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  • Andrew Ranger To Run Full NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Schedule

    Andrew Ranger To Run Full NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Schedule

    [media-credit id=4 align=”alignleft” width=”112″][/media-credit]GC Motorsports International, formally known as Go Canada Racing, has announced that they’ve partnered with Dave Jacombs Racing to form GC Motorsports Canada. They also announced that the primary driver for the team will be Andrew Ranger, who will be running the full NASCAR Canadian Tire Series schedule in 2012.

    “I am very excited about our organizations working together. I got to know Steve and the team last year and was really intrigued by what they were trying to put together,”Jacombs says. “Over the last few months Steve and I came to the conclusion that working together could accelerate the growth of both programs. Long term, I see us having dominant programs in multiple series on both sides of the border.”

    Ranger, the two-time series champion, will also run select NASCAR Nationwide Series races, including the NAPA Auto Parts 200 in Montreal.

    “I am really looking forward to competing for my third NASCAR Canadian Tire Series championship,” the Quebec native says. “It will be great working with Dave again, and I am really looking forward to get back behind the wheel in the Nationwide series. GCMI is developing a very strong strategy to grow the team and I think I am at the perfect point of my career to grow with them.”

    Steve Meehan, who originally formed Go Canada Racing, is looking forward to what this year has to bring.

    “We feel we have a very formidable program by balancing experienced drivers with younger up-and-coming drivers,” Meehan says. “This multi-driver and multi-tier approach to our program will allow us to continue to build a very strong program that will enable an evolution to competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. In addition, it will allow us to develop marketing partnerships all across North America.”

  • Frank Kimmel Ready To Go After 10th ARCA Championship

    Frank Kimmel Ready To Go After 10th ARCA Championship

    [media-credit id=4 align=”alignleft” width=”112″][/media-credit]As the ARCA Racing Series enters its 60th year of competition, the history books get re-opened to view how the series has grown. Through the last 20 years, one of the drivers that has stood out is Frank Kimmel.

    Going into 2012, Kimmel has his sights set on his 10th ARCA championship as he won the championship in 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 while leading 10,177 laps in 191 races (most of any active driver). Kimmel will look to increase on both of his records, driving the No. 44 Ansell/Menards Toyota with the same colors, yet with a new team in 2012.

    Kimmel announced near the end of last year that he had signed a deal to drive with ThorSport Racing, who will expand their operation to the ARCA Series. ThorSport Racing had run primarily as a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team, finishing second in points last year with driver Johnny Sauter. This marks the first time that they will be in the ARCA Series.

    Beyond the goal of winning the championship, Kimmel is also focused on another record – most all-time career victories in the series. Currently, Iggy Katona holds the record with 79. Kimmel, meanwhile, currently has 74 wins going into the 2012 season.

    “Every year I get asked what’s important to me to achieve for the season,” Kimmel, who finished third in points last season, says. “Winning Daytona is first on the list for me, and it’s important for my entire family. Being the first race for ThorSport Racing, everyone’s working really hard to achieve some wins – period. Daytona would be great and such an accomplishment, but we all know what can happen there. I can honestly remember racing for two years without ever winning at all, and that’s why it means a lot to have 74 wins under my belt now. The first time at Toledo was such a big thing for us. I have a lot to prove this year to win again, since it has been three years since I’ve been to Victory Lane. Iggy Katona is a huge hero of mine; he raced against my dad for years. He’s the man. It’s a privilege to be in the same class of driver as such an ARCA Racing legend as Iggy.”

    Beyond just the win record, Kimmel is also closing in on the most career poles award. Katona currently holds that with 43, while Kimmel has 42. One of Kimmel’s sponsors, Ansell, will be giving out the trophies this year, along with Menards.

    Throughout his career, Kimmel has 233 top-five finishes and 300 top-10 finishes, but also beyond the statistics, could say a lot about ARCA’s history.

