NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
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CUP: The Dinger – Moving On Up
AJ Allmendinger jumps into what he calls a ‘do or die’ opportunity at Penske Racing…
Mike Hembree  |  Posted December 22, 2011   Charlotte, NC
AJ Allmendinger finished 15th in points this season, scoring one top five and 10 top 10s. (Photo: Getty Images)
Every driver who aspires to be a star in the Sprint Cup Series hopes for what might be termed the Big Break, and AJ Allmendinger’s rolled in this week with perfect timing for the holiday season.

Allmendinger was named Wednesday as the new driver of the No. 22 Penske Racing Dodges, replacing Kurt Busch. It’s a significant step up for Allmendinger, who is leaving Richard Petty Motorsports to join team owner Roger Penske and one of the sport’s best operations. Both Penske Racing teams made the Chase this season.

Allmendinger wasted no time Wednesday describing the move in rather elaborate terms.

“I know where I’m at and the level of my career, and it’s do or die,” he said. “This is the next step to try to be one of those top Sprint Cup drivers, and that's what I want to do. I feel like this is going to be the best place to do it, and just the way this organization is laid out is absolutely amazing.”

Allmendinger joked that he needed a map to locate everything on his first trip through the massive Penske Racing facility in Mooresville, N.C.

“To have Mr. Penske personally want you to drive his race car is a thing that for me gives me a lot of confidence,” Allmendinger said. “It's the same thing as when Richard Petty asked me to come drive his car. It gives you a lot of confidence when you have somebody with that background and with the accolades and everything that they've went through in their lives to make their organizations where they're at. It gives me a lot of confidence.

“But, at the same point, I know there's a lot of pressure there. I'm not blind to the pressure with Shell Pennzoil and with the organization and what they're used to, having their ideas about winning. I know there's a lot of pressure there to go out there and perform, but for me if I didn't feel like I could do that, I'd just be wasting everybody's time and then I wouldn't be here. I feel like I'm at that level to take that next step and be a winner and be a championship contender, and obviously this organization showed that this year that they can do that.

“For me it's something that – there’s a lot of confidence, but I know the pressure is there, and I'm ready to take it on. This is going to be my best chance I've ever had in the Sprint Cup Series to go out there and perform, and I'm ready to do that.”

Since moving from open-wheel racing into the Truck Series in 2006 and then into Sprint Cup with Red Bull Racing, Allmendinger has shown steady improvement, although he’s still looking for victory No. 1.

He finished 15th in points this season, scoring one top five and 10 top 10s. In the two previous seasons at RPM, he had a total of three top fives and 14 top 10s.

Allmendinger went from feast to famine to feast this week, first with the news that Best Buy is leaving the No. 43 RPM team to move to Roush Fenway Racing, leaving his situation in jeopardy. Then the Penske offer appeared.

Now he and the team have a rush job to get ready for the start of the season.

“I'm ready to get to Daytona right now,” Allmendinger said. “We've got a lot of hard work over the next six weeks to go out there, and obviously with the test coming up here in a couple weeks, it's so quick. So we've got a lot of things to work on and figure out and build on before we get to Daytona.

“But I'm going to be smiling showing up to the race track every weekend. This is what I love to do, and if I wasn't smiling, I shouldn't be driving race cars. It's going to be pretty special, and to have Mr. Penske just around the race track talking to me, just being able to be around him, like I said, for me it's more of an honor to drive for him. I love the history of racing in general, and obviously Mr. Penske has a rich history in racing. It's going to be just fun being at the race track, being a part of his organization, and being around him more than anything. That's something I really look forward to.”

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 29 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
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