AJ Allmendinger reacts to violent wreck, car fire at Talladega

Thankfully, it appears AJ Allmendinger is going to be fine after his massive wreck while at the front of the pack at Talladega. After exiting his car, Allmendinger lay on his back on the ground as safety crews responded to the scene. He limped to the ambulance on his own power.
AJ Allmendinger was leading the inside line. Noah Gragson got a bump from Erik Jones that upset his car. In an instant, the wreck was happening, and many drivers were unable to avoid it.
After being looked at in the infield care center, Allmendinger spoke to the media about the incident. We will see if there are any lingering issues going into Martinsville for the Dinger.
“Uh, I feel alright. It knocked the breath out of me, and then as I stopped and I felt like the car was catching on fire,” AJ Allmendinger explained. “So, got out and tried to get my breath back. Feel okay now. Probably be sore, hard hit for my old body. But, yeah, I mean, was proud of our guys. Black’s Tire Chevy got it up front there. You know, I kinda make these decisions on after the pit stop, and you get to the front, and maybe we’ll go run to the end of the stage. Hell, I think we were leading there. Joey was doing a really good job pushing me in the right areas, and I felt like we could kinda direct both lines.
“Obviously, I had Noah next to me, and looked like Noah got turned going into the corner, and it turned me straight up into the fence. So, disappointing. That’s why I hate this place, but it’s part of this racing. At least we were up front for a little bit there. Sucks to have it happen so early. But at the end of the day, I get to kiss Tara and Aero. I’ll be a little sore. It’ll be my excuse when I play Trent at my golf game; he’s gotta give me strokes now. But other than that, just disappointing. Always expect the worst here and hope for the best, and today we got the worst.”
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The hit was a big one, and seeing AJ Allmendinger on the ground afterward was concerning for NASCAR fans watching. Of course, it was concerning for him and his team, too. Glad to hear AJ is going to be fine. It’s not easy taking a hit like that at 43 years old.
It was especially concerning because we have seen drivers injured this weekend. Aric Almirola was in a hard hit during Saturday’s Xfinity Series race. He thankfully only suffered a bruised foot. Meanwhile, his JGR teammate William Sawalich had to go to the hospital overnight for further evaluation.
Good news, AJ Allmendinger is going to be just fine. A litle soreness this week, I’m sure, but he’s going to be back racing at Martinsville.