Richard Petty Motorsports' AJ Allmendinger charged with driving while impaired
Richard Petty Motorsports' driver AJ Allmendinger was arrested Thursday for driving while impaired in Mooresville, N.C. // David Griffin, NASCAR Scene
Related stories: AJ Allmendinger fined, placed on probation by Richard Petty Motorsports
NASCAR puts AJ Allmendinger on probation but allows him to race
Richard Petty Motorsports driver AJ Allmendinger was arrested early Thursday morning on a charge of driving while impaired, according to a Mooresville (N.C.) Police Department arrest report.
Almendinger was driving a 2007 Lexus when he was stopped, according to the report. He was stopped at 1:27 a.m. Thursday morning. He was charged with one misdemeanor count of driving while impaired.
Allmendinger has a Dec. 18 court date.
According to the police report, Allmendinger had a blood alcohol content level of .08 percent, which is the minimum to be arrested for DWI.
"I made an error in judgment last night for which I take full responsibility," Allmendinger said in a statement. "I went out to dinner and I had a couple of drinks. I honestly felt fine but I obviously should have erred more on the side of caution, particularly given what I do for a living.
"It was a bad judgment call and I apologize for that to my fans, sponsors, team and NASCAR. If anything good can come of this then hopefully I can be an example of being more aware of drinking responsibly and if even if you feel fine, take a cab, call a friend - just don't risk it. I will do my best to make it right and use this to learn myself and hopefully educate others."
There was no immediate comment from NASCAR. NASCAR has not suspended drivers previously for similar incidents.
Team co-owner Richard Petty issued a statement expressing his disappointment, but which did not address Allmendinger's status for this weekend's race at Talladega Superspeedway.
“I am deeply disappointed this has happened," it read. "AJ has accepted full responsibility for his actions and will work to make this right. On behalf of everyone at Richard Petty Motorsports, we sincerely apologize to our fans and partners.”
The 27-year-old Allmendinger is 25th in the Sprint Cup Series standings.