    “Getting the first win is the most amazing achievement,” he says. “I raced many years with Terry Shirley in the 02 car, and we only won one. When Terry left to be a crew chief, I didn’t have a team to drive for at all. I thought I’d be driving late models. Then I was picked up by Dan Faldorf and got with Larry Clement. We ended up putting a hodge-podge of races together by the skin of our teeth, and with blood, sweat, and tears, we ended up fifth in driver points and didn’t even go to every race. When we came back the next year and ran full-time for Larry, being manager, driver, and everything, we were second in the points, so we kept climbing. Then the following year, in 1998, we won our first championship. It just goes to show that the competition is always so fierce, it takes a lot to get there and it means so much. Every one of my nine championship trophies have people and a great story behind them. In my tenure of ARCA Racing Series driving, every year is a great battle. It’s going to be a lot of fun competition in 2012.”

  • NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: OBSERVATIONS WHILE WAITING FOR SPEED WEEKS

    NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: OBSERVATIONS WHILE WAITING FOR SPEED WEEKS

    [media-credit name=”Brad Keppel ” align=”alignright” width=”270″][/media-credit]As I wait for the green flag to signify the official start of Speed Weeks 2012 at Daytona, I seem to be spending the off season time collecting NASCAR news items while pondering my opinions on their content. It occurred to me that I should share some of them with my racing buddies.

    THE DEAL IS JUST FINE, IT’S THE POLICY WE HATE

    For approximately seven years now NASCAR has observed the policy of the top 35 in their owner’s points. This policy states that any team within the top 35 is automatically guaranteed a start in the next race on the schedule. At present the points in the top 35 from the 2011 season will be in effect for the first five races of 2012. Beginning with race number six, the accumulated points from the first five events of this year will take effect.

    There’s also a policy that states these owner points can be bought, sold or traded as if they were commodities on the New York Stock Exchange. The criteria includes some sort of business or technical alliance between two teams involved in the deal along with the approval of the exchange by NASCAR officials.

    This policy made NASCAR headlines last Tuesday following an announcement of a technical alliance between between Stewart-Haas Racing, (SHR), and Tommy Baldwin Racing, (TBR). The owners points from TBR’s #36, accumulated by driver Dave Blaney last year, will be transferred to SHR’s #10 driven by Danica Patrick. Essentially this means Patrick is automatically locked into the field for this year’s Daytona 500.

    Patrick will be entered in ten Sprint Cup races this year in preparation for a full time stint in the series in 2013. TBR’s #36 will be changed to #10 for this season. When Patrick is not racing the #10 SHR Chevrolet, driver David Reutimann will be in the #10 TBR Chevrolet for the remaining 26 races on the schedule. If both drivers compile a series of decent finishes, it could mean that Patrick will have a guaranteed start in all ten of her scheduled events. The value of that Sprint Cup seat time is vital to her cause.

    In exchange, TBR will receive technical support from SHR at a level that normally would not have been available to them. SHR will also provide pit crew service for the races when Reutimann is driving.

    Let’s be completely fair here. Neither of these teams did anything wrong. The terms of their alliance is well within the guidelines of the owner’s points policy. These terms were subsequently thoroughly reviewed and given a stamp of approval by NASCAR. This technical alliance is clearly a win-win situation for both racing organizations.

    Despite that, there has been an immense criticism of this policy for several years now. the nay sayers state that starting positions in a 43 car Sprint Cup field should be solely based on posted speeds during qualifying. There should not be any owner’s points guarantees and those points should absolutely not be allowed to be traded like a stock commodity.

    These points swaps have been going on for quite a long time now and often seem to manifest themselves around this time of the year prior to the Daytona 500. That’s actually understandable. After all, this year’s Daytona 500 has a record setting total purse of $19,142,601. The guaranteed minimum for the race winner is $1,431,325. In the 2011 final results of the great American race the team that finished 43d earned $268,550 after only running ten laps. In short: you do what you have to do to make this race.

    The critic’s view is also understandable: a team is either fast enough to make the field on qualifying day or you go home early. That’s racing. It seems logical that everyone, from NASCAR executives to the fans, would hate the thought of a major Sprint Cup super star not making the starting field. But the fact is: with or without that super star, the fans will gather in the stands on race day, the green flag will wave over the 43 cars and we’ll all enjoy the race.

    The time to terminate this guarantee is now past due.

    IT WAS A CLOSED TEST SO DON’T TELL ANYONE

    Last Wednesday NASCAR conducted a closed test of all four of their 2013 race car models at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. Because it was a closed session, no results, such as speed charts, were disclosed. Next in this process will be an aero match in the wind tunnel at the NASCAR Research and Development Center.

