A. J. Allmendinger
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Anthony James Allmendinger (born December 16, 1981), nicknamed "the Dinger,” is an American professional
stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of Auto racing, automobile racing run on oval track racing, oval tracks and road courses. It originally used Production vehicle, production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifical ...
driver. He competes full-time in the
NASCAR Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...
, driving the No. 16 Chevrolet ZL1 for
Kaulig Racing Kaulig Racing is an American professional stock car racing team that competes in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series. The team is owned by Matt Kaulig, an owner of team sponsor LeafFilter. Kaulig Racing fields three Cup Series Chevrol ...
. Allmendinger's professional racing career began on the American open-wheel circuit. He earned five wins and third place overall in the 2006 Champ Car season. Allmendinger then began competing in NASCAR for Team Red Bull. He later drove for Richard Petty Motorsports, Penske Racing, Phoenix Racing, and JTG Daugherty Racing in the Cup Series. When he lost his full-time Cup Series ride with JTGD in 2019 to Ryan Preece, he became a part-time driver for Kaulig in the Xfinity Series and part-time television broadcaster for
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, working as a color commentator for IMSA races and an analyst on '' NASCAR America'' until 2021 when he returned to driving full-time. Moreover, he competed in the
24 Hours of Daytona The 24 Hours of Daytona, also known as the Rolex 24 At Daytona for sponsorship reasons, is a 24-hour sports car racing, sports car Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Flo ...
for Michael Shank's team in all but one year from 2006 to 2021, winning the event in 2012.


Early career

Allmendinger started his racing career at the age of five, racing
BMX bike A BMX bike is a bicycle used for cycle sport, specifically racing or stunt riding. BMX stands for ''bicycle motocross''. Construction Though originally denoting a bicycle intended for BMX racing, the term "BMX bike" is now used as a generic ...
s. He advanced to quarter-midgets on ovals on the West Coast by the time he was eight, and within a few years, he began racing
karts Kart racing or karting is a motorsport discipline using open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on full-size moto ...
, winning two International Kart Federation Grand National championships. Allmendinger participated in the Formula Dodge National Championship in 2001, which earned him a spot in the Barber Dodge Pro Series championship in 2002, a championship he won. He also raced in
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
in 2002 in the New Zealand Formula Ford Championship. In 2003, he was signed to Carl Russo's RuSPORT team and won the Champ Car Atlantic Championship, winning nine
pole position In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the ra ...
s and seven races.


American open-wheel racing


2004–2006: RuSPORT

On February 29, 2004, RuSPORT announced their entry into the
Champ Car World Series Champ Car World Series (CCWS) was the series sanctioned by Open-Wheel Racing Series Inc., a sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing that operated from 2004 to 2008. It was the successor to Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART), ...
, fielding two entries for Allmendinger and Michel Jourdain Jr. Around this time,
Red Bull Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks created and owned by the Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With a market share of 43%, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2020, and the third most valuable soft drink brand, behind Coca-Cola and ...
signed Allmendinger to their family of athletes. Allmendinger scored his first podium of the season in the Grand Prix of Vancouver. In the second half of the season, Allmendinger finished 6th place or higher 5 times, including another podium finish in
Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
. Allmendinger ended the season 6th in points, winning the Roshfrans Rookie of the Year Award over Justin Wilson. In 2005, Wilson replaced Jourdain Jr. at RuSPORT, becoming Allmendinger's teammate. Throughout the season, Allmendinger finished on the podium 5 times, finishing runner-up in 4 of those podium finishes. In July, Allmendinger qualified pole for the first time in his Champ Car World Series career at the Grand Prix of Edmonton.


2006: Multiple wins with Forsythe

On June 9, 2006, after 4 races in the season, RuSPORT announced that Allmendinger would be replaced by 2002 CART champion Cristiano da Matta, as the team believed that de Matta would be a better challenger against
Sébastien Bourdais Sébastien Olivier Bourdais (; born 28 February 1979) is a French professional racing driver who currently races in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Cadillac Hertz Team Jota in the Hypercar category. He is one of the most successful dr ...
, who had swept the first 4 races of the season. Five days later, Forsythe Championship Racing announced Allmendinger as their new driver, replacing Mario Domínguez. In the first race with Forsythe, Allmendinger won the Grand Prix of Portland. Allmendinger won the next two races at the Grand Prix of Cleveland and the Grand Prix of Toronto, giving him three consecutive victories in the first three races since his departure from RuSPORT. Allmendinger would enter the 8th race of the season second place in the standings behind Bourdais. He earned two more wins during the 2006 season, winning the Grand Prix of Denver and
Road America Road America is a motorsport Road racing, road course located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the IndyCar Series, IMSA SportsCar Championship, Sports Car Club ...
. Despite being 2nd in points heading into the final race of the season, Allmendinger left Champ Car before the race to accept a lucrative offer from
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
's Red Bull Racing Team. In 2007, Allmendinger commented that a lack of marketing and sponsorship due to the CART-IRL split played a role in him and several other open-wheel drivers moving to NASCAR, adding "it needs to be one series. To have all the best open-wheel drivers on this continent racing against each other, you'd hopefully get some sponsors back and get a decent TV package."


