone driver to top 122 mph in either practice.
Seeking his 90th Xfinity series victory, Las Vegas native Kyle Busch was second fastest in both sessions, running a best lap at 122.586 mph in the opening session.