    Drivers participating in this test included Kasey Kahne-Chevrolet, Kyle Busch-Toyota, Matt Kenseth-Ford and Sam Hornish Jr-Dodge. How did we find out which drivers participated in this closed test? Needless to say, it was through that social phenomenon known as “Twitter.”

    IN AN OUT-IN AND OUT, THAT’S WHAT A DRIVER’S SEAT ALL ABOUT.

    First off, apologies for fracturing the In And Out Hamburger Restaurant’s advertising jingle and, no, this item has absolutely nothing to do with either one of the Busch brothers.

    Last Thursday morning it was announced that NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Landon Cassill had been named to drive a third entry for Front Row Motorsports in the Daytona 500. The young, up and coming, driver was scheduled to drive the #26 Ford with race sponsorship from Morristown Driver’s Service, a Tennessee based trucking firm.

    By Thursday afternoon Front Row Motorsports General Manager Jerry Freeze received a telephone call from Cassill who said “he couldn’t do it.” It seems it was a very informal agreement to begin with. Explaining further, Freeze said: “we gave him an out if he got a full time racing deal, and it sounds like he got one.”

    There’s been no word regarding who Cassill’s driving for or who’s going to replace him in the Front Row Motorsports #26.

    SADLY WE CONCLUDE WITH A GOD BLESS

    It was very sad to learn of the recent passing of NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Matt Kenseth’s mother. Nicola Sue Kenseth passed away January 31st following a brave and lengthy battle with Early Onset Alzheimers Disease. Our sincere condolences goes out to the entire Kenseth family during this truly sad time.

  • NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: SURELY HE MUST HAVE NOTICED THAT FISHY SMELL?

    NOTES FROM THE NASCAR NATION: SURELY HE MUST HAVE NOTICED THAT FISHY SMELL?

    The gospel according to “Twitter” has often fascinated me. In addition to the fact that it’s a quick and simple way of mass communication, it can also become a major source of entertainment. From “hey, that’s funny” to “wow, you should have kept your finger off of the send button,” there’s seems to be no limits to this popular social network.

    That same principle applies to the world of NASCAR racing. Tweets are a great way for a driver to interact with the fans. It’s also a buffet filled with one liners that often feeds the needs of the racing media. A case in point involves Kyle Petty and Kenny Wallace. On any given day of the week, their tweets are loaded with humor and sarcasm well worth your reading time.

    One of the better tweets that I’ve seen lately surfaced last Thursday from NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Joey Logano. The message read: “look what I found in my bedroom closet.” Underneath the message was a photo of a giant lobster. This was the traditional giant lobster that is presented to winners of NASCAR races at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

    Wait a minute. Logano received one of those giant lobsters because he won a race at New Hampshire. But that win was back in 2009.

    I’m just going to assume that he was playing a very funny, and well staged, “Twitter” prank on us. However, if it turns out it wasn’t a prank then it means that Joey Logano has a dead lobster that has been lying in his closet for over two years now.

    If that lobster is real then you would have thought he would have noticed that fishy smell. (EEWWW !!!!)

    [media-credit name=”Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”156″][/media-credit]

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  • Ron Fellows and Scott Steckly To Appear at Canadian Motorsports Expo

    Ron Fellows and Scott Steckly To Appear at Canadian Motorsports Expo

    [media-credit id=4 align=”alignleft” width=”200″][/media-credit]

    NASCAR fans will get their good dosage worth of content at this year’s Canadian Motorsports Expo as both Ron Fellows’ No. 88 Canadian Tire NASCAR Nationwide Series Show car and Scott Steckly’s No. 22 Canadian Tire/Motomaster Dodge will be on display.

    Both Fellows and Steckly will also be on hand to sign autographs throughout the weekend.

    This will be part of Canadian Tire’s 5,000 square foot display.

    “We’re thrilled to be part of the 6th Annual Canadian Motorsport Expo and to connect with Canadians that share our passion for auto racing,” Allan McDonald, Senior Vice President of Automotive at Canadian Tire, says. “As title sponsors of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series we’ve been blown away by the support and enthusiasm of Canadian fans. We’re committed to fostering the growth of auto racing in Canada through our support of the series and are looking forward to an exciting 2012 season.”

