Los-Gatos native A.J. Allmendinger has been stuck in the middle of the pack for much of the 2011 Daytona 500, but as we roll through the final third of the race, Allmendinger is quietly making up ground. After spending much of the race between 16th and 24th, Allmendinger has climbed into the top 13. During Lap 134 Matt Kenseth was bumped by Greg Biffle, causing him to slam into the wall and then roll off into the grass.
Of course, just as quickly as I started typing this update, Allmendinger has fallen to 19th due to a relatively poor pit performance. Every time he’s climbed up into the top 15 he’s fallen back again after pit stops. Of course, given how many accidents we’ve had thus far, if he can just stay on the track the war of attrition might get him into the top ten or top fifteen.
There are currently 61 laps to go as the race continues under caution. Your top five as the cars prepare to get the restart are 1) Clint Bowyer, 2) Paul Menard, 3) Tony Stewart, 4) Kyle Busch, and 5) Martin Truex Jr.