2013: Return to IndyCar with Team Penske

It was reported in late 2012 that Allmendinger could move to the now-unified
IndyCar Series The IndyCar Series, officially known as the NTT IndyCar Series for sponsorship reasons, is the highest class of American open-wheel car racing in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of various sanctioning bodies sinc ...
with Michael Shank Racing, which he co-owned, for the 2013 season. This failed to materialize; instead, he participated in IndyCar's winter testing at Sebring with
Team Penske Team Penske (formerly Penske Racing) is an American professional auto racing organization, competing in the IndyCar Series, NASCAR Cup Series, IMSA SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship. Debuting at the 1966 24 Hours of Day ...
. In March, it was announced that Allmendinger would compete part-time in the IndyCar series for the team at
Barber Motorsports Park Barber Motorsports Park is an racing facility in Birmingham, Alabama. It was built by George W. Barber, and includes the Barber Vintage Motorsport Museum. It has been the site of the IndyCar Series' Grand Prix of Alabama since 2010 IndyCar Ser ...
and in the 2013 Indianapolis 500, with the goal of adding more races later in the season. After finishing 19th in his IndyCar debut, Allmendinger was put back into the car for the following race at
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. In May, Team Penske announced that Allmendinger would participate in the Chevrolet Indy Dual races in Detroit. Allmendinger qualified 5th for the 2013 Indianapolis 500. He led 23 laps and finished 7th despite pitting with around 70 laps to go due to his seatbelt loosening during the race. Allmendinger failed to complete a lap in the Chevy Indy Dual races, crashing out in the first race on lap 1 after contact with
Scott Dixon Scott Ronald Dixon (born 22 July 1980) is a New Zealand racing driver who races the 9 Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) Dallara DW12-Honda car in the IndyCar Series. He is a six-time drivers' champion of the IndyCar Series, having claimed the title in ...
and crashing out on lap 1 in the second race after hitting the wall. In October, it was announced that Allmendinger would race in the season finale at Fontana in an attempt to help
Hélio Castroneves Hélio Castroneves (; born Hélio Alves de Castro Neves; 10 May 1975) is a Brazilian auto racing driver. He competes part-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 06 Dallara-Honda for Meyer Shank Racing. He is one of four drivers to have w ...
win the championship. Allmendinger would qualify 2nd in the race behind polesitter and teammate Will Power. He would finish in 16th after crashing on lap 190. Despite claiming he would be willing to race full-time in IndyCar if
Roger Penske Roger Searle Penske (born February 20, 1937), also known as "the Captain", is an American auto racing team owner, businessman, and former professional driver. Penske is the owner of Team Penske, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IndyCar, and ...
offered, Allmendinger hasn't raced in the series since. After the death of Justin Wilson, who died after getting struck in the helmet with debris in a 2015 IndyCar race at Pocono, Allmendinger stated that he would not return to IndyCar unless IndyCar made safety modifications to the cockpit. Despite IndyCar introducing the aeroscreen in 2020 and NASCAR driver Kyle Larson running in the 2024 Indianapolis 500, Allmendinger has stated he is not considering running another race in IndyCar.


NASCAR


2006: Stock car debut

Allmendinger made his NASCAR debut in the
Craftsman Truck Series The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck-based stock car racing, s ...
driving for Bill Davis Racing at New Hampshire International Speedway on September 16, 2006, in the No. 24
Toyota Tundra The Toyota Tundra is a full-size pickup truck manufactured in the United States by the Japanese manufacturer Toyota since May 1999. The Tundra was the second full-size pickup to be built by a Japanese manufacturer (the first was the Toyota T100 ...
. He crashed his primary truck in qualifying but started the race 32nd in a backup truck from teammate Bill Lester and finished on the lead lap in 13th. He also competed at the
Talladega Superspeedway Talladega Superspeedway (Alabama International Motor Speedway from 1969 to 1989) is a tri-oval superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. Built in 1969, the track has hosted a variety of racing events, primarily races sanctioned by NASCAR. The track is ...
in October with a fifth place finish. In his third career truck series start, he qualified in second place at Atlanta and led five laps before he wrecked and finished 34th. Red Bull officially announced Allmendinger as part of its 2007 Nextel Cup Series driver lineup on October 25, 2006. He attempted his first Cup Series event at
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
in October 2006 driving the No. 84
Red Bull Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks created and owned by the Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With a market share of 43%, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2020, and the third most valuable soft drink brand, behind Coca-Cola and ...
-sponsored
Dodge Charger The Dodge Charger is a model of automobile marketed by Dodge in various forms over eight generations since 1966. The first Charger was a show car in 1964. A 1965 Charger II concept car resembled the 1966 production version. In the United Sta ...
, however, due to qualifying being rained out, a lack of owner's points prevented Allmendinger from making the race. He also attempted to make the race at Texas Motor Speedway, failing to qualify again.