    The display will also include Canadian Tire’s 53-foot racing hauler, a pit stop challenge and a money machine. The money machine, which resembles a glass phone booth, has Canadian Tire Money that swirls around and contestants can keep all the money they grab in 20 seconds. Canadian Tire will also be giving out samples of products during the weekend.

    “We are very proud to welcome Canadian Tire as a major exhibitor at the 6th Annual Canadian Motorsports Expo Powered by Inside Track,” CME Co-promoter Rob Morton says. “From the company’s long-running support of some of Canada’s top racers and events, to their current sponsorship of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, Scott Steckly, Ron Fellows and others, Canadian Tire is an undisputed leader in Canadian motorsports. Racers and fans appreciate Canadian Tire’s commitment to their sport and their dedication to offering the best service, expertise and products – many of them race and track-tested.”

    The Sixth Annual Canadian Motorsports Expo will be happening February 10th to 12th at Toronto’s International Centre.

    Ron Fellow is a legendary road racer and the new owner of Mosport, while Scott Steckly won his second NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Championship last season.

  • Apollo Motorsports, EMCO Corporation and Noel Dowler Reach Agreement for 2012 and Beyond

    Apollo Motorsports, EMCO Corporation and Noel Dowler Reach Agreement for 2012 and Beyond

    Apollo Motorsports and EMCO Corporation have reached a multi-year agreement with[media-credit name=”NASCAR” align=”alignright” width=”157″][/media-credit] that will see Dowler be driving the No. 5 EMCO Dodge for the full season in 2012 and beyond.

    I‘m really pleased to have this partnership with EMCO,” Dowler said. “We came together last year and planned on competing in only a select number of events. When we found ourselves in the hunt for rookie of the year we added the final few races to the schedule and it’s been building from there. The confidence EMCO has shown in our group with this commitment is a huge boost for our team.”

    Graham Faulder, Area Manager for EMCO Corporation, is also excited about the committment.

    “At EMCO we are very pleased to be aligned with Noel Dowler and the No. 5 EMCO Dodge team in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity to grow our customer relationships at various NASCAR events across the country. NASCAR continues to grow in popularity and EMCO is excited about expanding our market presence along with (stock-car) racing in Canada.

    “The Apollo Motorsports Team had an excellent first year. The team and young Noel Dowler learned alot last season, and they were great ambassadors for our employees and customers. We look forward to 2012 and we’ll be in the winner’s circle when Noel gets win number one.”

    Dowler will get an early start to the season as he will be traveling to New Smyrna Speedway in Florida.

    We have a car that DJ Kennington has been preparing for us to race,” said Dowler. “It’s a great opportunity to get some more experience against some good competition before the NCATS season begins.”

    Dowler will be competiting in cars built by DJK Racing for the entire 2012 season, also.

    The 2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series begins May 20th at Mosport International Raceway. For more information about Noel Dowler, log onto www.apollomotorsports.ca.

  • Brennan Poole To Run Daytona ARCA Race for Venturini Motorsports

    Brennan Poole To Run Daytona ARCA Race for Venturini Motorsports

    After winning in his ARCA debut last year at Salem Speedway, Brennan Poole enters the 2012 season looking to have even more success. The 2011 UARA-STARS National Champion will be driving the No. 25 Adcetera-Venturini Motorsports Chevrolet in the ARCA Racing Series’ season-opening Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona International Speedway.

    “We’ve had a lot of success at every step, but to race for a storied team like Venturini Motorsports, especially at Daytona, certainly is the highlight,” the 20-year-old said. “The Venturinis have high standards and very high expectations every time they go to Daytona. It’s my job not to let them down.”

    In four ARCA starts with Venturini Motorsports, the Woodlands, Texas native won a race and captured the Menards Pole Awards presented by Ansell at Pocono Raceway.

    “Brennan has been impressive every time he’s been in the seat for VMS,” Billy Venturini said. “He tested well in December and has been preparing for this race the entire offseason. I think he’s got a great shot, and we expect him to shine at Daytona.”

