“There’s a reason AJ got sent back to the Xfinity series”- Fans react as AJ Allmendinger sends Chase Briscoe to the wall during the LA Clash practice

The 2023 NASCAR unofficial Cup series opener had a dramatic start with the clash between Koulig Racing veteran AJ Allmendinger and Stewart Hass Racing’s Chase Briscoe. Allmendinger, who returned to full-time cup duty with the No:15 team, sent Briscoe to the wall for a nudge he received from the youngster in the prevail corner.

The incident shocked fans and drivers alike as it was just a practice run for an exhibition event. The veteran might have already set the tone for the event, and the upcoming Daytona 500, and fans can expect a competitive season ahead.

For Allmendinger, it was a payback for the incident in the previous corner, and he was already infuriated by the poor performance of his car. He said, “He ran inside of me, so I made sure I paid him back and sent him into the fence. It’s practice. I get it, I’m struggling and in the way, but come barreling in there. I just showed my displeasure about it. That’s not the issue. We’re just not very good right now,”.

Briscoe claimed that it s just unwanted aggression from Allmendinger. He said, “He was slowing down so much on the straightaway to get a gap (away from other cars). I felt like I was beside him pretty far down the straightaway. I got in there a little hot for sure, but, honestly, I thought he was going to give it to me since we were in practice. Went into (Turn) 3 and he just drove me straight into the fence,”.

Briscoe was also frustrated due to the fact that the SHR crew didn’t have a backup car to replace if his ride was damaged. He added, “Definitely frustrating. … Just unfortunate. We don’t have a single back-up car out there between the four of us at SHR. Definitely will set us behind quite a bit. Just chalk it up in the memory blank,”.

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How NASCAR fans on Twitter reacted to the incident

Fans were quick to troll both drivers for causing such an incident during practice sessions. Most of the trolls were aimed at AJ, who made his return to full-time cup racing after announcing retirement in 2018. There were also fans who were pleased to see the drama starting before the real race even started.

Discover more:

• “Baptism by fire”- NASCAR Twitter reacts to Ty Gibbs Car catching on fire during LA Clash qualifying
• Daniel Ricciardo hints a possible move to NASCAR with Ford in the future

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