AJ Allmendinger gets five-year extension with JTG Daugherty Racing

KANSAS CITY, Kansas - AJ Allmendinger has signed a five-year extension to remain with JTG Daugherty Racing through 2020, the team announced Saturday.

Allmendinger, 33, qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup last season after winning the road course race at Watkins Glen International and eventually finished a career-high 13th in the driver standings. He was 19th in points with two top-10s entering the Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway on Saturday night.

The much-traveled former open wheel driver landed full-time with single-car JTG in 2014. He had run a part-time schedule for JTG and Phoenix Racing in 2013 following his ouster from Team Penske because of a failed drug test in 2012. His win at Watkins Glen was the first for him and JTG in Sprint Cup.

Allmendinger said his comfort level with team owners Tad and Jodi Geschickter and Brad Daugherty simplified his decision, noting that he bristles when fans express their hope he can use the organization as a springboard back to a "big team."

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