“Didn’t feel anything inside the car”: AJ Allmendinger compares his Cup wreck against Xfinity after early Iowa exit

AJ Allmendinger suffered crashes at Xfinity and Cup but appreciated the features of the next-gen cars. After he had to suffer an early exit due to his right front tire failure, Allmendinger said that he got the warning signs inside the car.

During the weekend at Iowa, several drivers dealt with tire issues, but AJ Allmendinger felt the impact particularly hard. Firstly, a tire failure during Saturday's Xfinity Series race slammed him into the wall, making him the first to retire from that race. Then, adding to his misfortune, another right front tire failed just 52 laps into the Cup race resulting in a second crash into the wall, prematurely ending his night.

However, after exiting the next-gen car, Allmendinger reported that despite experiencing two tire failures over the weekend, the latter incident in the Cup race was less surprising and easier to handle compared to the first.

"The warning signs were there, I told them the lap prior or two laps prior, I thought we were going to blow right front. Angle was a lot better so I got to slow down enough that it didn't and feel anything inside the car. I think these tires give you at least a warning sign you know I could feel it getting really tight like yesterday there's no warning sign to it so It was a shock. Today I kind of felt it coming and it blew," AJ Allmendinger said via Frontstretch.

During the Hy-Vee Perks 250 Xfinity race on Saturday, Allmendinger's race ended abruptly after just 32 laps when his tire failed at the exit of Turn 4, causing his #16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet to slam into the Safer barrier.

But, AJ Allmendinger wasn't the only one who faced tire failures in the two races. In both the Xfinity and Cup races, several drivers experienced similar issues at the hands of Goodyear.

---

AJ Allmendinger was not alone in facing tire issues

⁤During the Xfinity race, AJ Allmendinger, Jeb Burton, Jesse Love, and Justin Allgaier experienced similar setbacks with flat right-front tires that sent their cars crashing into the walls. ⁤

⁤In the Cup series, Michael McDowell had to face tire trouble not once, but twice. ⁤⁤He first had to pull into pit road on lap 114 with a flat tire and encountered the same issue again on lap 328 while running P12.

Chris Buescher suffered a blown tire from P5, hitting the wall and triggering a caution on lap 260. ⁤⁤Then, Erik Jones lost a tire on lap 174, and Ross Chastain made it to pit road after his tire failed on lap 165 while he was running at P8. ⁤

⁤Zane Smith, who was running P34 and off the lead lap, pulled into pit road with a flat tire on lap 132. ⁤⁤Even Kyle Larson, who had been leading, decided to pit after suspecting a tire issue following contact with Ryan Blaney earlier in the race. ⁤⁤However, his team later revealed that his tires were fine.

According to an analysis by NBC hosts Jeff Burton and Steve Letarte, the tire issues differed between the two races. In the Xfinity series, the tires were overheating, leading to blisters, shakes, and vibrations. However, during the Cup race, the issues were possibly due to excessive load on the tires.

Steve Letarte explained that it is known as a belt failure. Essentially, it means the tire either doesn't have enough air or has too much camber for the amount of load it's bearing. This causes the tire to bend at the corner.