2007–2008: Red Bull

Allmendinger and
Brian Vickers Brian Lee Vickers (born October 24, 1983) is an American former professional stock car and sports car racing driver. He last drove the No. 14 Chevrolet SS for Stewart-Haas Racing as an interim driver in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for the i ...
were named Red Bull's drivers for 2007, with Allmendinger piloting the team's No. 84
Toyota Camry The Toyota Camry (; Japanese: トヨタ・カムリ ''Toyota Kamuri'') is an automobile sold internationally by the Japanese auto manufacturer Toyota since 1982, spanning multiple generations. Originally compact in size (narrow-body), the Cam ...
with Vickers in the team's No. 83. Allmendinger failed to qualify for the
2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
Daytona 500 after a crash in the first
Gatorade Duel The Duel at Daytona, formerly known as the Twin 125s, is a NASCAR Cup Series preliminary event to the Daytona 500 held annually in February at Daytona International Speedway. It consists of two races, which both serve as a qualifying race for the ...
race. He also failed to qualify for the next three races before making his first Cup start at the fifth race of the season, the
Food City 500 The Food City 500 is an annual 500-lap, NASCAR Cup Series points race held at the Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. This is one of two NASCAR races held at Bristol, the other being the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. It was the first ven ...
at
Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
. As the season progressed, Allmendinger made a handful of races, predominantly in the " Car of Tomorrow.” Allmendinger failed to qualify in 19 races that season, running a total of 17 races at the end of the season. To assist him in the transition to stock cars, he participated in selected
Craftsman Truck Series The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck-based stock car racing, s ...
races in the No. 00 Toyota Tundra for Darrell Waltrip Motorsports, and in the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge Charger in the Busch Series. In May, in the Craftman Truck Series race at Charlotte, Allmendinger ran towards the front of the field for the first time in his career, leading 7 laps during the race. He would finish 2nd place in the race after being held off by
Ron Hornaday Jr. Ronald Lee Hornaday Jr. (born June 20, 1958) is an American former professional stock car racing driver and businessman. He currently owns Team Hornaday Development, a driver development program, as well as Hornaday Race Cars, a Modified racing, D ...
on a green-white-checkered finish. Allmendinger again failed to qualify for the
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
Daytona 500. After three failures to qualify in two attempts (qualifying for the second race of the season, Fontana, was rained out and set by 2007 owner's points), he was temporarily replaced by veteran driver Mike Skinner. Allmendinger returned to the Cup Series at Talladega. On May 17, 2008, he won the Sprint Showdown at
Lowe's Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway (known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009 due to sponsorship reasons) is a quad-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Concord, North Carolina. It has hosted various major races since it ...
during NASCAR's annual All-Star weekend. The win qualified Allmendinger for the Sprint All-Star Race later that evening, where he finished 17th. Due to Allmendinger's 11th-place finish at Watkins Glen, for the first time in his career, he had a guaranteed starting spot for the next race. He had his best career finish at the time at
Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
, finishing in ninth, but was released from the team two days later. He was replaced for the rest of the season by
Scott Speed Scott Andrew Speed (born January 24, 1983) is an American race car driver who has competed in numerous disciplines, including open-wheel racing, open-wheel, stock car racing, stock car, and rallycross racing. In , Speed became the first American ...
and Mike Skinner. Allmendinger raced with for
Michael Waltrip Racing Michael Waltrip Racing Holdings LLC, doing business as Michael Waltrip Racing ("MWR"), was an American professional stock car racing team that last competed full-time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The company was as a 50–50 partnership betwe ...
for 1 race in the No. 00 and Evernham Motorsports for the last five races in the No. 10. Allmendinger posted 2 top 10's and improved in making races by only failing to qualify for just the first 3 races.


