AJ Allmendinger has asked the jolly man from the north pole to ignore the wish list he previously sent him. There’s nothing else Allmendinger could find under the tree that will top what he received on Wednesday afternoon, that being a ride at Penske Racing.
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[/media-credit]Allmendinger was named the new driver of the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Dodge, which had been vacated by Kurt Busch a few weeks ago. Driving for Roger Penske is something Allmendinger says he’s always dreamed about being able to do and now he feels he’s got the best shot he’ll ever get in NASCAR’s top level.
“To give me this chance has just been amazing, “said Allmendinger on Wednesday about Penske. “It’s been quick. It’s happening real fast but I’m ready to go. Going into next year, obviously we’ve got a short amount of time with how late this is all happening. I met [crew chief] Todd Gordon and everybody and just trying to make sure that I get to the shop as much as possible over the next six weeks and get in the car and get ready for it. I’m ready to go.”
What drew the attention of Penske officials is how Allmendinger had been able to progress over the years. Coming into the Cup Series with Red Bull Racing, back when they too were getting their feet wet, he was doing more with less. Then moving to Richard Petty Motorsports he contended for wins but found more bad luck and mechanical failures than decent finishes.
Penske Racing President Tim Cindric associates Allmendinger with the word potential, something that they were very serious about when looking for their next driver. Speculation ran wild for days following Busch’s release that notable drivers on the market such as David Ragan, Brian Vickers or David Reutimann would get the call.
Then at the 11th hour it was Allmendinger. While thinking he was all set at RPM for 2012 and working with his No. 43 team to prepare for a strong season, he started to hear the same rumors as everyone else: Busch was on his way to replace him. Then with sponsor Best Buy moving to Roush Fenway Racing, it couldn’t stop Allmendinger’s internal red flag from going up.
But before he could become too worried about being out of a job, he was walking into his new home, thinking he might need a map to find his way around. Now he’s taking time to learn everyone’s names, trying to connect with his new crew chief and fitting his seat into brand new cars.
It’s a good fit, believes Cindric. Working with now senior driver Brad Keselowski, who won three races and contended in this year’s Chase, will also be a good fit for the organization. Both are young and talented there’s nowhere to go but up. The relationship between Keselowski and Allmendinger will need to develop though, as the two barely know each other, having only exchanged pleasantries in the past.
What Allmendinger knows is that he’s got everything he’s ever wanted in a team. Stability, a rich history and confidence moving forward as well as the pressure. There will be a lot of pressure, Allmendinger knows it and embraces it.
“To have Mr. Penske personally want you to drive his race car is a thing that gives me a lot of confidence,” said Allmendinger. “It’s the same thing as when Richard Petty asked me to come drive his car. It gives you confidence when you have somebody with that background and with the accolades and everything that they’ve went through in their lives to make their organizations where they’re at. It gives me a lot of confidence.”
He continued though, “At the same point I know there’s a lot of pressure there. I’m not blind to the pressure with Shell-Pennzoil and with the organization and what they’re used to, having their ideas about winning. I know there’s a lot of pressure there to go out and perform but for me, if I didn’t feel like I could do that I’d just be wasting everybody’s time and then I wouldn’t be here.”
Allmendinger though says he knows he’s at the level where he can win races and be a championship contender. One of his strongest tracks is Dover International Raceway, where he has continually shown he can drive with the best in the business like Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson. There’s now a feeling that Allmendinger is one step closer to getting over the hump and finally breaking through.
“This is going to be my best chance I’ve ever had in the Sprint Cup Series to go out there and perform and I’m ready to do that,” he said.
Cindric is being more reserved when it comes to predictions. Making it clear that this is not a test session or one-year job audition for Allmendinger, it’s a partnership aimed to better the two sides for a while to come. Fulfill the potential Cindric likes to talk about.
“I think you have to be realistic and I think we have to hit singles in the beginning before we can worry about hitting the doubles and triples and home runs,” he said. “There’s no preconceived notion that we’re going to walk into this thing and just hit the ground running. We’re going to have to work toward it. If that happens, great, but I think we have to be realistic in the fact that we’re replacing a world-class drive and we’re trying to figure out how we get to the next level.”
Walk before you run is the echo around the No. 22 team now a days. For Allmendinger though, it’s really nothing new. He’s been down and out, from one team to another and rumored to be on his way out of the series for good. Every year he’s come back and his quiet plugging away has paid off with one of the best rides on the track.
“It’s easy to keep my confidence when Mr. Penske wants you to drive his race cars and come to his organization,” Allmendinger says about his recent roller coaster. “It makes me be able to look in the mirror and wake up in the morning and feel confident knowing that such a guy like Mr. Penske and everything that he’s had as race teams and all the great drivers, to have him come to me and say, ‘hey, I want you to drive my race car.’ That gives me all the confidence I need right there. He knows talent when he sees it and if he thinks I have enough talent to be a part of his organization, that’s all I need right there.”
