After Rolex win, Allmendinger still on go
By GODWIN KELLY, Motorsports editor
Daytona Beach News-Journal
February 2, 2012 12:40 AM
DAYTONA BEACH -- AJ Allmendinger won the biggest race of his career on Sunday and hasn't had time to enjoy it.
Allmendinger, part of the winning No. 60 Michael Shank Racing Ford Riley Daytona Prototype, drove the last three hours of the Rolex 24 At Daytona at Daytona International Speedway.
He had dinner Sunday night with the Shank team here and by 3 a.m. Monday he was on a plane for California to shoot a television ad at Infineon Raceway for Shell, the primary sponsor of his new Sprint Cup Series ride, the No. 22 Penske Racing Dodge.
Allmendinger hasn't even had the opportunity to gaze at or fondle his Rolex Daytona watch, given to every winning driver.
"To make sure I didn't lose it, I gave it to my manager Tara (Ragan) to take it back home to Charlotte and have it fitted for me," Allmendinger said in a Wednesday conference call.
From Sunday to Wednesday, Allmendinger went coast to coast to work for his sponsor and work with his new race team.
After the production work was finished in California, Allmendinger flew back to Florida Tuesday night to test his No. 22 Dodge at Walt Disney World Speedway.
"I'm still trying to figure out where I'm at," Allmendinger laughed.
He has every right to be giddy.
Life is very good for the former Champ Car driver, who won five open wheel races in 2006, then stumbled into the Sprint Cup Series as a rookie with start-up team Red Bull Racing.
Since 2007, Allmendinger has spent most of his energy proving he can drive a stock car.
He got a bit testy when a reporter asked him if Sunday's Rolex 24 victory was his first win in a car with fenders.
"Yeah, unfortunately, thanks for that," he said, tongue-in-cheek. "Yeah, first official win. Yeah, thanks."
Allmendinger isn't 100 percent NASCAR. He is going to have equity in Shank's new IndyCar Series team, which will campaign with driver Paul Tracy, if all the details are worked out.
"But to me Sprint Cup racing ... (is) the toughest racing series in the world.
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updated by @dave-fulton: 12/05/16 04:02:07PM