Fast Facts Redux: AJ Allmendinger

AJ Allmendinger at Charlotte - May 2015
credit: Charlotte Bray/Skirts & Scuffs

AJ Allmendinger is one of NASCAR’s most talented road racers, and finally visited victory lane in 2014 at Watkins Glen International in New York. Learn more about the driver of the No. 47 Chevrolet for JTG Daughterty Racing in an updated Fast Facts, originally published in June 2011.

• Anthony James Allmendinger was born Dec. 16, 1981 in Los Gatos, California. His earliest success in racing came in karts, where he won two International Kart Federation (IKF) Grand National Championships.
• Allmendinger raced in the New Zealand Formula Ford Championship in 2002 as well as the Barber Dodge Pro Series, where he won the championship. He moved to the Toyota Atlantic Series in 2003 with RuSport, earning the championship and Rookie of the Year titles on the strength of nine poles and seven wins in 12 races.
• RuSport moved up to Champ Car in 2004, and Allmendinger continued to impress: he earned another Rookie of the Year award on the strength of 11 top 10 starts and nine top 10 finishes; he was also the first American driver to earn the AUTOSPORT International Rookie of the year award. Allmendinger competed in the series until 2006, collecting five wins, 14 podium finishes and two poles in 40 races.
• Allmendinger moved on to NASCAR late in the 2006 season, running a handful of Camping World Truck Series races for Bill Davis Racing. He was named a full-time driver for Team Red Bull in 2007, remaining with the team until his release late in the 2008 season.
• After his release from Team Red Bull, Allmendinger signed a one-race deal with Michael Waltrip Racing, then finished the 2008 season with Gillett Evernham Motorsports. He transitioned to Richard Petty Motorsports when Petty Enterprises merged with GEM, where he stayed until the end of the 2011 season.
• After winning in the Daytona Prototype division at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Allmendinger joined Team Penske for the 2012 season. In July of that year, Allmendinger failed a random NASCAR drug test, leading to his suspension from the series and release by Team Penske. Allmendinger successfully completed NASCAR’s Road to Recovery program and was reinstated in September.
• After competing in a handful of races for Phoenix Racing at the end of the 2012 season, Allmendinger signed on with the team as a part-time driver in 2013. He also resigned with Team Penske and competed in both the Nationwide (now Xfinity ) Series and the IndyCar Series; he finished seventh in his Indy 500 debut in 2013, and won both road races in the Nationwide Series, at Road America and Mid-Ohio.
• Allmendinger also raced twice for JTG Daugherty Racing in 2013, leading to his signing with the team for 2014.
• Learn more about Allmendinger at the JTG Daugherty Racing website, www.jtgdaughertyracing.com.