2008–2011: Richard Petty Motorsports

After signing a one-race contract with
Michael Waltrip Racing Michael Waltrip Racing Holdings LLC, doing business as Michael Waltrip Racing ("MWR"), was an American professional stock car racing team that last competed full-time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The company was as a 50–50 partnership betwe ...
, Allmendinger replaced fellow former open-wheel star
Patrick Carpentier Patrick Carpentier (born August 13, 1971) is a Canadian former professional auto racing driver. In the Champ Car World Series and the IndyCar Series, he achieved five wins and 24 podiums, as well as two third place championship finishes in 2002 C ...
at Gillett Evernham Motorsports, scoring an average finish of 15.4th over five races in the team's No. 10
Valvoline Valvoline Inc. ( ) is an American retail automotive services company based in Lexington, Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky. It licenses the name for a number of Valvoline-labeled Motor oil, automotive oil, Oil additive, additives, and lubricants. It ...
-sponsored Dodge. During the offseason, as part of the merger between GEM and
Petty Enterprises Petty Enterprises (formerly Lee Petty Engineering) was a NASCAR racing team based in Level Cross, Randolph County, North Carolina, Level Cross, North Carolina, United States, USA. It was founded by Lee Petty with his two sons Richard Petty and Ma ...
, Allmendinger was to move to the No. 19
Best Buy Best Buy Co., Inc. is an American multinational consumer electronics retailer headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota. Originally founded by Richard M. Schulze and James Wheeler in 1966 as an audio specialty store called Sound of Music, it was r ...
-sponsored Dodge replacing
Elliott Sadler Elliott William Barnes Sadler (born April 30, 1975) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro for Kaulig Racing. Sadler is one of 36 dr ...
. However, Sadler was still under contract for the 2010 season and announced he would file suit against Allmendinger and the organization. In early January 2009, Richard Petty Motorsports announced a settlement where Sadler would remain in the No. 19 and Allmendinger would return to his 2008 team, which was renumbered 44. However, Valvoline did not commit to sponsoring the team full-time and they were forced to race without full-time sponsorship. Allmendinger's team ended the 2008 season 36th in owner's points, meaning it did not have exemptions for the first five races of 2009. The retro-styled Valvoline 44 raced its way into the Daytona 500, and third in his Daytona 500 debut, also his personal best, and is the fourth-best Daytona 500 debut behind
Lee Petty Lee Arnold Petty (March 14, 1914 – April 5, 2000) was an American stock car racing driver who competed during the 1950s and 1960s. He is the patriarch of the Petty racing family. He was one of the early pioneers of NASCAR and one of its f ...
in the 1959 Daytona 500,
Scott Wimmer Scott Allan Wimmer (born January 26, 1976) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He has a total of six wins in the Xfinity Series. His brother Chris Wimmer competed in the Busch Series. Wimmer co-owns State Park Speedway in ...
in the 2004 Daytona 500 and
Trevor Bayne Trevor Mitchell Bayne (born February 19, 1991) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver, Dirt track racing, dirt racing driver, team owner, and businessman. He is currently a pit reporter for NASCAR on Prime Video, ''NASCAR ...
in the 2011 Daytona 500. Allmendinger was one of two go-or-go-home drivers (the other being Tony Stewart, but Stewart had the past champion's provisional available) to successfully attempt the first five races of the 2009 season. At 1:27 a.m. on October 29, 2009, Allmendinger was arrested for drunk driving by
Mooresville, North Carolina Mooresville is a town located in the southwestern section of Iredell County, North Carolina, United States, and is a part of the fast-growing Charlotte metropolitan area. The population was 50,193 at the 2020 census, making it the most populo ...
police. He registered a .08 blood alcohol level according to a police report. NASCAR placed him on probation for the rest of the 2009 season. Allmendinger drove a Ford Fusion in the final three races of the season as part of RPM's transition from Dodge to Ford. During the offseason, Allmendinger replaced
Reed Sorenson Bradley Reed Sorenson (born February 5, 1986) is an American former professional stock car racing driver and Spotter (auto racing), spotter. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 27 Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation ...
in the team's famous No. 43 car. He collected two top-fives, eight top-10s, and a pole position in 2010, and finished 19th in the final standings. After finishing 11th in the 2011 Daytona 500, Allmendinger started the season 10th in points driving the No. 43 Ford sponsored by Best Buy. Allmendinger continued to have a career-best year in 2011 with 10 top-10 finishes and an average finish of 16th. He finished the 2011 regular season contending for a wild card spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup but came up just short. Three races before setting the field for the Chase, RPM put former Roush Fenway Racing crew chief Greg Erwin on the pit box starting at the 2011 Brickyard 400. Allmendinger and Erwin recorded six top-10 finishes after their pairing. Allmendinger finished the 2011 season a career-best 15th in the points. Allmendinger also announced that he would have a partnership stake in Mike Shank's IndyCar team MSR Indy.


