"… not an easy situation to be in"

In racing series that are run exclusively on flat ovals, emotional rollercoaster feelings can also be conveyed. This was NASCAR rookie AJ Allmendinger’s experience, who after a dogged dry spell just celebrated his first NASCAR victory at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. How much his fighting spirit was relieved of the weight, and what he’s expecting from the rest of the season, he discloses in an interview.

What went through your mind as you crossed the finish line at the All-Star Sprint Showdown?

I was so excited that I unplugged my radio and was telling my crew what a good job they did, but no one responded because they couldn’t hear me! It was just a great feeling to win that race and reward everyone on the team for how hard they work. For what I’ve gone through in the past year-and-a-half, the Sprint Showdown victory ranks among my favorite race wins ever. It’s right up there with my first Champ Car win.

The Sprint Showdown triumph has also qualified you for the All-Star race. Did you take things down a notch so as not to dent any of your idol’s cars – or did the chance of impressing a few legends double your fighting spirit?

The strategy for the All-Star race didn’t change much for us compared to the strategy we had for the Sprint Showdown. For both races, if we had a car capable of winning, then we were going to press just as hard to win, no matter what other guys we were racing out on the track. We also knew that we wanted to finish all 100 laps in the All-Star race, so that we could get more laps on the circuit and learn more about our car to use this weekend for the 600-mile race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

At the Coca Cola 600 that took place a week later, also on Lowe’s Motor Speedway, you came 20th. Did your knowledge of the course give you an advantage for the longest race of the NASCAR season?

Any time you can get laps on a race track you’re going to have an advantage over the guys who didn’t get to run laps on that same circuit. You get a chance to gather more information about the car. But for me, I don’t have a lot of seat time on any of the circuits we run on, so the more laps, the better.

Speaking of seat time, at the beginning of the season you had to give up your seat to Mike Skinner for five races. As a driver, how hard is it just to observe from the side-lines?

It wasn’t an easy situation to be in, but you just have to stick with it and remind yourself that we’re trying to make the team better as a whole. I still went to all of the races, tried to support the team, and tried to learn as much as I could from Mike and how he communicated with the team in trying to improve the car. Away from the track, I still went into the race shop to spend time with the crew, and went to the gym every day just as I always had.

In the Owners Standings your team and car #84 is 170 points short of the desired 35th place. What has to happen throughout the rest of the season to spare you the nerve-wracking qualifying rounds in the future?

We just have to do our job – qualify and have decent finishes in the races. We’re fast enough, and we’re a good enough team. Our cars are better than they’ve ever been, so we just have to stay on top of our game and not make any mistakes.

Will your team-mate Brian Vickers be taking part in the Chase?

I think Brian’s had a good season so far, but I still think our cars are about a year away from really being Chase contenders. Anything can happen, though; we still have a long season ahead of us.

… just like your favorite football team, the Green Bay Packers. What are you expecting in the coming season, especially seeing that legend Brett Farve recently retired? And which team will you be rooting for at the Superbowl XLIII?

With Brett Favre being gone, I’m boycotting football this year! I’m going to take my fantasy football team to the Superbowl!