AJ Allmendinger cannot wait for a Saturday night showdown for the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship at Phoenix. (Photo: Luis Torres | The Podium Finish)
One shot at a NASCAR Xfinity Series championship is all that AJ Allmendinger ever wanted.
He’ll get that opportunity this Saturday at Phoenix Raceway hoping it’ll be him that brings Kaulig Racing its first championship.
“The dream season that I never believed would actually happen is happening,” said Allmendinger. “No matter the outcome, I look at it as an amazing year. I truly wouldn’t change anything.”
However, the road to the title chase had its humble beginnings. In 2007, Allmendinger struggled making races in the Cup Series for Red Bull Racing. Having previously competing in the Champ Car World Series the year before, it was a tough transition from open wheel racing to stock cars as shown with his whopping 19 DNQs.
Towards the end of his rookie year, Allmendinger was able to get more track time in the then Busch Series. Driving for Chip Ganassi Racing seven times, the Californian scored two top-15 finishes. This short deal was part of Red Bull having him gain more track experience.
“When I first started in the sport, I remember Red Bull saying to me they were nervous because they were going to have me drive 90 races between Trucks, Busch and Cup,” he recalled. “That didn’t play out like that, but Red Bull put me there to gain some laps. It didn’t matter how much they were spending. If you made a mistake with Chip, he’ll let you know it. So, I got chewed a couple of times.”
This weekend marks Ganassi’s final race on the NASCAR level before officially handing the program to Trackhouse Racing. The Justin Marks owned entity will expand to two cars with Ross Chastain becoming teammates with Daniel Suarez in 2022.
Reflecting on Ganassi’s impact in NASCAR, Allmendinger was amazed to even drive for him in a short period of his stock car career.
“It takes a special person to drive for Chip. I’ve always joked about that. I’ve told him that,” said Allmendinger.
“The relationships that he had with Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti. Obviously, guys like Juan Pablo Montoya, Jimmie Johnson and Jamie McMurray. It takes a special person. Chip is not easy. If you make a mistake, he’ll let you know. But he’s a part of NASCAR history. He’s done so much for motorsports in general.
“I think he’ll be missed for sure in the garage area. Justin will carry that tradition and start his own, which he’s doing. That’s what we need in this sport is to have guys that have been here for so long and you pass it on to the next generation. I think Justin will do a lot of great things in the sport like Chip has.”
Fast forward to 2021, Allmendinger will look to get his sixth win of the season that’ll give him his first championship. Capping off an incredible campaign that even saw him score his second career Cup win at Indianapolis which was Kaulig’s maiden Cup triumph.
Regardless of what happens in Saturday’s 200-lap finale, Allmendinger will look back at his first full-season back in NASCAR with fond memories. More so that he’s been able to prove his worth as a racing driver that’s put Matt Kaulig and Chris Rice on the map.
“I didn’t knew what to expect because if you still look at the history of the team. We had one win at Atlanta (last year), but I new there’s still a lot of work. The team kept working hard and get better. That’s how I look at it,” said Allmendinger.
Allmendinger is always deep in thought with his illustrious racing career. (Photo: Luis Torres | The Podium Finish)
“If we continue to get better as the year goes on, that leads us down to a path where we can win races and consistently finish in the top-five, that’ll get us into the playoffs. I kind of made up my mind that once you got to the end of the regular season, then you judge on your real expectations. Obviously, I wanted to make the Championship 4.”
Phoenix is more or less a breeze for Allmendinger compared to last Saturday’s Dead On Tools 250 at Martinsville Speedway. Fortunately, by making the Championship 4, his dream season wasn’t crushed.
“I was more nervous last week at Martinsville than this weekend,” said Allmendinger. “The way this championship works now, whoever was the best car all day wins. Right or wrong, that’s how it plays out. With the year that we had, it would’ve been a disappointing if we didn’t even had a shot of winning the championship. To get through last week was a big relief and now I’m just enjoying it.”