2012: Team Penske, suspension

At the end of the 2011 season, Allmendinger left Richard Petty Motorsports when the driving spot for Penske Racing's No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil-sponsored Dodge became open after the parting ways of
Kurt Busch Kurt Thomas Busch (born August 4, 1978) is an American auto racing driver. He is best known for competing in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2000–2022, last driving the No. 45 Toyota Camry TRD for 23XI Racing. Busch is the 2004 NASCAR Cup Series ch ...
and Penske. Before his suspension, his best finish was a second at
Martinsville Speedway Martinsville Speedway is a oval Oval track racing#Short track, short track in Ridgeway, Virginia, United States, a community of Martinsville, Virginia. The track has held a variety of events since its opening in 1947, primarily events sanctione ...
. After failing a random drug test on July 7, 2012, Allmendinger was suspended from participation in the
Coke Zero 400 The Coke Zero Sugar 400 is an annual NASCAR Cup Series stock car race at Daytona International Speedway. First held in 1959, the event consists of 160 laps, , and is the second of two major stock car events held at Daytona on the Cup Series ...
. Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR's senior vice president for racing operations, said that Allmendinger had up to 72 hours to request a ''B'' test sample. The next day, Penske said before the Honda Indy Toronto race that Allmendinger's ''B'' sample would be tested on Monday or Tuesday. Allmendinger requested a ''B'' sample test on July 9, 2012. On July 11, 2012, Allmendinger's camp said a stimulant caused the positive drug test. The ''B'' sample test had not yet been scheduled at that time. On July 24, 2012, it was announced by NASCAR that Allmendinger was suspended indefinitely after the ''B'' sample tested positive for a banned stimulant, which was revealed to be amphetamine. He chose to participate in the Road to Recovery program. On August 1, 2012, he was released from his contract by Penske Racing. Allmendinger was replaced in the No. 22 by Sam Hornish Jr.; he later stated that the cause of the positive test was
Adderall Adderall and Mydayis are trade names for a combination drug containing four salts of amphetamine. The mixture is composed of equal parts racemic amphetamine and dextroamphetamine, which produces a (3:1) ratio between dextroamphetamine and l ...
that he had unknowingly taken, being told it was an "energy pill". Allmendinger was reinstated by NASCAR on September 18, 2012 after completing the Road to Recovery program. In October 2012, Allmendinger returned to NASCAR at
Charlotte Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway (known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009 due to sponsorship reasons) is a quad-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Concord, North Carolina. It has hosted various major races since it ...
, driving for Phoenix Racing, substituting for Phoenix's intended driver Regan Smith, who had been hired by
Hendrick Motorsports Hendrick Motorsports is an American professional auto racing organization that competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded in 1984 as All-Star Racing by Rick Hendrick. Hendrick Motorsports has won a NASCAR-record 316 Cup Series ra ...
to drive the No. 88 for Charlotte and Kansas while
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr. (born October 10, 1974) is an American professional stock car racing driver, team owner, and broadcaster. A third-generation driver, he is the son of the late 7-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt and relative ...
was sidelined with a concussion.


2013: Nationwide success, part-time in Cup

On June 1, 2013, Roger Penske announced that Allmendinger would drive for his team at
Road America Road America is a motorsport Road racing, road course located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the IndyCar Series, IMSA SportsCar Championship, Sports Car Club ...
and the
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a road course auto racing facility located in Troy Township, Morrow County, Ohio, United States, just outside the village of Lexington. It hosts a number of racing series such as IndyCar, IMSA WeatherTech Sportsc ...
. In his first race of the season, the Johnsonville Sausage 200 on June 22, 2013, he won after winning the
pole position In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the ra ...
and leading 29 laps, which was the most of any driver. At Mid-Ohio in August, Allmendinger dominated the race, saving fuel through a green-white-checkered finish to win and sweep the year's Nationwide Series road-course races for Penske Racing.


Sprint Cup Series

Allmendinger drove part-time for Phoenix Racing in the No. 51 Chevrolet in the Sprint Cup Series. He had several strong finishes in the first part of the season: 11th at Phoenix, 13th at Bristol, 16th at Fontana, and 14th at Richmond. His first finish worse than 20th was at Pocono, where he finished 33rd. Afterward, Allmendinger moved to the No. 47 Toyota at JTG Daugherty Racing in place of
Bobby Labonte Robert Allen Labonte (born May 8, 1964) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver and current analyst for ''NASCAR on Fox''. He also currently competes part-time in the SMART Modified Tour, driving the No. 18L for Hermie Sa ...
for two races, with a 19th-place finish at Michigan and 22nd-place finish at Kentucky. At Daytona, Allmendinger returned to the No. 51 and was running near the top-ten for almost the entire night until lap 148, when he was part of a wreck in the tri-oval with Denny Hamlin,
Jeff Gordon Jeffery Michael Gordon (born August 4, 1971) is an American stock car racing executive and former professional stock car racing driver who currently serves as the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports. He raced full-time from 1993 to 2015, d ...
, Matt Kenseth, and David Reutimann, reducing Allmendinger to a 35th-place finish. Returning to the No. 47 at Watkins Glen, Allmendinger had another breakout run, qualifying fourth, and running in the top fifteen for most of the day, finishing in 10th place. On August 29, 2013, the ''
Sporting News ''The Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a ...
'' reported that Allmendinger would be the full-time driver for JTG Daugherty Racing in 2014. This was confirmed a month later with Allmendinger signing a multi-year deal with the team.


