SEASON PREVIEW: Amid many changes, Allmendinger forges ahead with Ford and RPM
AJ Allmendinger at Pocono Raceway.
// Archive, NASCAR Illustrated
A strong finish to the 2009 Sprint Cup Series season has AJ Allmendinger wanting more as he enters his fourth year of competition in NASCAR.
Allmendinger, 28, made the switch from Dodge to Ford in the final three races last season and reeled off finishes of 10th, 13th and 10th. With the merger between Richard Petty Motorsports and Yates Racing now completed, Allmendinger expects to benefit in several ways from the newly formed organization and its new manufacturer.
“I think it’s definitely going to get us a lot more manufacturer support from Ford,” Allmendinger said. “Ford seems to be really excited about it, and everybody at RPM has worked really hard to get the cars a lot better. The guys have worked hard on the motors, for sure, and obviously, it’s no secret that Yates power is a good thing.”
Since moving from the open-wheel Champ Car circuit to NASCAR with Red Bull Racing in 2007, Allmendinger has improved his standing each year and is coming off the best season of his young Cup career. The highlight was a third-place finish in the Daytona 500, which marked his first top-five in Cup competition.
Guaranteed only a partial schedule entering the 2009 season, the stellar 500 finish served as a catalyst for more races. Ultimately, RPM pieced together enough sponsorship to keep Allmendinger active for all 36 races. After completing a full Cup schedule for the first time, the driver known as “Dinger” finished a career-high 24th in the standings with six top-10 finishes.
Crew chief Mike Shiplett returns atop the pit box to guide Allmendinger’s team, affording some continuity to a group trying to make the full transition from Dodge to Ford.
Allmendinger has earned his place at NASCAR’s highest level of competition – and will now look to advance in his stock-car career. He’ll need to become a more regular fixture in the top 10 to realize that goal.
“I’ve worked really hard, and I’ve still got a lot of hard work to do,” Allmendinger said. “Finishing 15th and 20th is not my goal, but we’ve got to take it in baby steps. I’ve worked really hard, and I feel like I deserve to be here. I’ve had to go through a lot to stay here, but it’s a tough economy, and I feel it’s going to be tough on everybody for job security.
“I feel very fortunate to go out there and have this opportunity to be with Richard Petty and with the Gillett family.”
THE ALLMENDINGER FILE
- Best career finish: 3rd (Daytona, 2009)
- Career top-10s: 8
- Laps led: 10
- Best track: Homestead (10.5 avg. fin.)
- Worst track: New Hampshire (34.2 avg. fin.)
- Did You Know: When Allmendinger was named Autosport International Rookie of the Year in 2004, he became the first American to win the award.
Coming Wednesday: David Ragan
