A. J. Allmendinger facts for kids
Quick facts for kids A. J. Allmendinger |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Allmendinger at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 2025
|
|||||||
| Born | Anthony James Allmendinger December 16, 1981 Santa Clara, California, U.S. |
||||||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | ||||||
| Achievements | 2021, 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Regular Season Champion 2-time IKF Champion 2002 Barber Dodge Pro Series champion 2003 Champ Car Atlantic champion 2008, 2014, 2018 Monster Energy Open Winner 2012 Rolex 24 at Daytona winner 2014 Cheez-It 355 at The Glen winner 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 Drive for the Cure 250 Winner 2021 Verizon 200 at the Brickyard Winner 2023 Bank of America Roval 400 Winner |
||||||
| Awards | 2004 Champ Car World Series Rookie of the year West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame (2025) |
||||||
| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 465 races run over 18 years | |||||||
| Car no., team | No. 16 (Kaulig Racing) | ||||||
| 2024 position | 46th | ||||||
| Best finish | 13th (2014) | ||||||
| First race | 2007 Food City 500 (Bristol) | ||||||
| Last race | 2020 FanShield 500 (Phoenix) | ||||||
| First win | 2014 Cheez-It 355 at The Glen (Watkins Glen) | ||||||
| Last win | 2023 Bank of America Roval 400 (Charlotte Roval) | ||||||
|
|||||||
| NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
| 131 races run over 10 years | |||||||
| 2024 position | 3rd | ||||||
| Best finish | 3rd (2024) | ||||||
| First race | 2007 Camping World 300 (Fontana) | ||||||
| Last race | 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race (Phoenix) | ||||||
| First win | 2013 Johnsonville Sausage 200 (Road America) | ||||||
| Last win | 2024 Ambetter Health 302 (Las Vegas) | ||||||
|
|||||||
| NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series career | |||||||
| 14 races run over 4 years | |||||||
| 2021 position | 111th | ||||||
| Best finish | 34th (2007) | ||||||
| First race | 2006 New Hampshire 200 (New Hampshire) | ||||||
| Last race | 2021 United Rentals 176 at The Glen (Watkins Glen) | ||||||
|
|||||||
| IndyCar Series career | |||||||
| 6 races run over 1 year | |||||||
| 2013 position | 27th | ||||||
| Best finish | 27th (2013) | ||||||
| First race | 2013 Indy Grand Prix of Alabama (Birmingham) | ||||||
| Last race | 2013 MAVTV 500 IndyCar World Championships (Fontana) | ||||||
|
|||||||
| Champ Car career | |||||||
| 40 races run over 3 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 3rd (2006) | ||||||
| First race | 2004 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach (Long Beach) | ||||||
| Last race | 2006 Lexmark Indy 300 (Surfers Paradise) | ||||||
| First win | 2006 Grand Prix of Portland (Portland) | ||||||
| Last win | 2006 Grand Prix of Road America (Road America) | ||||||
|
|||||||
| Statistics current as of March 9, 2025. | |||||||
Anthony James Allmendinger, often called "the Dinger," is a professional stock car racing driver from the United States. He races full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 16 Chevrolet ZL1 car for Kaulig Racing.
A.J. started his racing journey in open-wheel cars, winning five races and finishing third in the 2006 Champ Car season. He then moved to NASCAR, racing for teams like Team Red Bull, Richard Petty Motorsports, and Penske Racing. In 2019, he became a part-time driver for Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series and also worked as a TV commentator for racing events. By 2021, he was back to racing full-time.
He also competed in the 24 Hours of Daytona race for Michael Shank's team almost every year from 2006 to 2021, winning the event in 2012.
