⏩ NASCAR notes: Missed shift a blow for Allmendinger.
“I haven’t missed a shift in probably 10 years on a road course.”
AJ Allmendinger, after he blew his engine by missing a shift
AJ Allmendinger’s day ended on the 34th lap, about a third of the way through Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.
The Los Gatos driver entered the day in 23rd place in the NASCAR Cup standings and was hoping for a shot at his first win of the season and a spot in the playoffs. He started from the fifth spot and led for five early laps. He won the race’s first stage after 25 laps.
But the road-course expert blew his engine by missing a shift going into turn 2, causing a caution.
Outside his trailer, a disconsolate Allmendinger took all the blame. “I just missed a shift,” he said. “I haven’t missed a shift in probably 10 years on a road course. It’s the best gear box that I’ve had since I’ve been here.”
He said his car was performing well. “When it happened, I was in a lot of disbelief and shock,” he said. “I wasn’t ready for it. I let everybody down on this (Kroger ClickList Chevrolet) race team.”
In nine previous races at Sonoma, he had two top-10 finishes but otherwise none better than 13th. His average finish was 22nd.
Jamie McMurray, who started fourth, also departed after 33 laps because of engine failure.
A win for “Scarface”: Cole Pearn, the crew chief for winner Martin Truex Jr., was sporting a nasty gash on his forehead — from an accident while building a tree house for his kids in Boulder, Colo.
“I wish I was fighting a bear or a cougar or something cool,” he joked when asked to explain the wound.
He and his wife were resetting a 4-by-4 corner post Thursday, and he ran into the end of it after briefly turning away.
“It went right down to my skull, bled a lot,” he said, and he needed numerous stitches.
He returned from the hospital and went back to work on the tree house until about 9 p.m. “I finished the stupid thing, so I’m glad it’s done,” he said.
Team president Joe Garone quipped, “He probably wouldn’t have made that (critical pit stop) call if he wouldn’t have been hit in the head.”
Briefly: San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane was a guest in Clint Bowyer’s pit box, and Oakland rapper MC Hammer also put in an appearance at the race … Daniel Suarez, who finished 15th, complained that Jimmie Johnson dumped him on the last lap. “I feel like we had a top-10 car,” Suarez told nascar.com. … Johnson, the seven-time Cup Series champion, finished 11th.