AJ Allmendinger
NBS PIR Advance
Race: Arizona Travel 200 on Saturday, November 10, 2007
Track: Phoenix International Raceway (1-mile oval)
Location: Avondale, Ariz.
AJ Allmendinger and the No. 41 Imation Dodge Team Facts:
AJ is Back: A.J. Allmendinger is returning to the Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) lineup this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) to pilot the No. 41 Imation Dodge in the Arizona Travel 200. Allmendinger first raced for CGRFS earlier this year at California Speedway in the No. 42 Memorex Dodge. He went on to compete in four more races, totaling five NASCAR Busch Series starts altogether for CGRFS. Allmendinger is the full-time driver of the No. 84 Red Bull Toyota in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series. Team Red Bull and CGRFS reached an agreement earlier this season that allowed Allmendinger to drive the No.42 car. The two teams extended the agreement earlier this week to put Allmendinger in the No.41 Dodge for the final two races of the 2007 season. Allmendinger is originally from Los Gatos, Calif. He started racing in open-wheel, in which just last year he collected five CHAMP car victories. For more information about Allmendinger go to www.ajallmendinger.com.
Coming Home to Tucson: Todd Drakulich, the No. 41 Imation front tire carrier, is originally from Tucson, Ariz. Drakulich has been working in NASCAR for the last three years, starting in 2004 at Ultra Motorsports carrying tires for the No. 1 NASCAR Craftsman Truck of Ted Musgrave. Since then, he has also carried for the No. 99 and No. 21 Busch teams before joining CGRFS earlier this year to work on both the No. 41 and No. 42 Busch teams. Drakulich has been involved in racing for more than seven years. He started his motorsports career, helping out at Tucson Raceway Park on the weekends. He is a 1998 graduate of Amphitheatre High School.
Standings Update: The No. 41 CGRFS Busch team is 18th in the overall NASCAR Busch Series (NBS) owner ranks. With a current tally of 3,374 points, the team is just 88 away from the top 15.
Chassis: Allmendinger will make his sixth NBS start this weekend in chassis #754. This is the same car that carried Reed Sorenson and the No.41 Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit team to their first victory of the 2007 season this past July, which marked Sorenson’s second win at Gateway International Raceway. The same car also helped Sorenson and team score a top-15 start and top-10 finish at New Hampshire International Speedway in late June.
When to Watch: The NBS Arizona Travel 200 is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, November 10, and will broadcast LIVE on ESPN2, MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 128. Qualifying for the 200-lap competition is scheduled to start Noon EDT on Saturday and will broadcast live on SPEED (TV).