Contents
- Early Racing Days
- Open-Wheel Racing Adventures
- NASCAR Career Highlights
- Starting in Stock Cars: 2006
- Red Bull Racing: 2007–2008
- Richard Petty Motorsports: 2008–2011
- Team Penske and Return to Racing: 2012–2013
- First Cup Victory: 2014
- Consistent Racing: 2015–2018
- Part-Time with Kaulig Racing: 2019–2020
- Full-Time Return to NASCAR: 2021–2022
- Cup Series Redemption: 2023
- Return to Xfinity Series: 2024
- Sports Car Racing Career
- Television Work
- Personal Life
- Images for kids
- See also
Early Racing Days
Allmendinger began his racing career at age five, riding BMX bikes. By eight, he was racing quarter-midget cars on oval tracks on the West Coast. A few years later, he started karting, winning two championships with the International Kart Federation.
In 2001, Allmendinger raced in the Formula Dodge National Championship. This led him to the Barber Dodge Pro Series championship in 2002, which he won. He also raced in New Zealand in 2002. In 2003, he joined Carl Russo's RuSPORT team and won the Champ Car Atlantic Championship, earning nine pole positions and seven race wins.
Open-Wheel Racing Adventures
Champ Car World Series: 2004–2006
In February 2004, RuSPORT announced they would join the Champ Car World Series with Allmendinger as one of their drivers. Around this time, Red Bull also sponsored him. Allmendinger earned his first podium finish in Vancouver. He finished in the top six five times in the second half of the season, including another podium in Mexico City. Allmendinger ended the season sixth in points and won the Rookie of the Year Award.
In 2005, Allmendinger had a new teammate, Justin Wilson. Allmendinger finished on the podium five times that season, with four second-place finishes. In July, he earned his first pole position in the Champ Car World Series at the Grand Prix of Edmonton.
Winning with Forsythe in 2006
On June 9, 2006, after four races, RuSPORT decided to replace Allmendinger with Cristiano da Matta. Five days later, Forsythe Championship Racing announced Allmendinger as their new driver. In his very first race with Forsythe, Allmendinger won the Grand Prix of Portland. He then won the next two races at the Grand Prix of Cleveland and the Grand Prix of Toronto. This gave him three wins in a row after leaving RuSPORT.
Allmendinger won two more races in 2006, at the Grand Prix of Denver and Road America. He was second in points before the final race but left Champ Car to join NASCAR's Red Bull Racing Team. He later said that a lack of marketing and sponsors in open-wheel racing made him and other drivers move to NASCAR.
IndyCar Return with Team Penske: 2013
In late 2012, there were talks that Allmendinger might race in the IndyCar Series in 2013. This didn't happen, but he did test with Team Penske. In March, it was announced that Allmendinger would race part-time for Team Penske in IndyCar.
He finished 19th in his first IndyCar race. Allmendinger qualified fifth for the 2013 Indianapolis 500. He led 23 laps and finished seventh, even though his seatbelt came loose during the race. Allmendinger has not raced in IndyCar since 2013.
NASCAR Career Highlights
Starting in Stock Cars: 2006
Allmendinger made his NASCAR debut in the Craftsman Truck Series on September 16, 2006. He drove for Bill Davis Racing at New Hampshire International Speedway. He finished 13th in that race. He also finished fifth at Talladega Superspeedway in October.
Red Bull announced Allmendinger would join their 2007 Nextel Cup Series team. He tried to race in the Cup Series at Atlanta in October 2006 but didn't qualify.
Red Bull Racing: 2007–2008
Allmendinger and Brian Vickers were Red Bull's drivers for 2007. Allmendinger drove the No. 84 Toyota Camry. He didn't qualify for the 2007 Daytona 500 after a crash. He also missed the next three races. His first Cup start was at the fifth race of the season, the Food City 500 at Bristol.
Allmendinger didn't qualify for 19 races that season, but he did race in 17 events. To help him learn stock car racing, he also competed in some Craftsman Truck Series and Busch Series races. In a Truck Series race at Charlotte, Allmendinger led seven laps and finished second.
He also didn't qualify for the 2008 Daytona 500. After three more missed races, he was temporarily replaced by Mike Skinner. Allmendinger returned to the Cup Series at Talladega. On May 17, 2008, he won the Sprint Showdown, which allowed him to race in the Sprint All-Star Race. He had his best finish at the time, ninth place, at Kansas.
