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DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – SEPTEMBER 05: Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, Jeff Gordon, talks on the grid prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on September 05, 2021 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
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DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – SEPTEMBER 05: Vice Chairman of Hendrick Motorsports, Jeff Gordon, talks on the grid prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on September 05, 2021 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
After a Twitter post emerged that hinted AJ Allmendinger was the best road course racer dethroning the likes of Jeff Gordon, fans were certainly not happy. They engaged in a heated argument, claiming that Jeff Gordon was the Mount Rushmore of road course drivers.
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It all started when the NASCAR.com contributor Dustin Albino tweeted, “There is currently and have been plenty of great road course racers – Chase Elliott, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Marcos Ambrose to name a few. But AJ Allmendinger, in my opinion, is the best road course racer to ever run a stock car.“
Fans were not happy seeing Allmendinger being ranked above Jeff Gordon and other drivers, and a heated debate ensued.
There is currently and have been plenty of great road course racers – Chase Elliott, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Marcos Ambrose to name a few — but AJ Allmendinger, in my opinion, is the best road course racer to ever run a stock car.#NASCAR
— Dustin Albino (@DustinAlbino) July 30, 2022
That’s an insult to Jeff Gordon. Nothing like knee-jerk reactions.
— Kris Kepley (@kriskepley) July 30, 2022
6 consecutive road course wins, in a time when you only got two tries per season.
9 road course wins, which still leads all time.
AJ is great, but Jeff Gordon is the King of the Road.#24Ever
— Alex_Prada (@LastWordAlex) July 31, 2022
No disputing Gordon's greatness on road courses. He's on my Mount Rushmore of best drivers period.
Both are impressive in their own right. That was also at a time where, because there were just two road courses, many drivers didn't hone in on their craft compared to today.
— Dustin Albino (@DustinAlbino) July 31, 2022
I certainly see your arguments, but I'd like to point out the angle of it that AJ getting so many today is more impressive, since the drivers do put more effort into RCs. Just my .02. J
— Chevy the wolf – Epic tripleheader weekend! (@Chevywolf30) July 31, 2022
No. First @JeffGordonWeb 2nd @TonyStewart third @MarcosAmbrose then @AJDinger
Gordon did it when only 2 races a year were there. Same with Tony. Marcos, the V8 super cars transfer a lot to the wins im xfinity and cup. Busch, Keslowski and Ambrose at the Glen, what a memory
— Latho (@Latho81) July 31, 2022
Dinger is great. But, majority of the wins are in the minors. @JeffGordonWeb & @TonyStewart did them in the majors. The Cup level is another level.
— Gary (@Kid67y) July 31, 2022
Aj is great but could never do it against the elite …. Not knocking on him at all but best come on dude
— stjimmy (@stjimmy1985) July 31, 2022
Not everyone was against the idea. Some ever supported that Allmendinger proved himself over road courses while during the time of Gordon, NASCAR had fewer road courses and more ovals.
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Moreover, the entire argument here is based on road courses and not ovals.
AJ Allmendinger wins at Indianapolis at the Xfinity race
AJ Allmendinger has absolutely dominated road course races throughout his career and this season is no different. He has garnered a total of 9 wins at road courses throughout his career and the latest one is a third of his Xfinity season.
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WATKINS GLEN, NY – AUGUST 10: AJ Allmendinger, driver of the #47 Scott Products Chevrolet, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen International on August 10, 2014, in Watkins Glen, New York. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/NASCAR via Getty Images)
Once again, Allmendinger showcased his race craft and absolutely dominated at the Indianapolis Road Course. After taking the chequered flag, Allmendinger screamed, “God I love this place! Indy, baby! Let’s go!”
He managed to lead 43 laps of the race and destroyed Alex Bowman who was in second with over a two-second gap.
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Now all AJ has to do is repeat the same and win the cup series race, though that could be hard to achieve. In case he does pull off a win, it will be a magnificent victory celebration to watch for sure. What are your thoughts on AJ Allmendinger? Do you think he can perhaps pull off a win in the cup series?
