A.J. Allmendinger News
See Also: A.J. Allmendinger Biography
Monday, December 28, 2009
Allmendinger & McMurray to race karts at Daytona: Hundreds of go-kart racers from across the country will spend their holidays at the Daytona International Speedway participating in World Karting Association races on three different courses. The Speedway's three-ring circus includes its famous 3.56-mile road course, the Sprint track in Turns 3 and 4 and the newly constructed quarter-mile dirt track outside Turns 1 and 2. For the third straight year, Jamie McMurray, is expected to return to his racing roots during Daytona KartWeek. AJ Allmendinger, who drives a Richard Petty Motorsports Ford, is also expected to compete in the karts. Meanwhile, Volusia Speedway Park is hosting the second day of its Christmas In Dixie dirt racing program. Those races are sanctioned by the American Kart Racing Association.(Daytona Beach News Journal)
Monday, December 21, 2009
Allmendinger pleads no contest: AJ Allmendinger was given a suspended sentence, probation and community service after pleading no contest to a misdemeanor charge of driving while impaired following a traffic stop on Oct. 29, SceneDaily.com reported. The 27-year-old driver was charged by Mooresville police after being pulled over at 1:27 a.m. in North Carolina. He was released after registering .08 on the Intoxilyzer. Allmendinger pleaded no contest in North Carolina District Court on Friday and was given a 60-day suspended sentence, 18 months unsupervised probation and 24 hours of community service, the Web site reported. He was also fined $100 plus court costs and his driving privileges were limited. Allmendinger had been placed on probation by Richard Petty Motorsports and fined $10,000 to be donated to charity.(ESPN.com)
Tuesday, Novemeber 3, 2009
Allmendinger to compete in Fords remainder of season: AJ Allmendinger makes his Ford Racing debut this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. The Richard Petty Motorsports driver will race the remaining three races of the 2009 season in a Ford Fusion. Race fans will recognize the familiar "Petty Blue" and red paint scheme on No. 44 for the rest of the season. Last week at Talladega, Elliott Sadler drove a Ford to a ninth-place finish. Allmendinger will be the only Petty driver in a Ford in any of the remaining 2009 races. "This is exciting stuff. It's like a new beginning for Richard Petty Motorsports. Whenever you do something new you are a little bit excited and a little bit nervous because you haven't done it before. Elliott drove a Ford for us at Talladega last week and everyone was really positive about the experience. It's our turn this week tire testing a Ford in Daytona and we'll drive one at Phoenix and Homestead as well."(Richard Petty Motorsports)
Friday, October 30, 2009
Allmendinger fined & placed on probation thru 2010 by team: Richard Petty Motorsports announced that it has taken the following actions in response to the incident involving driver A.J. Allmendinger: “We are disappointed with his actions. A.J. has told us that he has accepted full responsibility for his actions and will do what is right. We have placed A.J. on probation through the end of the 2010 racing season. In addition, he will be fined $10,000 which will be donated to charity.”(RPM PR)
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Allmendinger placed on probation by NASCAR: AJ Allmendinger, driver for the No. 44 team in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, has been placed on probation until Dec. 31, 2009. Allmendinger has violated Section 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) of the 2009 NASCAR rule book. (NASCAR PR)
Richard Petty Statement regarding Allmendinger: A statement from Richard Petty: "I am deeply disappointed this has happened. 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."(RPM PR)
Allmendinger arrested for DWI: For the second time in a week a NASCAR driver is in trouble with the law. A.J. Allmendinger, driver of the No. 44 car, was arrested for drunk driving, Mooresville police say. Allmendinger was pulled over around 1:30 a.m. Thursday along Highway 150. According to police, Allmendinger blew a .08, which is the legal limit in North Carolina. Last week Mooresville police say alcohol was a factor in an accident involving NASCAR driver and team owner Michael Waltrip. Officers investigating the accident suspected Waltrip was drinking, but when he was given a field sobriety test, he registered a .06. In North Carolina the legal limit is .08.(News Observer)
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Best Buy to sponsor Allmendginer? Team officials familiar with RPM's personnel moves tell The Associated Press that sponsor Best Buy will move from Sadler's car next season to Petty's famed No. 43 with AJ Allmendinger as the driver. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because the changes have yet to be announced. Stanley Tools will become the sole primary sponsor for Sadler. Both Best Buy and Stanley had shared Sadler's car this season.(Associated Press)
Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009