2014: Breakthrough Cup victory

Allmendinger had a few poor opening races, but did well at Fontana, recovering from a late speeding penalty to finish eighth, as well as having top-tens at Richmond and Talladega. At Sonoma, Allmendinger qualified on the front row with
Jamie McMurray James Christopher McMurray (born June 3, 1976), nicknamed "Jamie Mac", is an American former professional stock car racing driver and currently an analyst for ''Fox NASCAR'' and CW. He raced in the NASCAR Cup Series on a full-time basis from 2003 ...
. Allmendinger led the most laps and was in position to possibly earn his first Sprint Cup victory when he was wrecked by Dale Earnhardt Jr. with 25 laps to go. Allmendinger was visibly upset with Earnhardt Jr. in post-race ceremonies. At Watkins Glen, Allmendinger took the lead with less than 30 laps to go after a side-by-side battle with former teammate Marcos Ambrose and kept the lead until the checkered flag, earning his first Sprint Cup Series win after 213 Sprint Cup starts, leading 30 laps in the process. "My gosh, I can't believe we won a NASCAR Sprint Cup race. This whole 47 team... all the sponsors, my first Cup victory. I love these guys. I just wanted it so bad for them. For this team. They worked so hard. I wasn't going to let Marcos take that from me. I hope the fans loved that race and at home. Because it was fun in the race car." Ambrose commented on Allmendinger's win: "First of all, congratulations to A. J. and the 47 team. They deserved that win. I left nothing on the table. I tried to rattle his cage and couldn't shake him. We raced fair and square to the end there. It was a tough couple laps but it was fair. We were both giving it to each other pretty hard. No harm, no foul. We just came up a little short." Before the race, Allmendinger had announced that Kimberly-Clark Corporation (consisting of Scott, Viva, Kleenex, Cottonelle, and Huggies brands) extended its sponsorship agreement with the team through 2017.


2015

Though NASCAR expanded the grid of the Sprint Unlimited to include all the Chase drivers, Allmendinger declined the invitation, saying he wanted to save his equipment for the points races such as the
Daytona 500 The Daytona 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of three ...
. Instead, he joined the
Motor Racing Network Motor Racing Network (MRN) is an American radio network that syndicates broadcasts of auto racing events, particularly NASCAR. MRN was founded in 1970 by NASCAR founder Bill France, Sr. and broadcaster Ken Squier, and is a wholly owned subsidiary ...
's radio broadcast of the race, working in the booth alongside Joe Moore and Jeff Striegle. Allmendinger got his season off to a good start, leading a few laps during the Daytona 500. The next week at Atlanta, he finished seventh and sixth one week later at Las Vegas. On May 9, 2015, Allmendinger announced plans to sign a five-year contract extension with JTG Daugherty, allowing him to remain with the team through the 2020 season.


2016

Allmendinger nearly pulled off an upset at the 2016 STP 500 at Martinsville. He charged hard from 13th place with less than 20 laps to go, to finish second to
Kyle Busch Kyle Thomas Busch (born May 2, 1985) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 8 Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation)#ZL1, Chevrolet ZL1 for Richard Childress Racing and par ...
by 1.547 seconds. It tied 2012 as his career-best finish at Martinsville. Allmendinger ended the season on a high note, earning four top tens on the final 6 races and finishing 19th in the standings. On June 8, 2016,
Richard Childress Racing Richard Childress Racing (RCR) is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The team is based in Welcome, North Carolina, and is owned and operated by Richard C ...
announced plans to add Allmendinger to their Xfinity Series driver lineup, hiring him to drive the No. 2 Chevrolet Camaro at Mid-Ohio; however, Allmendinger had a schedule conflict and Sam Hornish Jr. drove the race instead.


2017

Allmendinger started the 2017 season at Daytona by finishing in third place, equalling his best career finish in the event. At Talladega, Allmendinger was caught in a multi-car accident while running third with 19 laps to go. Allmendinger got loose drafting
Chase Elliott William Clyde "Chase" Elliott II (born November 28, 1995) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation)#ZL1, Chevrolet ZL1 for Hendrick Mo ...
, causing Allmendinger's car to spin out and eventually flip over. At Watkins Glen, Allmendinger ran well enough to be the highest-finishing Chevrolet in the race, placing ninth.


2018

Allmendinger opened the 2018 season with a top-ten finish in the
Daytona 500 The Daytona 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of three ...
and later had an eighth-place finish at the STP 500. In May, Allmendinger won the Monster Energy Open, the second time he had taken victory in the race. On September 25, 2018, it was announced that Allmendinger, despite having two years left on his contract from 2015, would part ways with JTG at the end of the 2018 season, ending a long-time relationship with the team.


