A year ago this weekend, NASCAR suspended driver AJ Allmendinger for a violation of its substance abuse program. On the day of the 2012 Coke Zero 400, Allmendinger was replaced in the No. 22 Penske Racing Ford by Sam Hornish Jr.
After completing NASCAR’s Road to Recovery program last year, Allmendinger was reinstated, and his fortunes have improved exponentially since then. Driving for Penske in the Indianapolis 500, Allmendinger led 23 laps and finished seventh.
On June 22, he picked up his first NASCAR victory in the Nationwide Series race at Road America. Driving for Phoenix Racing on Thursday afternoon, Allmendinger was fastest in opening Sprint Cup practice, topping the speed chart at 200.218 mph. He and Clint Bowyer (200.214 mph) were the only drivers to exceed 200 mph in the session.
As the fastest driver in opening practice, Allmendinger would start from the pole Saturday night if a Friday afternoon rainstorm should happen to wash out qualifying.
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