Polesitter credited with leading one lap at road course
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Polesitter AJ Allmendinger looked to be contending for the win in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway when he began to feel that something was wrong with his No. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet.
"It is what it is. We're done here," Allmendinger radioed to his crew. "We ain't gonna make it much longer."
Turns out he was losing fuel pressure and was fearful the engine was going to expire. He pitted at Lap 61 and the crew lifted the hood to see what the problem was.
Allmendinger went back out on track at his crew's wishes, despite wanting to take the car to the garage. Upon his return trip to the track, his car wouldn't fire as expected and 'Dinger radioed in, "I'm pitting again. I'm going to get killed out here."
Allmendinger came to the garage at Lap 63 where the team swapped engines and got the car to refire, before it shut off. The team then changed the fuel cell in an effort to get back out on track and did so at Lap 76. He finished 37th and completed 98 of 110 laps.
The California native scored his first road course win last summer at Watkins Glen to earn a spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.