Allmendinger to the No.43? Richard Petty, the minority owner of RPM, said no decision has been made on who will take over the famed No. 43 that he drove to seven championships, but added that he would like to see Allmendinger in the car if all sponsors agree.(ESPN.com)
Friday, April 17, 2009
Official: RPM exercises option to keep Allmendinger through 2010: Richard Petty Motorsports announced today AJ Allmendinger will race for the team in the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. “This was an easy decision for Richard Petty Motorsports,” said Tom Reddin, the team’s chief executive officer. “AJ has done a superb job, both on and off the track in 2009. We want to let everyone know that he’s going to be a vital part of Richard Petty Motorsports for what we believe will be a long-term, winning relationship.” The Petty team signed Allmendinger before the start of the 2009 season with plans to run the Bud Shootout and the first eight point races. Allmendinger finished fifth in the preseason Bud Shootout, and posted a third-place finish in the Daytona 500 and a ninth-place finish at Martinsville. He was the only driver without a guaranteed starting spot to qualify for all of the races in 2009. Sponsorship from Dodge, Hunt Brothers Pizza, Valvoline, Harrah’s, Super 8, the Paralyzed Veterans of America and Charter Communications extended Allmendinger’s schedule through the Sept. 12 Richmond race. Reddin said he is confident the team will secure the sponsorship needed to extend the number of races the 27-year-old Californian will run in 2009 for the full season. Allmendinger is 20th in points but only 104 points out of the 12th and final “Chase” position. “I’m thrilled about this,” Allmendinger said. “Racers are no different than anyone else. We like to know we have a job. I’m very thankful to be where I am and I expect we will keep running better and better each weekend. I think I have found a long-term home at Richard Petty Motorsports.”(RPM PR)
RPM signs Allmendinger through 2010: Richard Petty Motorsports has picked up the option on AJ Allmendinger's contract, sources told FOXSports.com, locking up the driver through 2010. According to multiple sources, Joe Gibbs Racing had inquired about Allmendinger's status as they consider starting up a fourth team. RPM had an Aug. 15 deadline to pick up Allmendinger's option for 2010. (FOXSports.com)
Friday, April 10, 2009
RPM gets "creative" to pay Allmendinger : How and when A.J. Allmendinger is getting paid by troubled Richard Petty Motorsports depends on how creative your definition of "creative" is. "I am definitely getting paid," Allmendinger said in response to garage-area rumors to the contrary. "But we've had to be creative about it, for sure." Is he plowing all his race winnings back into the financially strapped team? "No, no, definitely not," he said. "We've just got to be creative about it." Sponsorship for six more races was announced this week from Hunt Brothers Pizza, which Allmendinger called "awesome news" in that it assures he'll race through the Sept. 12 event at Richmond, Va. "We've all been kind of taking every week as it comes," said his business manager, Tara Ragan. "We're pretty organic. There isn't even a hard, fast rule [for compensation]." Bottom line, "I'd rather be on the race track running strong than sitting at home," he said. (ESPN.com)
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Allmendinger has sponsorship through September: A.J. Allmendinger now has sponsorship that will keep him on the track through the Sept. 12 Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway, the cutoff for the Chase for the Cup. Richard Petty Motorsports officials announced on Wednesday that Hunt Brothers Pizza will sponsor the No. 44 Dodge for six races plus the All-Star Race at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Officials will continue to look for deals that would allow Allmendinger to drive the entire 36-race schedule. "This is awesome news," Allmendinger said in a statement. "I want to thank Hunt Brothers Pizza for coming on board and supporting us. I know our fans and NASCAR fans in general certainly appreciate all they are doing for the sport." (ESPN.com)
Sunday, April 5, 2009
RPM to increase Allmendinger schedule: Richard Petty Motorsports is close to extending AJ Allmendinger's schedule beyond the Coca-Cola 600 on May 24. Considering Allmendinger, 27, is currently 15th in the standings, 34 points out of the Chase Zone, it's time for RPM to lock him down. "If you had told me last year that I'd be 15th in points right now, I would have laughed at you," Allmendinger said. "But we're in striking distance of the top 12." Allmendinger wasn't even entered in the Samsung 500 at Texas last year. Allmendinger's first priority is to make things work with his current deal. While RPM is currently securing additional sponsorship, potentially with Hunt Brothers Pizza, nothing will guarantee Allmendinger and the No. 44 Dodge's success faster than a revamped pit crew. Allmendinger inevitably loses positions every time he enters pit road. RPM has an Aug. 15 deadline to pick up Allmendinger's option for 2010. Given that Allmendinger has proved that he's the second-best driver at RPM and has served as a catalyst to invigorate Kahne and the company's flagship No. 9 squad, it would be foolish to let him get away. (FOXSports.com)
