AJ Allmendinger: Unleashed

While everyone else in NASCAR was making the most of the season's last off weekend in 2007, AJ Allmendinger was ensconced among the flat-screen TVs, thumping bass and curvaceous waitresses of the Red Bull Energy Station at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif.

In town to take his No. 84 Toyota on an exhibition lap around the 2.238-mile, 11-turn course before the U.S. Grand Prix motorcycle race, Allmendinger was far away from the hustle and bustle of a Nextel Cup event.

Being hyper-competitive, this season represents "the most frustrating time of my life," says Allmendinger, who qualified for just eight of the first 23 Cup races after winning five Champ Car races in 2006.

Prior to the 2007 season, Allmendinger, 25, married former Miss Molson Indy Canada Lynne Kushnirenko, who gave up her chiropractic business in Toronto to follow her man to NASCAR.

Here is one of NASCAR's brashest talents, unleashed and in his own words.

Q: It's been a difficult rookie year. Is it what you expected, or have you underachieved given your normally high expectations?

AJ: Hell, I don't meet my expectations unless we win every race, but we know that's not going to happen in the first year. Still, it's really hard.

Q: How do you deal with the frustration of failing to qualify for so many races?

AJ: Let's be honest. The only thing you can do is bite down harder and get after it, because I ain't going to quit. I'm going to go out there and fight harder each weekend. You got two options: Quit and run away, or just bite the bullet. So, you suck it up and fight harder.

The greatest thing that I have is my crew chief, Ricky Viers. He took the biggest chance in his career. There aren't many crew chiefs who say, "I'm going to go with a brand new team, with a brand new manufacturer and, more importantly, not only a rookie in Cup but a rookie in stock-car racing," and handle it with the class he has. We haven't turned against each other.

Q: What do you think about NASCAR's top-35 qualifying rule?

AJ: I don't think it's good for the sport because you're sending a lot of big sponsors home. People say we should add more cars. I think that's stupid, so that's not an option. In a perfect world, what I would go back to is what they used to do. The top-36 [on qualifying speed] are in, and the next seven use provisionals based on points. In my situation, I still know we have to make it every week because 46th in car owner points is not going to get us a provisional. But at least we'd know what we were shooting for.

Q: What have you done on the weekends when you haven't qualified?

AJ: If Red Bull needs me to stay at the track, I'm more than willing to stay and do what's best for the team and best for the company. When I'm there, I try to listen as best I can and learn as much about what's going on with Brian [Vickers, teammate] and with the car.

If I do decide to go home, I'm at the gym and I also do reports over the weekend about the car and how we can improve. I'm always just trying to improve.

Q: Can you bear to watch races after missing the cut?

AJ: Sometimes. It's easier to do that at the race track, actually. When I'm gone, I tend not to watch them. Unfortunately, I know all too well what it looks like on TV now.

Q: How much have you learned from Brian Vickers?

AJ: I've learned a lot and hope to learn even more. He's been fantastic. He's shown me a lot of stuff. I hope at some point this year I can turn around and give him some advice.

Q: How is your contract with Team Red Bull structured? Is it a multiyear deal?

AJ: Is anything multiyear in racing? I got a contract for two years.

Q: Contracts really don't mean much these days, do they?

AJ: They don't mean a damn thing. I'm on paper for two years, but let's be honest. If I wanted to walk out, I could, or they could say, "You're gone." But there's no talk of that, and we know as a team we're going to get better. You sign the deal for the long term, and man, you'd like it to work out for life. Hell, I'd like to be a Jeff Gordon [one sponsor, one team for his career] and work with Red Bull for the rest of my life.

Q: You're not afraid to show your anger when things are going badly. How does the team view your occasional outbursts?

AJ: After Chicago, I went wild. I went in the trailer and I heaved my water bottle as far as I could. It's passion, and Red Bull sees that. They allow that because it's a part of their attitude, too. Sometimes I go over the line and am too fiery, which may look bad. I'm never going to change, but I know sometimes I've got to bring it back. Still, you're always going to see the emotion. I'm not going to sit on camera or sit in an interview and lie to anybody.

