A.J. Allmendinger on Richmond: "pinnacle of what NASCAR is all about"

Allmendinger 20th or worse in past 5 Richmond races.

JTG DAUGHERTY RACING
RICHMOND RACEWAY ADVANCE

Event: Toyota Owners 400
Date/Time: Saturday, April 21 at 6:30pmET
TV Network/Radio: FOX / MRN Radio / SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90

AJ ALLMENDINGER, NO. 47 KROGER CLICKLIST CAMARO ZL1
RACING AT RICHMOND RACEWAY: 

“Richmond (Raceway) is a racetrack where the racing is tough and you have got to get the car to turn to be successful,” Allmendinger said. “Having forward bite in our No. 47 Kroger ClickList Camaro ZL1 is really important, and you can easily wear the front tires off. Over the last couple of years, the track has gotten really slick. It is a difficult task to try to find that balance of good turn, still having good forward drive and not burning the tires off. It’s a place that’s been a rough patch for our organization. We’re learning every year, and we’ll go there and try some new things and to be better.”

SHORT-TRACK SATURDAY NIGHT RACING: 

“I look at short track racing under the lights as the pinnacle of what NASCAR is all about,” Allmendinger said. “I think it’s fun. I think it’s cool the way the lights reflect off the race cars, and you get some unique paint schemes to celebrate that. The atmosphere feels like what it should be. Short track racing on a Saturday night is what NASCAR’s all about.”

CHRIS BUESCHER, NO. 37 BUSH’S BEANS CAMARO ZL1
RACING AT RICHMOND RACEWAY: 

“Richmond Raceway is a very unique racetrack that I really want to like, but I just haven’t been able to have the good runs there yet to really enjoy it,” Buescher said. “It’s a place that’s very tricky. It has two very different corners. They’ve got a big project going on in the infield to make a better experience for the fans and I’m looking forward to seeing how that’s progressing. The racetrack itself has widened out a lot over the past several races. Running from the line on the bottom of the track all the way up to the fence now, which you usually don’t see at a place as flat as Richmond. We’re all hunting grip and trying to find the places that aren’t rubbered up so bad. You can get some bite up off the corner, which makes it very interesting. I’ve been able to find that some of those lines work well for me. I just haven’t been able to put a full race together yet.”

RACING UNDER THE LIGHTS: 

“Everyone loves racing under the lights, and I’m glad to be able to do it again at Richmond,” Buescher said. “I think you go in the garage and you talk to fans, drivers and crews and everyone will tell you there’s just something better about racing under the lights on a Saturday night. It creates a better atmosphere. It cools off at night. We’re able to keep a little bit better grip through our run – which some people will argue either way on what that does for racing – but I like it. It looks spectacular. The race cars look so good on track and the lights make them so bright, especially our copper BUSH’S Beans Camaro ZL1. It’s just a different experience and you look at the Bristol (Motor Speedway) night race, the Richmond night race, and the Charlotte (Motor Speedway) race under the lights and it just has a different feel to them. People really love to gravitate towards that.”

RICHMOND RACEWAY FAST FACTS

AJ ALLMENDINGER
Career Starts: 21
Career Wins: 0
Top-5 Finishes: 0
Top-10 Finishes: 3
Laps Led: 1
Average Start: 17.9
Average Finish: 21.1

CHRIS BUESCHER
Career Starts: 4
Career Wins: 0
Top-5 Finishes: 0
Top-10 Finishes: 0
Laps Led: 0
Average Start: 27.8
Average Finish: 26.8

FAST FACTS – AJ ALLMENDINGER
Career Starts: 343
Wins: 1- 8/10/2014 Watkins Glen International
Top-fives: 10
Top-10s: 54
Pole Awards: 4
First Pole: 4/10/2010 ISM Raceway
Last Pole: 8/9/2015 Watkins Glen International
First Start: 3/25/2007 Bristol Motor Speedway
Best Start: 1st – 8/9/2015 Watkins Glen International (most recent)
Best Finish: 1st – 8/10/2014 Watkins Glen International
Driver DOB: 12/16/1981
Hometown: Los Gatos, CA
Crew Chief: Tristan Smith

FAST FACTS – CHRIS BUESCHER
Career Starts: 86
Wins: 1 – 8/1/2016 Pocono Raceway
Top-fives: 3
Top-10s: 7
Pole Awards: 0
First Start: 3/22/2015 Auto Club Speedway
Best Start: 9th – 6/25/2017 Sonoma Raceway
Best Finish: 1st – 8/1/2016 Pocono Raceway
Driver DOB: 10/29/1992
Hometown: Prosper, TX
Crew Chief: Trent Owens