By David Caraviello, NASCAR.COM
Penske Racing never really considered A.J. Allmendinger.
The NASCAR race team had other drivers in mind to replace Kurt Busch in its No. 22 car. That is, until a few days ago when Allmendinger split from his Richard Petty Motorsports organization, and the Penske group moved quickly to add a driver it viewed as having a favorable career progression behind him and promising potential ahead.
That quick courtship culminated Wednesday, when Allmendinger was named the new driver of the Shell/Pennzoil Dodge, replacing Busch, who left the Penske team by mutual agreement on Dec. 5. It’s a huge step up for a driver who enjoyed his best Sprint Cup campaign in this past season’s 15th-place points finish, but has never won a race at NASCAR’s top level, and will now compete for an elite organization that measures success in race victories and championship bids. Read More