Richard Petty Motorsports: 2008–2011
Allmendinger joined Gillett Evernham Motorsports for the last five races of 2008, finishing well. In 2009, his team merged with Petty Enterprises to form Richard Petty Motorsports. Allmendinger finished third in his first Daytona 500 in 2009, which was his best personal finish in that race.
He drove a Ford Fusion in the last three races of 2009 as the team switched from Dodge to Ford. In 2010, Allmendinger took over the famous No. 43 car. He earned two top-five finishes, eight top-10s, and one pole position, finishing 19th in the standings.
In 2011, Allmendinger had a career-best year with 10 top-10 finishes and an average finish of 16th. He finished 15th in the points standings.
Team Penske and Return to Racing: 2012–2013
At the end of 2011, Allmendinger joined Penske Racing to drive the No. 22 car. His best finish with the team was second place at Martinsville Speedway.
After some time away from racing, Allmendinger returned to NASCAR in October 2012. He drove for Phoenix Racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Nationwide Series Success: 2013
On June 1, 2013, Roger Penske announced that Allmendinger would drive for his team in two Nationwide Series races. In his first race of the season, the Johnsonville Sausage 200 on June 22, 2013, he won after starting from the pole position and leading 29 laps. At Mid-Ohio in August, Allmendinger won again, sweeping the year's Nationwide Series road-course races for Penske Racing.
Sprint Cup Series Part-Time: 2013
Allmendinger raced part-time for Phoenix Racing in the No. 51 Chevrolet in the Sprint Cup Series. He had several strong finishes early in the season. He later moved to the No. 47 Toyota at JTG Daugherty Racing for two races. At Watkins Glen, Allmendinger had another great race, qualifying fourth and finishing 10th.
In August 2013, it was reported that Allmendinger would become a full-time driver for JTG Daugherty Racing in 2014. This was confirmed a month later when he signed a multi-year deal with the team.
First Cup Victory: 2014
Allmendinger had a few tough races to start 2014 but performed well at Fontana, finishing eighth. He also had top-10 finishes at Richmond and Talladega.
At Sonoma, Allmendinger started on the front row and led the most laps. He was in a position to win his first Sprint Cup race but was involved in a crash with 25 laps left.
At Watkins Glen, Allmendinger took the lead with less than 30 laps to go after a close battle with Marcos Ambrose. He held the lead to win his first Sprint Cup Series race after 213 starts, leading 30 laps. He was very excited, saying, "My gosh, I can't believe we won a NASCAR Sprint Cup race."
Consistent Racing: 2015–2018
.JPG)
Allmendinger started 2015 well, leading some laps in the Daytona 500. He finished seventh at Atlanta and sixth at Las Vegas. In May 2015, Allmendinger signed a five-year contract extension with JTG Daugherty, keeping him with the team until 2020.
In 2016, Allmendinger almost won at Martinsville, finishing second to Kyle Busch. He ended the season with four top-10 finishes in the last six races, placing 19th in the standings.
Allmendinger started 2017 by finishing third in the Daytona 500, matching his best finish in that event. At Talladega, he was involved in a multi-car crash while running third, causing his car to flip over. At Watkins Glen, he finished ninth, as the highest-finishing Chevrolet.
In 2018, Allmendinger started with a top-10 finish in the Daytona 500 and an eighth-place finish at the STP 500. In May, he won the Monster Energy Open for the second time. On September 25, 2018, it was announced that Allmendinger would leave JTG Daugherty at the end of the season.
Part-Time with Kaulig Racing: 2019–2020
On March 21, 2019, Kaulig Racing announced that Allmendinger would drive their No. 10 car part-time in the Xfinity Series. His schedule included races at Daytona, Mid-Ohio, Road America, and the Charlotte Roval. He finished third at Daytona but was disqualified after his car failed a post-race inspection. He was also disqualified from a second-place finish at Watkins Glen.
