Preview: JTG Daugherty Racing
— -- One in a series of 16 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team previews ahead of the season-opening Daytona 500:
JTG Daugherty Racing
Principal owners: Jodi Geschickter, Tad Geschickter, Brad Daugherty
Manufacturer: Chevrolet
Engine source: Earnhardt-Childress Racing
Alliances: Richard Childress Racing
Drivers (crew chiefs): AJ Allmendinger (Brian Burns)
2014's top finisher: Allmendinger (13th)
2014 Grade: B-plus
Ownership stability: B
Sponsorship stability: B-minus
Driver/crew chief quality: B
2015 team grade: B
2015 outlook: AJ Allmendinger's victory at Watkins Glen for JTG Daugherty Racing was important on a number of levels. It validated the "win and you're in" wrinkle that NASCAR added to the Chase in 2014, and demonstrated that smaller teams are still vital to the sport in an era of multicar superteams. Team owners Tad and Jodi Geschickter and Brad Daugherty identified the two road races as their best opportunity to make the Chase and, in Allmendinger, hired the right man to get the job done. Once into the Chase, Allmendinger was almost competitive enough to advance to the round of 12, and that's the team's challenge moving forward.
Driver lineup
AJ Allmendinger (No. 47 Kingsford/Clorox Chevrolet): Aside from the feel-good factor of a small team winning a Sprint Cup race, the triumph at Watkins Glen was huge for Allmendinger personally, representing a milestone moment in his career comeback. With the highs and lows of 11 years of top-line Indy car and stock car competition under his belt, Allmendinger is still just 33-years old and another appearance in the Chase could put him in back into contention for a drive with one of those superteams.
2015 goal: Advance deeper into the Chase
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