CUP: Allmendinger On The Verge

Sprint Cup

CUP: Allmendinger On The Verge

AJ Allmendinger knows next step means winning, contending for Chase...

Kenny Bruce | http://www.scenedaily.com | Posted February 15, 2012 Charlotte, NC

AJ Allmendinger (Right) talks with crew chief Todd Gordon (Left) prior to his suspension from NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competition. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

AJ Allmendinger says all he ever wanted was the opportunity to “go out there and prove to myself whether I can or can’t do this.”

That opportunity, it appears, has arrived.

But Allmendinger, 30, heads into the 2012 Sprint Cup season, he said, with expectations no different from previous seasons.

They aren’t higher because he’s been chosen to pilot the Penske Racing No. 22 Dodge, a car that visited victory lane four times (including two non-points wins) last year and qualified for the Chase For The Sprint Cup with former driver Kurt Busch.

They aren’t lower, he said, because he begins his sixth season still searching for that first victory and that first Chase appearance.

“I have big shoes to fill. I’m not sitting here blind, [thinking] ‘this is going to be easy’ or that the expectations are lower now that I’m here,” he said.

“I know I have to go out there and perform. But I’m to the point where that’s on me. Shell/Pennzoil (the team’s primary sponsor), it’s not that their expectations are [raising] mine higher; those are my expectations ... coming here. I missed the Chase by one spot last year; I was 13th when it started and we finished the year off pretty good. But I’ve got to get to that next level of winning races and making the Chase and hopefully contending for a championship.”

A former open-wheel winner, and one fourth of this year’s Rolex 24 winning team, Allmendinger has shown determination and improvement as his Sprint Cup career has gotten traction. One of two original members of the Red Bull Racing organization that debuted in 2007, he didn’t seem to find his footing until landing at Richard Petty Motorsports in 2009. And even then, financial turmoil impacted the organization’s performance on the race track.

In 2011, with a bit more solid foundation around him and teammate Marcos Ambrose, his on-track results began to look much better, and his 15th-place points finish was a career best.

With his performance on the rise, how did he end up at Penske?

“It really started with a call from Richard Petty to [Executive Vice President] Walt Czarnecki,” Penske said. “Based on sponsorship concerns at Best Buy that they might have to look at taking AJ out of that car for funding reasons. We said we would be very interested. At that point, Kurt and I had already made the decision to both go our own ways. So we were completely in the clear to take a look at him.”

When Best Buy opted to depart RPM for Roush Fenway Racing, Allmendinger was free to pursue other rides. And Penske, with an open seat available, was interested.

“... No one really realizes, he was 13th in points after Richmond,” Penske said, “so he was knocking on the door from the standpoint of being in the Chase. I think I’ve got two great young drivers with a big future and good sponsors.”

AJ Allmendinger driver of the No. 60 DP Michael Shank Racing Ford Riley celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway on January 29, 2012 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo: Getty Images)

Penske isn’t the only one that believes Allmendinger can continue to step up his game. Teammate Brad Keselowski said Allmendinger’s credentials “show that he has the ability to continue to improve and get to victory lane,” while crew chief Todd Gordon said he sees “a lot of talent there.

“A lot of desire and a lot of upside to AJ,” Gordon said. “I think he’ll surprise some people this year.”

Maybe so. But it’s likely Allmendinger won’t be one of those caught off guard if and when he finally closes the deal.

“I’ve worked hard to get to this point,” he said. “I’ve not quit when I could have. I could have gone back to open-wheel racing. I didn’t want to do that. And I’ve shown that I can keep improving each year, which I’ve done.

“It’s time to go out and keep improving ... the only way to do that now is to win races and make the Chase.”

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