2019–2020: Part-time with Kaulig Racing

On March 21, 2019,
Kaulig Racing Kaulig Racing is an American professional stock car racing team that competes in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series. The team is owned by Matt Kaulig, an owner of team sponsor LeafFilter. Kaulig Racing fields three Cup Series Chevrol ...
announced Allmendinger would join the team's No. 10 car for a part-time Xfinity Series schedule. His schedule was originally a four-race slate beginning in July at Daytona, followed by the road course events at Mid-Ohio, Road America, and the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval. In the 2019 Circle K Firecracker 250 at Daytona, Allmendinger finished third, but was disqualified and relegated to last place after his car failed an engine vacuum test during post-race inspection. On July 17, 2019, Kaulig announced that Allmendinger would add a fifth race to his schedule: the 2019 Zippo 200 at The Glen at
Watkins Glen International Watkins Glen International, nicknamed "The Glen", is an automobile race track in the Northeastern United States, northeastern United States, located in Dix, New York, just southwest of the village of Watkins Glen, New York, Watkins Glen, at the ...
on August 3, 2019. He was once again disqualified when his second-place finishing car was discovered to be too low on both rear corners during post-race inspection. At his final start of the year at the Charlotte Roval, he picked up his first win of the season and third of his Xfinity Series career, beating out RCR driver Tyler Reddick. A few weeks after his Roval win, Kaulig president Chris Rice stated in an interview that Allmendinger would tentatively return to the team to drive for them in all of the Xfinity Series road course races again. In addition to those four races, he added he could likely run the new race for the series at Martinsville, a track that Allmendinger has historically performed well at throughout his NASCAR career. Allmendinger formally moved to the No. 16, Kaulig's part-time third car, for 2020 because the No. 10 was taken over full-time by Ross Chastain. On January 30, 2020, Kaulig Racing announced Allmendinger would appear in eight races for the team, predominantly at the road courses and superspeedways. Further races at Bristol and Atlanta were later added to his schedule, the latter in which he scored his first career victory on an oval. The Atlanta victory made Allmendinger eligible for the series' $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus available the following week at Homestead-Miami. Kaulig added the race to Allmendinger's schedule, where he finished fourth, enough to claim the bonus. At the Cup Series race at Martinsville in June, Allmendinger was on standby for RCR's Austin Dillon, who was expecting his first child with his wife, Whitney. Allmendinger continued acting on standby until Homestead-Miami but was not needed as Dillon's son was born Sunday morning before the Homestead race. In August, Allmendinger finished second at Road America to Team Penske's Austin Cindric. At the Daytona road course race, Allmendinger finished fourth but was involved in controversy as he spun
Justin Allgaier Justin Myrl Allgaier (born June 6, 1986) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 7 Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation), Chevrolet SS for JR Motorsports and part-time ...
in the closing laps, leading to a confrontation between the two drivers. Allmendinger was leading going into the final corner of the August Daytona oval race but wrecked after contact with his Kaulig teammate Ross Chastain. In October, Allmendinger defended his win on the Charlotte Roval, taking victory at the track for the second year in a row in a race affected by rain and darkness.


2021–2022: Full-time at Kaulig and return to the NASCAR Cup Series

On December 1, 2020, Kaulig announced that Allmendinger would run the full 2021 Xfinity Series schedule for the team. He also joined the team's Cup Series program for the Daytona road course, marking his first Cup series race since 2018. In March, Allmendinger earned his sixth career win by passing Daniel Hemric on a late-race restart at Las Vegas. He scored a second win at Mid-Ohio in June. On August 5, 2021, GMS Racing announced that Allmendinger would run his first
Camping World Truck Series The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck-based stock cars. The series i ...
race since 2008 at the regular-season finale at
Watkins Glen International Watkins Glen International, nicknamed "The Glen", is an automobile race track in the Northeastern United States, northeastern United States, located in Dix, New York, just southwest of the village of Watkins Glen, New York, Watkins Glen, at the ...
, replacing its normal driver Chase Purdy after he tested positive for COVID-19. On August 15, 2021, Allmendinger scored his second career Cup series win at the Indianapolis road course, giving Kaulig Racing its first victory in the Cup series. At
Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
, battling with Austin Cindric for the regular-season championship, Allmendinger won the race as well as the regular-season title, despite crashing at the finish similar to
Terry Labonte Terrance Lee Labonte (born November 16, 1956), nicknamed "Texas Terry" or "the Iceman", is an American former stock car racing, stock car driver. He raced from 1978 to 2014 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup and Sprint Cup Series (now called the NAS ...
at the 1995 Goody's 500 at Bristol when Labonte was spun by
Dale Earnhardt Ralph Dale Earnhardt (; April 29, 1951February 18, 2001) was an American professional Stock car racing, stock car driver and racing team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Serie ...
and still won. After his win at the 2021 Drive for the Cure 250, Allmendinger broke the record for most wins (6) at a road course in NASCAR Xfinity series history. This record was previously held by Austin Cindric. As of March 25, 2023, Allmendinger has won 11 races at a road course in a NASCAR sanctioned event. In November 2021, it was announced that Allmendinger would be scheduled to run 14 races for Kaulig Racing during the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season. However, due to Alex Bowman's concussion-like symptoms and Noah Gragson replacing him, Allmendinger would make the last four races instead of Gragson. Allmendinger started the 2022 season with a second-place finish at Daytona. He racked up wins at
Circuit of the Americas Circuit of the Americas (COTA) is a Grade 1 Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA-specification motor racing track and facilities located in Austin, Texas, United States. The facility is home to the Formula One United States Grand Pr ...
, Portland, and
Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...
. Following the 2022 Food City 300 at
Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
, Allmendinger clinched the regular season championship. He would win back-to-back races at Talladega and the Charlotte Roval. Allmendinger was unable to advance to the Championship 4, ultimately finishing 5th in the point standings.