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Allmendinger and Speed on F1's short list: Sources tell AutoRacingSport.com that NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers AJ Allmendinger and Scott Speed are ‘definitely’ on the short list of the newly formed USF1 Formula 1 team that’s set to begin competition in 2010 while IndyCar star Danica Patrick and NASCAR Sprint Cup sensation Kyle Busch are not. ‘Ken and Peter (Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor-USF1 team Principals) are really looking for open wheel experience, and Scott and AJ (Speed and Allmendinger) fit that bill quite well, with AJ being a winner in Champ Car and Scott having F1 experience.’ our source informs us. ‘Of course I don’t think this really comes as a surprise’. (AutoRacingSport.com)
Sunday, March 22, 2009
RPM adds races to Allmendinger's schedule: AJ Allmendinger is confident that he not only will be rewarded next week with not having to worry about qualifying, he also will be awarded in future weeks with additional races to his original nine-race schedule for Richard Petty Motorsports. Originally Allmendinger was going to run the first eight events through Phoenix next month, but the team has added the four following points races – Talladega, Richmond, Darlington and Lowe’s Motor Speedway – in addition to NASCAR's Sprint All-Star Race. The other race, which already was on his schedule, is the July race at Daytona. Having pieced together sponsorship this year from Air Force, Valvoline, Charter, Harrah’s and LifeLock, the team has enough funds to keep Allmendinger in the seat at least through late May. “Between a couple of companies coming on board and our results, we’ve been able to extend through the [Coca-Cola] 600,” Allmendinger said Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway. (SceneDaily.com)
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Harrahs to sponsor No. 44 at LVMS: Harrah’s will serve at the sponsor for the No. 44 Dodge of A.J. Allmendinger this weekend in Las Vegas. The team is looking for sponsorship to run the full season in 2009.(RPM PR)
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Richard Petty Motorsports Signs AJ Allmendinger: Richard Petty Motorsports announced today that AJ Allmendinger has agreed to a contract that calls for him to race in the 2009 season with the team retaining an option for 2010. Allmendinger, 27, will drive the team’s No. 44 Dodge in the Budweiser Shootout plus the first eight races of the 2009 Sprint Cup season as well as the Daytona race in July. The team is looking to put together a sponsorship package that would guarantee the No. 44’s participation in the remaining 2009 races and the 2010 season. “This is pretty awesome news for me,” said Allmendinger who posted two top-10 finishes in 2008 and a victory in the Sprint Showdown. “I just want to get behind the wheel of a race car and race. We have a lot of work to do on the track and need to sell some sponsorship, but this team has great equipment and I think there is a lot of chemistry here based on how we did at the end of last season.” I cannot put into words how excited I am to run the No. 44 in 2009. I raced with these guys five times last year and loved everything about it. The cars were great, the guys were great and we put up some pretty good results. I’m just very grateful to have this opportunity.” Allmendinger, a Los Gatos, Calif. native, is a five-time winner in the Champ Car World Series but is relatively new to the world of the heavier, full-bodied stock cars. “AJ has a ton of potential,” said team owner Richard Petty. “I went testing with him a few weeks ago. When he climbed out of the car I think he went to everyone working on the car asking them questions and wanting to know what was going on. That’s the kind of thing you want out of your driver. He’s a young guy and I think we can help him and he can help us.” Allmendinger joins Richard Petty Motorsports’ teammates No. 9-Kasey Kahne, No. 19-Elliott Sadler and No. 43-Reed Sorenson. Sammy Johns will serve as crew chief on the No. 44. An agreement in principle to merge Gillett Evernham Motorsports and Petty Holdings to form Richard Petty Motorsports was announced earlier this month.(RPM PR)
Saturday, December 27, 2009
Allmendinger to replace Sadler? AJ Allmendinger is set to replace Elliott Sadler in the #19 Dodge in 2009, multiple Gillett Evernham Motorsports team sources told ESPN.com on Saturday. GEM CEO Tom Reddin told team employees and sponsors the news just before Christmas, causing some sponsors to consider leaving, according to team sources. Reached for comment Saturday, GEM spokesman Drew Brown chose not to comment. Sources also said Ray Evernham, who founded the team and sold majority ownership to George Gillett, cleared out all personal possessions from the team's shop, including the 2002 Brickyard 400 trophy he won as owner of Bill Elliott's #9 Dodge. Calls placed to Evernham and Sadler's representation were not immediately returned.(ESPN.com)
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Born: 12/16/1981