A.J. Allmendinger drove an IndyCar for the first time since October 2006 when he tested for Penske Racing at Sebring on Tuesday.(Photo: Brian Cleary, Getty Images)
Story Highlights
He already has the job %u2013 provided Penske can find the money to field him at the Indianapolis 500
Allmendinger is getting a second chance with Penske after a failed drug test in 2012
The next step will be Barber Motorsports Park on April 7, if funding allows
(PhatzRadio / USA Today) — SEBRING, Fla. – In a blue firesuit bereft of any sponsor logos or team identification, A.J. Allmendinger scrambled out of his Dallara-Chevrolet with a broad smile Tuesday morning. He frantically gesticulated and demonstratively leaned his head from side to side as he conveyed his car’s handling to Penske Racing crew members.
For a driver who hadn’t sat in an Izod IndyCar-style cockpit since October 2006, Allmendinger didn’t seem tense about posting results – and with good reason. This wasn’t a tryout.
He already has the job – provided Penske can find the money to field him at the Indianapolis 500.
SEBRING TEST: Allmendinger will get back in seat for Penske
“As bad as it sounds, it doesn’t matter if I’m the quickest or not,” Allmendinger said shortly before a lunchtime break. “I just want to leave this test going, ‘OK, I’m in the ballpark. I can run with these guys or at least do a lap time with them.’ I don’t have to be the fastest and neither does this race team.”
After firing Allmendinger from his Sprint Cup ride last summer for a failed drug test that triggered an indefinite suspension by NASCAR, team owner Roger Penske is giving the Los Gatos, Calif., native another chance in IndyCar. Tuesday’s test at Sebring International Raceway was the first major step in the comeback.
Penske Racing president Tim Cindric said the team hopes to firm up sponsorship within 30 days to put Allmendinger on the grid at Barber Motorsports Park on April 7 before the Indy 500 on May 26.
The plan is to have Allmendinger in the car at Barber for a preseason series-wide test next month, and the Sebring session afforded an opportunity to get acclimated before then.
“We’re not really testing AJ,” Cindric said. “We’re letting AJ test the car and the program to be prepared and if we run a third car, it’s going to be with him. This way, we’ll have him ready for the open test at Barber rather than that being the first time he’s in the car.”
There are no ovals on the schedule before Indy, so Allmendinger probably will test at a high-speed track such as Texas Motor Speedway if he is slated for the Brickyard. As a prospective Indy 500 rookie, he also would need to complete a mandatory orientation in April, too.
Allmendinger, who moved to NASCAR Sprint Cup from the Champ Car Series in 2007, got up to speed quickly at Sebring while adapting to paddle shifters and much later braking zones than with a heavier stock car. Within an hour, he was only a second off the pace set by Scott Dixon, and he closed the morning session as the seventh-fastest of 13 drivers, between four-time champion Dario Franchitti and ahead of road-course ace Justin Wilson.
“I’ve still got a long way to go,” said Allmendinger, a fitness nut who had focused on lifting extra weights to prepare for the test. “A stock car isn’t as physically hard to drive when it comes to that raw strength in your arms and upper body. I know at the end of this day, my arms are going to feel like jelly, and my neck is going to be sore, but that’s good because now I know what to go work on and start training.”
He was within a half-second of teammates Will Power and Helio Castroneves, whom Allmendinger credited with providing warm welcomes.
“It didn’t take him long,” Power said. “You can imagine after a couple of tests he will be probably right back on top of things again setting the pace, so it’s good for us to have someone quick as him.”
It was good for the series, too, said Panther DRR’s Oriol Servia who raced Allmendinger in Champ Car from 2004-06.
“It’s cool to see him back,” said Servia, was one of six drivers slower than Allmendinger in the morning session. “He’s a good kid. He’s fast. He’s talented. Always had a good attitude. I just feel sorry for him, he’s going to make a lot less money (than in NASCAR).”
The Spaniard was laughing as he said, but Allmendinger’s earnings potential would take a dip. Only a handful of IndyCar drivers are on multimillion-dollar contracts, while the top 25 Cup drivers can clear that kind of cash from the purse alone.
But the bank account isn’t the motivation for Allmendinger.
“I’m just looking for the best opportunity whether it’s NASCAR, IndyCar, GrandAm, whatever,” he said. “I just want to have the best opportunity to compete at a high level with a chance to win and be happy. Every day is a process about trying to be happy, (which) is being competitive and having a chance to win. It’s about being ready to go whatever opportunity that is.”
While Allmendinger plans to run some Sprint Cup races for Phoenix Racing this season, Cindric said Penske is expecting him to commit full time to IndyCar if the money materializes to field a car.
“We definitely want to know that if we’re putting somebody in one of our cars that there’s a longer-term plan if things were to come together,” he said. “So, hopefully it’s not a one-and-done situation for us. It came down to making sure we knew this was something he really wanted to do. He’s going to have to want to do this. If it’s just a matter of passing time or filling a gap, it’s the wrong situation.”
Cindric said Allmendinger’s situation is comparable to how Power joined the team three years ago. The Australian substituted in the first two races for Helio Castroneves, who was facing tax fraud charges, and he posted impressive results (a win and four top fives in six starts) that led to funding for a full-time ride.
“We’re approaching it the same way where we have a solid group of people and enough depth that we could run that car on an occasional basis,” Cindric said. “We’re not prepared to run it on a full-time basis, but we could be. It’s just a matter of trying to get the right sponsors and be able to move it. We’ll fund it to a degree but not the whole thing.”
After a fifth in the 2009 Indy 500, Power was sidelined for five races before returning to a Penske ride.
Is Allmendinger prepared to wait as long?
Nothing will seem as interminable as the ordeal that started last July when a random test was positive for an amphetamine (Allmendinger claims to have unknowingly taken Adderall). He was in limbo until being reinstated in mid-September and then ran four races for Phoenix and the Rolex 24 last month.
“Have you seen my last six months?” he asked with a laugh. “I’ve been waiting for a long time. The waiting doesn’t matter to me. All this process, I’ve learned a lot about myself and become a better person. If things are meant to happen, they’re going to happen. I’m just grateful to have a chance to get in this race car. The waiting doesn’t matter.”
Follow Nate Ryan on Twitter @nateryan
Indy Car: Allmendinger prepares for Indianapolis 500 with test is a post from: PhatzRadio.com