2023: Redemption in Cup

On October 5, 2022, Kaulig Racing announced that Allmendinger would drive the No. 16 full-time in
2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
, marking his first full-time Cup season since
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
. Despite not making the playoffs, Allmendinger scored a win at the Charlotte Roval. He finished the season 21st in the final points standings. Allmendinger continued to run in the Xfinity Series on a part-time basis. He scored wins at
Circuit of the Americas Circuit of the Americas (COTA) is a Grade 1 Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA-specification motor racing track and facilities located in Austin, Texas, United States. The facility is home to the Formula One United States Grand Pr ...
and
Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
.


2024: Return to the Xfinity Series

On December 7, 2023, it was announced that Allmendinger will return to the Xfinity Series full-time in
2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
, driving the No. 16 for Kaulig. Despite not winning a race during the regular season, he stayed consistent enough to make the playoffs. During the playoffs, Allmendinger won at
Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
to lock himself into the Championship 4.


Sports car racing

From 2006 to 2021, with the exception for 2017, Allmendinger has competed in the 24 Hours of Daytona. On January 28–29, 2012, Allmendinger entered the Rolex 24 driving for Michael Shank Racing and drove the final segment of the 24-hour race to the victory for the team in the
Daytona Prototype A Daytona Prototype was a type of sports prototype racing car developed specifically for the Grand-Am Road Racing, Grand American Road Racing Association's Rolex Sports Car Series as their top class of car, which replaced their main prototype rac ...
Division. His teammates were Justin Wilson, John Pew, and Oswaldo Negri. To do so, he had to fend off sports car racing veteran
Allan McNish Allan McNish (born 29 December 1969) is a British former racing driver, commentator, and journalist from Scotland. He is a three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, most recently in 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans, 2013, as well as a three-time wi ...
among others. On January 4, 2014, it was announced that Allmendinger would return to Michael Shank Racing for the 24 Hours of Daytona. Co-driving with John Pew, Oswaldo Negri Jr. and Justin Wilson, the team finished 47th overall, 12th in the Prototype class.


Television career

Allmendinger first ventured into television with Fox Sports' ''
NASCAR Race Hub ''NASCAR Race Hub'' was a daily NASCAR news program broadcast on Fox Sports 1 Monday through Thursday. Originally broadcast on Speed, the show replaced '' NASCAR Nation'' and '' This Week in NASCAR''. ''NASCAR Race Hub'' premiered on October 12, ...
'', serving as a recurring driver analyst while still racing full-time for JTG Daugherty Racing. On December 19, 2018, NBC Sports announced plans to hire Allmendinger as an analyst for their IMSA Sports Car coverage. He would also be a contributor to NBCSN's '' NASCAR America''. Additionally, Allmendinger joined NBCSN's coverage of American Flat Track as an analyst for the 2019 season. In July 2019, Allmendinger joined the '' IndyCar Series on NBC'' booth for the Iowa Speedway event, working alongside Leigh Diffey and Paul Tracy.


Personal life

Allmendinger was born in Santa Clara but raised in Los Gatos, both suburbs of the San Francisco Bay area. Allmendinger was married to Canadian model and 2003 Miss Molson Indy Canada Lynne Kushnirenko in January 2007 after meeting her at a Champ Car race in Toronto in 2005. The two filed for divorce in 2012. In 2019, Allmendinger married longtime girlfriend Tara Meador. The two owned a pet cat named Mr. Tickles who they enjoyed dearly. Allmendinger was very close friends with his former RuSPORT and Rolex 24 teammate Justin Wilson. After Wilson's death in 2015, former RuSPORT president Jeremy Dale recalled their positive relationship as teammates as something that helped Allmendinger's growth as a driver. Allmendinger honored Wilson throughout the final races of the 2015 Cup Series season by placing Wilson's name above the window of his car. He also stated after Wilson's death that he would only return to IndyCar racing if the series implemented cockpit protection.


Motorsports career results


American open-wheel racing

( key)


Barber Dodge Pro Series


Atlantic Championship


Champ Car World Series


IndyCar Series


Indianapolis 500


NASCAR

( key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. ''Italics'' – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)


Cup Series


=Daytona 500

=


Xfinity Series


Camping World Truck Series

Season still in progress
Ineligible for series points


Complete sports car racing results


Rolex Sports Car Series results

( key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)


IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship


24 Hours of Daytona


References


External links

*
Official profile at Kaulig Racing
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Allmendinger, A. J. 1981 births Living people Sportspeople from Santa Clara County, California Racing drivers from San Jose, California 24 Hours of Daytona drivers NASCAR drivers Champ Car drivers Indianapolis 500 drivers IndyCar Series drivers IndyCar Series team owners Atlantic Championship drivers Rolex Sports Car Series drivers International Kart Federation drivers Doping cases in auto racing American sportspeople in doping cases Barber Pro Series drivers WeatherTech SportsCar Championship drivers 21st-century American sportsmen Chip Ganassi Racing drivers Team Penske drivers NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season champions World Karting Association drivers Meyer Shank Racing drivers Forsythe Racing drivers RuSPORT drivers Evernham Motorsports drivers Michael Waltrip Racing drivers