KANSAS CITY, Kan. — What started as a promising day for pole-sitter AJ Allmendinger quickly dissolved into disappointment, as a throttle linkage problem waylaid the No. 22 Penske Racing Dodge.
Fuel pickup issues have plagued the Penske teams in previous races, but this was different. After leading the first 44 laps, Allmendinger brought his car to pit road and ran out of fuel on the way to his stall. Â Then the problem with the linkage ruined his race.
“I know I’m not the only one here that’s frustrated,” said Allmendinger, who has yet to win a Cup race. “We all are. We were off to such a great start. We had the pole, the 22 AAA Dodge Charger was so good that first run. Our car was fast out front, and then the gremlins hit us. Not sure how to explain it other than you’re on the pole one minute riding around leading laps, and then next thing you know your car isn’t right. We ran out of fuel coming to pit road on our first stop, but managed to get back out in seventh.Â
“But it went downhill quickly from there. It felt like the engine was blowing. I have to give (crew chief) Todd (Gordon) and all the guys a lot of credit for rolling up their sleeves and figuring out the cause of the problem. I thought for sure that the motor was gone because how flat it got, but that wasn’t the case. Todd told me over the radio that it was a secondary throttle linkage and I just couldn’t believe it. That’s about as rare as it gets.”
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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