AJ Allmendinger 2014 Fantasy NASCAR Preview
2013 Stats: 0 Top Fives, 1 Top Ten, Average Running Position 22.3, Average Finish 21.2, Laps Led 0, Driver Rating 67.0
Strengths- In 2014 AJ Allmendinger will be at his best on road courses. He’ll also have moderate fantasy value on shorter flat tracks like Richmond and Phoenix. Also look for him from time to time get respectable finishes at intermediate tracks.
Weaknesses- One weakness of AJ Allmendinger’s is his team. The 47 JTG Daugherty Racing team ranks as mediocre among competitive teams.
Intermediate Track Grade- B-, Intermediate track strength is what separates the contenders from the pretenders. This team is far from being contenders. A good finish for this team on this track type would be a mid teens day. Look for a typical result to be around 20th.
Flat Track Grade- B-, In 2014 AJ Allmendinger has sleeper potential at shorter flat tracks such as Phoenix and New Hampshire. At Phoenix he’s finished in the top eleven in 3 out of the last 4 races. At New Hampshire he’s finished 12th or better in 3 of the last 5 races. I expect him to be uncompetitive on the big flat tracks. In the last two races at Indy he’s finished 22nd and in the last two races at Pocono he’s finished 33rd.
Short Track Grade- B, Short tracks are skill tracks and he has the talent to keep his team in the game at these venues. At Richmond he has seven straight top 17 finishes. That includes 15th and 14th place results in 2013. At Bristol in sub par #51 equipment in 2013 he finished 13th. His next two most recent Bristol results are 17th and 12th. At Martinsville in the 47 car he finished 28th this fall. In his four previous races there he had a 9.75 average finish.
Restrictor Plate Track Grade- B-, AJ Allmendinger hasn’t had much success on restrictor plate tracks in his career. But then again anybody can get lucky from time to time at those venues. On this track type in 2013 Allmendinger only raced once and finished 35th.
Road Course Track Grade- A-, Road courses are AJ Allmendinger’s best track type. Last season in the Nationwide Series he won twice on this track type. In the Sprint Cup series he’s had success. At Watkins Glen in 2013 he finished 10th in the 47 car. From a career standpoint the Glen is arguably his best track. He has a 9.2 average finish and hasn’t had a result worse than 13th. At Infineon minus his first race he has a 10.5 average finish.
How to use AJ Allmendinger from a fantasy NASCAR perspective in 2014? In 2014 I would focus on using Allmendinger at road courses and shorter flat tracks. He’s also not a bad option on short tracks.
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