AJ Allmendinger

Last season was a bit of a down campaign for Allmendinger and his JTG Daugherty Racing team. The veteran driver only nabbed five Top-10 finishes and finished a four-season low of 27th in the final driver standings. Part of those struggles could be attributed to JTG growing into a second team (Chris Buescher), so a rebound of sorts should be in store for 2018. Allmendinger enters his 12th season of competition this season and he's crossed the 300+ starts plateau. The No. 47 team returns completely unchanged with the same sponsorship lineup. Crew chief Tristan Smith should help Allmendinger climb back to better performance levels in the upcoming season. He's capable of nearly doubling last season's Top 10 totals and lowering his average finish by almost four or five spots. The potential to improve is unquestionable.

Last season was a rebound performance for the driver of the No. 47 Chevrolet. Allmendinger posted two Top-5 and nine Top-10 finishes en route to a respectable 19th-place finish in the driver points. The journeyman driver failed to make the Chase, but his 17.8 average finish across the season was approaching a career-best mark. As normal, the road courses and the cookie cutter ovals were his best tracks. Allmendinger will look to make more strides in 2017. The JTG Daugherty Racing team will expand to a second team this season, so Allmendinger is now the lead driver for this two-team stable. He'll have the goal of winning a race (possibly one of the road courses) and making a berth into the Chase for the Cup. Both are very attainable goals for this driver and team.

Last season was a bit of a letdown for Allmendinger and the No. 47 team. After winning a race and finishing inside the top 15 in points in 2014, the last season effort failed to measure up to those standard. Allmendinger scratched for just three top-10 finishes and a 22nd-place finish in the final driver standings. The problems seemed to be more from a lack of consistency than anything. With only three DNF's for the season, it wasn't the equipment that was the problem. Randall Burnett comes over from Chip Ganassi Racing and replaces Brian Burns as crew chief for the No. 47 team. The two will have to develop chemistry quickly and move into the 2016 season. Expecting another 2014 season from this driver and team is a bit much. More likely it will fall somewhere in between the '14-'15 level of performance.

After Allmendinger’s substance abuse suspension last summer and subsequent fall from grace with Penske Racing, the embattled driver is looking to rebuild his career in the upcoming season. Allmendinger has landed a role with Phoenix Racing in 2013. He will share driving duties for the No. 51 Chevrolet, although it looks like he could be in for a lot of seat time with this small race team. This is the same stable that saw Kurt Busch struggle tremendously throughout the 2012 season. Allmendinger has a lot of talent as his 15th-place points finish with Richard Petty Motorsports in 2011 showed. However, the stability of this team and situation are far from ideal. This journeyman driver could be in for a very long season.