NSCS: JTG Daugherty Looking to Expand on 2014 Success

Following a season that saw them as part of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, JTG Daugherty is looking to expand on that success in 2015.

An important piece of being able to have success is having dedicated partners, which is something that Geschickter was proud to mention during the media tour.

“We have a new shiny three year relationship with the Clorox company,” team co-owner Tad Geschickter said. “Same with Kimberly-Clark, they stepped up from their previous contracts so we’re blessed to have them back. Our fourteenth year with Bush’s Baked Beans, and then our new relationships with J.M. Smucker and their brand Hungry Jack and Martha White brands, as well as Charter Spectrum that helps us quite a bit and Dell Computers.”

“We feel that we have the partners to do what we want to do. (Crew chief) Brian (Burns) has spent a lot of time over this winter working on our preparation processes and how we communicate within the spot. I feel there’s no reason why we shouldn’t improve on a great 2014.”

Last season, A.J. Allmendinger was one of the 16 drivers to make the Chase following his first career victory at Watkin’s Glen International.

“To get our first victory as a team, to get my first victory and honestly, for a lot of people in our shop, it was their first victory, as well,” Allmendinger said. “To walk into the shop and see that banner hanging, to know we made the Chase.”

He would then score two top-fives and five top-10s en route to a 13th place finish in points. While many have applauded the single-car organization for their success, team co-owner Brad Daugherty was quick to point out places that they could improve.

“I felt like we were good at the road courses, but we need to step up on the short tracks,” he said. “I feel A.J. can win when we get to those tracks. Our mile and a half program was stronger last year, so we need to be a little more successful there. Then as you go restrictor plate racing, anything can happen. I’m looking for more wins.”

Allmendinger added that he feels they need to be more consistent than they were as the “consistency wasn’t quite there”, but feels everything should come together this year with them being prepared .

“We really did the alliance with RCR and the move to Chevy late last year and spent most of the year just trying to catch up,” he continued. “I always quite felt like we were one or two steps behind. We’d get there, and then they’d move the bar up again. So going into this year, we’re going to be a lot more prepared. We’ve got the energy and confidence from that victory but as my boss says over there, we want to go out there and be a contender every race and have a shot to win more races, not just the road courses.”

Those thoughts were echoed by crew chief Brian Burns, who noted that to be a championship contender, you have to be good everywhere.

“So that’s our focus this year is all these tracks,” Burns expressed. “Towards the end of last year, we turned it around and got stronger so we’re going to focus on that and everywhere we go, we’re going to have the same expectations.”

They are coming into the year with some momentum on their side, as they were able to put together a string of top-15 finishes late in the season. However, there’s a bit of a game changer with the new rules package.

“With this new rules package, it’s going to be a guess to see what will happen,” Allmendinger admitted. “But you know, as I said, just how much further ahead we are this year as a race team than last year will be the biggest thing. I feel like if we do the right things, we can make some noise and these first seven, eight races can dictate our season.”

Allmendinger has tested the new rules package as part of a tire test at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and learned that momentum is going to play a huge role.

“You could tell if you had to peddle the car through the corner with the horsepower loss, it was immediate I could judge that we’d be a tenth or two slower that lap,” he explained. “I think keeping the momentum up, just like the other series, when they loss horsepower, you’re going to have that middle of the pack racing trying to make a move on somebody, you got to make sure it happens and if not, you’re going to have guys on you behind making big runs.”

He also already has a race under his belt, having ran the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the finish that he wanted due to being out of the race early, but was proud of the performance that he and the Michael Shank Racing team put in by being quickest in each session.

“I’m really happy for those guys at Michael Shank Racing as I feel the new car will be a great car for them all through the year,” he added. “It’s going to give them a lot of chances to win races, and I look at Michael Shank just like I look at Tad and Brad. True racing people that try to take a little and do a lot with it and keep trying to grow the team. I think, overall, it was great. Of course, we wanted to win and I felt we had a shot to win if everything went perfect, but that’s the nature of a 24 hour race.”