MARTINSVILLE, Va. – For those looking to blame adding a second car at JTG Daugherty Racing as the culprit for their lack of performance thus far in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series this season, lead driver A.J. Allmendinger says think again.
While many expected the addition of 2015 NASCAR XFINITY Series champion Chris Buescher as a teammate to Allmendinger to enhance the program, the team has struggled to fire off and maintain some early season momentum.
But, Allmendinger doesn’t blame his team owners for the lack performances, he insists the new aerodynamic package – which he admits his team is still trying to find the perfect balance may be to blame.
“I think it’s more this aero package,” Allmendinger said Friday morning at Martinsville. “For a team like ours, every time NASCAR changes the aero package it’s tough because we don’t have any wind tunnel time really. At times, we are going out there and testing and that is kind of what the last three weeks have been is really trying to test and figure out what type of set-up this aero package is. To me, at least for our race team, this package is way different than the last couple of years where they took off some downforce, but it seemed like generally, the set-up was still the same.
“This aero package seems so front heavy on downforce compared to rear even though they have taken off both ends. They have taken a lot off the rear and that is where for our race cars we have really struggled is figuring out that happy medium of still having some rear grip in the race car, but getting it to turn through the middle of the corners.”
But while Allmendinger can boast about a third-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500, his best finish in the “Great American Race,” the grind of the schedule since has seen his No. 47 Chevrolet lack the ingredients to produce anything better than a 17th place finish earned last Sunday at Auto Club (Calif.) Speedway.
“Every car has been brand new,” he said. “It’s not like we are using older stuff because we brought in a second car. Both sets of teams have brand new race cars. Tad and Jodi have put the effort in. We have great sponsors. I think it’s just this aero package and us not having any wind tunnel time to figure it out.
“We are having to figure it out on the fly on the race track. As I said, the West Coast swing results wise was not great, but what we learned from basically Atlanta to last week was a big difference in set-up. That is what we are working hard on and trying to figure out. But in the end both of our cars have been about the same.”
Growing through the pain of adapting to the new aero package, Allmendinger say it’s been a benefit having an in-house teammate to discuss the struggles – something he didn’t have last year.
“Chris (Buescher) and I… it’s been nice for me with struggling to have Chris there to be able to bounce ideas off of him and see what he feels,” he said. “That has helped a lot for me in general. We both just have to be better.”
Branching out from just within his inner circle at JTG-Daugherty, the 35-year-old veteran also confesses that he believes other teams running mid-pack have stepped up their game five races in.
While that observation puts more work on their shoulders from a performance standpoint, Allmendinger says his team will keep grinding to get better as the season plugs along.
“To me, I think the field has gotten tougher throughout the middle of the field if you look at it,” Allmendinger sounded. “Adding a Furniture Row car has built another car in there, obviously, Ganassi is a lot faster this year, the Roush car(s) gotten better, so everybody has just stepped up.
“We need to do the same and keep fighting and really just keep grinding away. That is what is tough about it you’ve got to keep grinding and just keep getting better.”
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
