AJ Allmendinger fined, placed on probation by Richard Petty Motorsports
Richard Petty Motorsports has fined AJ Allmendinger and placed him on probation for the remainder of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.
// David Griffin, NASCAR Scene
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TALLADEGA, Ala. - Richard Petty Motorsports driver AJ Allmendinger, whose arrest on the charge of driving while impaired has resulted in his being put on probation by NASCAR through the end of 2009 and by his team through the 2010 season, had to pass a breath test before NASCAR Sprint Cup practice Friday. Allmendinger again apologized as well.
“Obviously it was my fault,” said Allmendinger, who was cited by Mooresville (N.C.) Police on Thursday for having a blood alcohol content level of 0.08 percent, according to police reports. “It was a bad decision. I wish I could take it back. I’d do anything to be able to take it back, but that’s life, you can’t. So all I can do is go out there and learn from it and be a lot better person from it, which I will be, and hopefully educate other people that you don’t have to have a ton of drinks to [be] drunk.
“It only takes a little bit and you’re over the legal limit. Hopefully I can do that and I just apologize to my family, everybody at Richard Petty Motorsports that puts all the hard work in, [and] all the sponsors that have supported me.”
By announcing that he was put on probation through next year, RPM indicated that Allmendinger will keep his job. The team also fined him $10,000, which will be donated to charity.
“I feel very fortunate that I get the opportunity to still do what I love to do and come here and race cars,” Allmendinger said in a short interview session with reporters at Talladega Superspeedway. “I’m not in the position to ask questions. I have to go along with whatever is doled out to me. … Hopefully it doesn’t [impact my career]. Hopefully I can go out there and show people that I can learn from it. People do get second chances.
“The biggest thing for me is trying to educate people and build from my mistakes. It’s not the first mistake I’ve ever made. It’s the biggest mistake I’ve made to this magnitude.”
Allmendinger said he understood NASCAR asking him to take a breath test and didn’t question any of the penalties imposed.
“I respect the punishment and everything I have to do to gain the trust back of NASCAR and everybody that is out there racing with me,” Allmendinger said. “That’s not the best feeling in the world, but at the same point, I respect that I have to go do it, I understand and I have no problem with that.”
Allmendinger repeated much of his statement from Thursday, in which he said that he thought he was not impaired.
“I just had a couple of drinks, had a couple at dinner and a couple that night,” Allmendinger said. “I honestly thought I was fine. I had been drinking water for an hour-and-a-half at that point and thought I was OK to drive home. I unfortunately got pulled over and it went from there.”
Before speaking about the incident, Allmendinger changed out of his uniform and wore a Richard Petty Motorsports shirt. The team positioned him away from the team hauler and none of the sponsors showed in the background of his interview.
“We are disappointed with his actions,” the Richard Petty Motorsports statement read. “AJ has told us that he has accepted full responsibility for his actions and will do what is right. We have placed AJ on probation through the end of the 2010 racing season. In addition, he will be fined $10,000, which will be donated to charity.”
Anheuser-Busch, the sponsor through its Budweiser brand of RPM driver Kasey Kahne, issued a statement on the issue as well.
“Richard Petty Motorsports is a great partner in our efforts to promote responsible drinking, and they have communicated to us their own disappointment regarding this matter,” said Kathy Casso, vice president of corporate social responsibility for Anheuser-Busch. “We are adamantly opposed to drunk driving and any incident of it is a serious issue. We hope this will serve as a reminder of the importance of making responsible choices.”