Q: You won Red Bull's Formula One driver search in 2002, but you didn't align with the company right away. Why not?

AJ: I graciously turned it down because I had an opportunity to stay in the U.S. and make a name for myself. At that point, I thought that was probably the best thing for me to do. But you learn real quick not to burn any bridges. Instead of going through the whole program and canceling at the last minute, I turned it down right away and said, "This [Champ Car] is what I'm going to do now, but I'd love to work with you in the future."

Q: How would you grade fellow former open-wheel standout Juan Pablo Montoya's performance as a Cup rookie?

AJ: He definitely hasn't made a lot of friends, but the guy can drive.

Q: Do you talk to him much?

AJ: Well, we fought after Darlington [laughs]. I don't talk to him much about it, but he was one of my heroes growing up. Watching him back in the Champ Car days, he made me a fan. He's in a different situation than I am, obviously. He shows up to a team that's in the top 35, that's established. Not the best team, but not the worst. He shows signs of stupidity sometimes, but hell, we're rookies, we all do. Honestly, watching Juan all those years and knowing how aggressive he is, he's about what I thought he would be.

Q: If you could transfer one element from open-wheel racing to NASCAR, what would it be?

AJ: It wouldn't work with NASCAR cars, but some of the downtown street courses were great. It was always fun to be a part of races at Surfers Paradise in Australia, Toronto and Long Beach. Being in the city streets, there was so much to do and so much to see.

Q: Would you ever consider going back to Champ Car?

AJ: I've learned in this sport to never say never, but I made a commitment and I knew it wasn't going to be easy. I'm in it for the long haul. NASCAR is where I want to be. It's the pinnacle of U.S. racing.

I know I pissed off a lot of fans by coming to NASCAR, and they think I am in it only for the money, but that's not the case. In the long haul, could I make more money? Sure. But I will challenge anybody that has a job to turn down a chance to go make more money. But right now, I'm not making $8 million a year, or whatever's being reported. With the races that I'm missing, I probably would have made more money in Champ Car this year than I have in NASCAR. That was the chance that I took.

Q: What's the current state of open-wheel racing in America?

AJ: Those two series [IndyCar and Champ Car] are killing themselves. That hurts me. I love Champ Car. There isn't anything like driving a Champ Car around Laguna Seca. It's bad-ass. It's one of the coolest things I've ever done.

Until the series owners get their egos in check, they'll both sit there and say, "Yeah, we need to get it back together." But they're both idiots because they both also say, "We need to do it my way." Well you know what? Those series need to get back together because we need open-wheel racing in the U.S. In the next year or two, if they don't, I don't think there will be open-wheel racing.

Q: How do open-wheel fans and NASCAR fans compare?

AJ: Both fans are real passionate about their racing, which is great to see. As a race car driver, it kind of inspires you. But it seems like NASCAR's so huge that every fan is passionate to an extreme, wearing their favorite driver's gear. Whether they like a driver or hate him, they're passionate about it, and you see it in the grandstands.

Q: There are a lot of fan complaints that NASCAR drivers are too programmed. Do you agree?

AJ: The media coverage is 24/7, and some guys are shy about that and some guys aren't -- Tony Stewart doesn't hide anything. Certain people are shy, and fans shouldn't get mad about it. Some drivers have to be reserved for their sponsors.

Q: How's married life?

AJ: In general, I'm not the easiest person to live with. When it was kind of just going to hell at one point, she put up with a lot. I don't give her enough credit. She's fantastic. It's not that she's just along for the ride. She gave up her own life. She lived in Toronto. She had just bought her own chiropractor office and sold it all to come live this.

We know that this isn't just a job. This is a life.

• Mentioned Drivers:
• AJ Allmendinger