A.J. gets extension
August 7th 2010 13:58
For the first time in his relatively short NASCAR career, A.J. Allmendinger finally has found a place he can call home.
After listening to pitches from numerous teams, the four-year Cup Series driver has decided to remain at Richard Petty Motorsports, finalizing a multi-year deal to drive the No. 43 Ford.
"To be able to drive the No. 43 has been a huge honor that I really enjoy. With the partnership with Ford, there are a lot of really great things happening at Richard Petty Motorsports," Allmendinger said Friday at Watkins Glen International. "We looked at a lot of places and went through a lot of things. In the end, we got the answers that we wanted [at RPM]. I feel like this is a place that I can just keep building on.
"We are definitely not where we want to be when it comes to where we are at right now, but I see the potential and want to keep building a team around me that continues to get better and go out and contend for victories every weekend and hopefully eventually get a championship. That is the goal."
Allmendinger has enjoyed his best season to date with Richard Petty Motorsports. He's currently 22nd in points with three top-10 finishes in 21 starts. Last season with RPM, Allmendinger finished 24th in points with a top-five and six top-10s. Before that were two difficult seasons with Red Bull Racing.
"[I] talked to a lot of teams, which for me with everything I have been through the last three years in NASCAR, to have a lot of big-team owners coming up to me about the opportunity to drive for them is pretty special," Allmendinger said. "It is similar to last year with [Petty] starting a fourth car with me and the Gillett family. They saw that I am passionate about it and want to go out there to win.
"It came down to the fact that I see the potential. They gave the answers that I needed to hear. To know that this is a stable place and a place we can really build on. For me, that is all I needed to know. For me it is all about going out there and trying to win races."
Not starting over also played a role in Allmendinger's decision. He wasn't interested in beginning anew for a third time in five years.
"For me, it was tough to go out there and know everything we have built up here and go to a different team and have to start all over again," Allmendinger said. "If you look at the great teams in NASCAR, they are not one- and two-year teams; they are teams that have been around for five or six years together.
"We have potential here and that is all I needed to see. [I] needed the right answers from [managing partner] Foster [Gillett] and Richard [Petty] and those guys to know that this was a stable place. Foster and Richard have been completely open and honest. [I] got the right answers and it made it very easy to know this was a place [I] could build on."
The decision was much simpler for Richard Petty Motorsports' management team. Kasey Kahne and Elliott Sadler announced they are going elsewhere and all indications have Paul Menard leaving, as well. So keeping Allmendinger was a major priority.
"From Richard's and my standpoint, any thought of him not driving for us was a difficult one," Gillett said. "We are pretty excited about this and believe A.J. is a big part of what we currently do and going to be a bigger part of what we do in the future.
"I think that A.J. and I have a great friendship and a mutual appreciation for what we are trying to do. I think we have accomplished a lot together since we have both been here. I think we have been open with each other through this process."
Gillett and Petty hinted that they will have further announcements regarding their driver lineup in the near future. But regardless of who comes to RPM, Allmendinger has become the leader -- a role the 28-year-old is ready to accept.
"I am ready to be a leader of this race team," Allmendinger said. "It is something that I thrive on and excites me every day to know that I can be the guy. I have the confidence in myself to know I can lead this team and represent it to the best of its abilities.
"Hopefully, when people think about Richard Petty Motorsports, they think about me as the guy and the leader. It pumps me up to think about the opportunity to be the spearhead to take this team to a lot of victories and eventually a championship."
Gillett has no doubts that Allmendinger is the right man for the job.
"I think A.J.'s passion for this sport is obvious. I think the way he works with our partners and our people is phenomenal," Gillett said. "I think there are some drivers on different teams that call in and are around, but A.J. is in our shop daily and knows every single person on our race team. Our guys root for him a lot because last year and in previous years, every person has felt a part of A.J. and what he is doing.
"When I told the guys in the shop, it was great news for them. We are looking forward to A.J. being that and stepping to the forefront, blazing the way and other people trying to catch him on our team and we encourage him to do that. We like the way he drives and how he handles our partners and so we think that is the future, which is why we have done this."
In the end, it all came down to happiness. Allmendinger is happy at Richard Petty Motorsports and sees no reason to drive elsewhere.
"At RPM, the team is a lot of fun to be around. Everything at the race shop is a good energy and that is always fun to be around," Allmendinger said. "The race cars are getting better every weekend. Like I said before, I am not where I want to be at when it comes to points and trying to contend to win races, but we are getting there."
| 134 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