At his final race of 2019 at the Charlotte Roval, he earned his first win of the season and third Xfinity Series career win. Kaulig Racing later announced Allmendinger would return for more races in 2020. He moved to the No. 16 car for 2020. In January 2020, Kaulig Racing announced Allmendinger would race in eight events, mostly at road courses and superspeedways. He later added races at Bristol and Atlanta, where he scored his first career oval victory.
The Atlanta win made Allmendinger eligible for a $100,000 bonus. He raced at Homestead-Miami and finished fourth, claiming the bonus. In August, Allmendinger finished second at Road America. He won again at the Charlotte Roval in October, his second win in a row at that track.
Full-Time Return to NASCAR: 2021–2022
.jpg)
On December 1, 2020, Kaulig announced that Allmendinger would race the full 2021 Xfinity Series schedule. He also joined the team's Cup Series program for the Daytona road course, his first Cup race since 2018. In March, Allmendinger earned his sixth career Xfinity win at Las Vegas. He won a second Xfinity race at Mid-Ohio in June.
On August 15, 2021, Allmendinger scored his second career Cup Series win at the Indianapolis road course. This was Kaulig Racing's first Cup Series victory. At Bristol, Allmendinger won the Xfinity race and the regular-season championship. After his win at the 2021 Drive for the Cure 250, Allmendinger set a new record for most wins (6) at a road course in Xfinity Series history. As of March 25, 2023, he has won 11 races at road courses in NASCAR events.
Allmendinger started the 2022 season with a second-place finish at Daytona. He won races at Circuit of the Americas, Portland, and Indianapolis. After the Bristol race, Allmendinger secured the regular season championship. He then won back-to-back races at Talladega and the Charlotte Roval. He finished fifth in the Xfinity points standings.
Cup Series Redemption: 2023
.jpg)
On October 5, 2022, Kaulig Racing announced that Allmendinger would drive the No. 16 full-time in the 2023 season. This was his first full-time Cup season since 2018. Even though he didn't make the playoffs, Allmendinger won at the Charlotte Roval. He finished the season 21st in the final points standings.
Allmendinger also continued to race part-time in the Xfinity Series. He won races at Circuit of the Americas and Nashville.
Return to Xfinity Series: 2024
On December 7, 2023, it was announced that Allmendinger would return to the Xfinity Series full-time in 2024. He drove the No. 16 car for Kaulig Racing. Although he didn't win a race during the regular season, he was consistent enough to make the playoffs. During the playoffs, Allmendinger won at Las Vegas, securing his spot in the Championship 4.
Sports Car Racing Career
Allmendinger has competed in the 24 Hours of Daytona race almost every year from 2006 to 2021. On January 28–29, 2012, Allmendinger won the Rolex 24 race for Michael Shank Racing. He drove the final part of the 24-hour race to victory. His teammates were Justin Wilson, John Pew, and Oswaldo Negri.
On January 4, 2014, it was announced that Allmendinger would return to Michael Shank Racing for the 24 Hours of Daytona. The team finished 47th overall in that race.
Television Work
Allmendinger first started working in television with Fox Sports' NASCAR Race Hub. He was a regular driver analyst while still racing full-time. In December 2018, NBC Sports announced they hired Allmendinger as an analyst for their IMSA Sports Car coverage. He also contributed to NBCSN's NASCAR America.
Additionally, Allmendinger joined NBCSN's coverage of American Flat Track as an analyst for the 2019 season. In July 2019, Allmendinger joined the IndyCar Series on NBC broadcast team for the Iowa Speedway event.
Personal Life
Allmendinger was born in Santa Clara and grew up in Los Gatos, both near the San Francisco Bay area.
Allmendinger was married to Lynne Kushnirenko in January 2007. They later divorced in 2012. In 2019, Allmendinger married Tara Meador. They had a pet cat named Mr. Tickles.
Allmendinger was very close friends with his former teammate Justin Wilson. After Wilson's passing in 2015, Allmendinger honored him by placing Wilson's name above the window of his car for the rest of the 2015 Cup Series season.
Images for kids
-
2008 Sprint Cup Series car
-
2011 Sprint Cup Series car
See also
In Spanish: A. J. Allmendinger para niños
