A.J. Allmendinger from Los Gatos, CA, driver of the famous No. 43 car.
There are a lot of racing fans with blogs and websites on the internet, but there are none more talented and organized than the women of Skirts & Skuffs. They are a group of at least 22 women who follow racing and share their opinions and experiences with their readers. Skirts & Skuffs was founded in October of 2009 by Katy Lindamood, who is now the site administrator. From their website: “the site is a joint effort between each and everyone of our contributors.” One of their most passionate writers is Associate Editor, Amanda Ebersole, who I follow on Twitter. She had a chance to talk to NorCal driver A.J. Allmendinger on Friday in Loudon, New Hampshire. Here is an excerpt from that interview as well as a link to the complete article:
A.J. Allmendinger: “I just want to win”
Posted by Amanda Ebersole on 7/15/2011 02:05:00 PM
I chatted with A.J. this morning prior to him heading out for morning practice at Loudon, where he ended up fourth fastest, and asked him a few questions to get to know him better.
Amanda Ebersole (AE): You have been racing for such a long time in many different series (kart, Champ car, Truck, Nationwide and now Cup). What is your motivation? A.J. Allmendinger (AJA): For me it is really down to a couple of things. I always want to go out there and try to win, that is always my goal. I am very competitive in everything I do. I love going out there and trying to be at my best and win. It’s fun to take on new challenges and to go out there and be the best at it, be the best that I can possibly be. Those are always the motivating factors, to go out there, wake up every day and keep doing it. I switched series and go out there, got to learn how to do that series and go onto that. Read More
A.J. Allmendinger from Los Gatos, CA.AJ Allmendinger, from Los Gatos, CA, the driver of the No. 43 Best Buy Ford Fusion came home to Northern California to race on Sunday at Infineon Raceway. It was a tough race with a lot of “beatin & bangin” so he was pleased to come out with a 13th place finish. Here is the report on the race from Richard Petty Motorsports.
• AJ Allmendinger started in the seventh position Sunday afternoon at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California
• Allmendinger finished the 110-lap race in the 13th position
• Unofficially, Allmendinger sits in 15th place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings
Race Summary: AJ Allmendinger lined up for the start of the season’s first road course event in the seventh place. As soon as the green flag waved for the start of the 224-mile race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., Allmendinger began his charge toward the front of the pack. By the time the field came
around to complete the first lap, Allmendinger had driven the Best Buy Ford Fusion into the top five.
Early radio communication between driver and crew was that the Richard Petty Motorsports Ford needed more rear grip. Crew Chief Mike Shiplett called for air pressure and wedge adjustments during the first pit stop of the day, which came on Lap 21 of the 110-lap race. Allmendinger remained in the top 10 throughout the first half of the event but lost some ground after getting tagged by the No. 2 car and spun around on Lap 65. The San Jose, Calif. native fell to 22nd in the following laps and drove to the attention of his crew for a scheduled pit stop at Lap 75. Shiplett called for another wedge adjustment to the car in an effort to assist his driver with the handling of the machine.
The No. 43 Best Buy Ford driven by A.J. Allmendinger.The No. 43 Best Buy Ford held down the 20th position when the yellow flag flew for an on-track incident involving the No. 14 car at Lap 88. During the ensuing extended caution period, Allmendinger relayed to Shiplett that the car was lacking side bite in the esses and rear grip. Shiplett called for the addition of a spring rubber in the right rear and four fresh tires during the Lap 89 pit stop. Allmendinger settled in for the restart in the 23rd spot.
Allmendinger began his charge to the front with 15 laps to go. One by one he picked off his competitors and with only 10 laps remaining in the race, had worked his way back into the top 15. Wheeling one of the fastest cars on the track in the closing laps, Allmendinger took the checkered flag in 13th place.
Allmendinger picked up two positions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver point standings following the race in Sonoma. He now holds down 15th place heading to Daytona (Daytona Beach, Fla.) International Speedway next weekend.
Allmendinger’s Thoughts After the Race: “That was crazy just like always. The Best Buy Ford was pretty good, but from mid-race on we were kind of loose. Everybody was running into each other out there. I got into a couple guys and got them angry and then I had one guy dump me. I just tried to keep fighting. We are getting there. If we can get some luck on our side, we might actually be up front where we deserve to finish. It could have been a lot worse and 13th isn’t great, but it could have been a lot worse with 20 laps to go.”
Next Race Information
Date: July 2, 2011
Track: Daytona International Speedway (Daytona Beach, Florida)
Laps: 160 Laps/400 Miles
TV Information: 4:30 p.m. PT on TNT
Radio Information: 4:30 p.m. PT on MRN and Sirius Radio
Qualifying: Friday, July 1 at 1:10 p.m. PT on SPEED
A.J. Allmendinger believes he is close to getting the first win of his NASCAR Sprint Cup career. Every week he leaves the track a little more confident. A.J. recently explained that Dover is a track he believes is made for him. He spoke to Dave Rodman from NASCAR.COM, who wrote a great article titled “Allmendinger seeks breakthrough win at Dover”. NorCal driver A.J. Allmendinger with crew chief Mike Shiplett
A.J. Allmendinger spent most of Friday’s first Sprint Cup Series practice session at Dover International Speedway near or at the top of the speed chart — and when the session was over, he’d only just been bumped to second by six-time Dover winner Jimmie Johnson.
During Happy Hour, Johnson and Allmendinger were again almost inextricably tied — though in 23rd and 24th position. But after his 2010 performance here, especially in the fall race when he led more than a third of the 400-lap race, Allmendinger feels like he might be the series’ next first-time winner on Sunday. Read more..
