Allmendinger to compete in two races some 2,000 miles apart: 'I know we are up for the challenge the weekend will bring.'
- NASCAR veteran AJ Allmendinger will jump on a plane to do a Saturday-Sunday doubleheader at tracks halfway across the country this weekend.
- The driver will be in Portland, Oregon, on Friday and Saturday for the Xfinity race and then fly to St. Louis for the Sunday afternoon Cup race.
- This will be Cup’s first trip to the St. Louis area, while NASCAR has hosted Xfinity and Truck Series races there in the past.
NASCAR is facing another jammed three-series weekend, but this one is at widely separated venues and on dramatically different courses. And for the first time in recent memory, a driver will jump on a plane to do a Saturday-Sunday doubleheader at tracks halfway across the country.
The schedule includes a 200-mile Saturday afternoon Camping World Truck Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway near St. Louis and a 175-mile Xfinity Series race at Portland (Ore.) International Raceway. On Sunday, the Cup Series will make its first-ever appearance at WWTR with a 300-miler.
AJ Allmendinger will be in Portland on Friday and Saturday for the Xfinity race and then fly to St. Louis for the Sunday afternoon Cup race. With NASCAR running most of its lower-level support races in conjunction with Cup races at the same venue, fewer drivers than ever are going from venue to distant venue to do two (or three) races on a weekend.
A.J. Allmendinger will be logging plenty of miles, in the air and on the track, this weekend.
Icon SportswireGetty Images
“I’m looking forward to pulling some double duty and getting to drive the Cup car at Gateway (WWTR) on Sunday,” Allmendinger said early in the week. “I have never driven at Gateway and will miss practice and qualifying, but I know we are up for the challenge the weekend will bring.”
While this will be Cup’s first trip to the St. Louis area, NASCAR has hosted Xfinity and Truck Series races there in the past. Xfinity competed there from 1997-2010, and except for a few short breaks the CWTS has visited annually since 1998. Twenty-two of the 36 drivers on the Enjoy Illinois 300 entry list have experience in one series or another at the 1.25-mile, relatively flat track formerly known as St. Louis International Raceway Park, Gateway International Raceway, and Gateway Motorsports Park. It became World Wide Technology Raceway in April of 2019.
Nine of the 22 drivers with WWTR experience have won there: Kevin Harvick in Xfinity in 2000-2001 and in Camping World in 2010, Martin Truex Jr. in Xfinity in 2004, Kyle Busch in Xfinity in 2009, Brad Keselowski in Xfinity in 2010, Bubba Wallace in CWTS in 2014, Cole Custer in CWTS in 2015, Christopher Bell in CWTS in 2016, Justin Haley in CWTS in 2018, and Ross Chastain in CWTS in 2019.
Custer always liked Gateway (it’s hard to break that long-time habit), but is uncertain now the “new” track will be since it was repaved. “I think in (Turns) one and two you’re able to go in there and be really aggressive on the brakes,” he said. “You get the car slowed down, get it to hook the line, and try to get up to speed as fast as you can for that long straightaway on the backstretch. Then you go into a completely different corner in three and four that’s a big sweeper corner, similar to New Hampshire. We actually won another truck race there and Phoenix, so it was definitely a good track for us. Hopefully can keep it going.”
A.J. Allmendinger (16) raced in the NASCAR All-Star Race earlier this spring. He finished seventh.
Jared C. TiltonGetty Images
And, on the West Coast …
Allmendinger has some limited experience at PIR, which is hosting its first Xfinity race. The Camping World Truck Series raced there in 1999 and 2000, but no one from those races is entered this weekend. Portland in 2005 was the scene of the first of Allmendinger’s five Champ Car open-wheel victories.
“I’m really looking forward to going back to Portland,” he said. “It’s going to be truly special to go back to the track for the first time since then. I think we’ll put on a great race.”
Compared to most NASCAR drivers, the Californian is something of a road course ringer. Both of his Cup Series victories—Watkins Glen in 2014 and Indianapolis last year—were on road courses, plus five of his 13 top-10 Cup finishes. He also has seven top 10s in 11 Xfinity starts, including victories this year at COTA and last year at Indy.
The Xfinity Series makes its first visit to the Northwest on Saturday for a 75-lap, 147-mile race at Portland International Raceway. The Pacific Office Automation 147 is the first NASCAR race at the 1.967-mile, 12-turn road course since Camping World races there in 1999 (Greg Biffle) and 2000 (Andy Houston).
The Xfinity teams practiced Friday afternoon at Portland, will qualify on Saturday morning, then race 147 miles on Saturday afternoon. Camping World teams at St. Louis had a short practice session and qualifying on Friday evening, and will race 200 miles on Saturday afternoon. Cup teams will practice on Friday afternoon, qualify on Saturday morning, then race 300 miles on Sunday afternoon.
Keyword: How AJ Allmendinger Plans to Complete Rare NASCAR Double This Weekend