    Venturini will also serve as the crew chief for the team’s flagship entry as the No. 25 holds a key history note with the Venturini Motorsports team. The car will also be paitned in the same color scheme – red and blue – originally used by Billy Venturini during his 10-year driving career.

    Practice for the season-opening race starts on Thursday, February 16, while Menards Pole Qualifying is Friday, February 17, at 2 p.m. The race, scheduled to be televised live by SPEED, is Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET.

  • Formula One Veteran Rubens Barrichello Tests IZOD IndyCar Series Car with KV Racing

    Formula One Veteran Rubens Barrichello Tests IZOD IndyCar Series Car with KV Racing

    Two weeks ago, Tony Kanaan hinted towards Rubens Barrichello that he should come try the IZOD IndyCar Series out. That small hint has now turned into a deal into the making as the Formula One veteran tested a car for KV Racing.

    “We’ll see,” Barrichello said after the first day of testing at Sebring on January 30th. “I don’t have anything else (competitive driving), so we’ll see.”

    Kanaan pulled out all the stops for his friend as he welcomed him with a dinner that included fellow IndyCar drivers Helio Castroneves, Will Power and Oriol Servia on January 29th.

    “Over the winter we talked about it, but it became serious when I was testing (at Sebring) and they announced that he wouldn’t be with Williams, and I tweeted a picture of my car saying ‘It’s ready for you,’” Kanaan said. “Then I called him up and said, ‘Hey, you want to come test at the end of the month?’ And he said yes, so I called Jimmy (Vasser).

    “It’s great to have a guy I can call a brother with us. (His future) is in his hands. Right now, it’s just an invitation for him to help us out as far as his feedback. Nineteen years in Formula One, the guy has so much knowledge we need to take advantage of . What goes beyond that, it’s up to him.

    “Knowing Rubens, his timeline will be pretty short. By the time he gets out of the car (Jan. 31), he’ll have a pretty good idea what he wants to do. Right now, we don’t have anyone signed for the other two cars. You can tell by his face he’s having a lot of fun.”

    IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard was also on-hand and would like to have Barrichello in the IndyCar Series.

    “If Rubens joins the IZOD IndyCar Series, it continues to strengthen the caliber of drivers that we’re attracting,” Bernard said. “His record alone is the type of excitement that we want to build within the series and give our fanbase. When you look at the history of Indy car and the greats such as Nigel Mansell and Emerson Fittipaldi, it only helps the stature of Indy car. If there is a transition, I want him to know that we’re here to help him.”

    Barrichello has had notable success in F1 as he has 11 wins, 68 podiums and 14 pole positions, though was replaced by Bruno Seena at Williams F1 at the end of the season.

    Kanaan and Barrichello are close as Kanaan is the godfather of one of Barrichello’s sons.

  • Michael Shank Racing makes history with Rolex 24 win

    Michael Shank Racing makes history with Rolex 24 win

    Daytona Beach, Fla. (RacingWire) – One of the best crowds in the history of the Rolex 24 at Daytona was treated to one of the most hotly contested races in recent memory.

  • That Didn’t Take Long: AJ Allmendinger Already off to a Winning Start in 2012

    That Didn’t Take Long: AJ Allmendinger Already off to a Winning Start in 2012

    [media-credit name=”Al Bello/Getty Images” align=”alignright” width=”215″][/media-credit]Every driver prepares differently for the upcoming NASCAR season. Some might pick up their workout routine, change their eating habits, seek psychological help or just spend as much time as possible relaxing at home.

    But there are a few that spend their off-season racing and even with Speedweeks at Daytona just around the corner AJ Allmendinger was among a few Cup stars who decided to do just that. He could have been at home, thinking about the year ahead of him with his new team at Penske Racing, trying to prepare to turn his career around.

    Instead he climbed behind the wheel of a Daytona Prototype in the 50th anniversary of the Rolex 24 hour race for Michael Shank Racing. Then he went out and won the race for Shank and co-drivers Justin Wilson, John Pew an Oswaldo Negri.

    “It’s always cool to be me,” joked Allmendinger about how great the last month has been for him. “No I’m just kidding, the last five years it’s sucked to be me. It’s pretty amazing to go through the last month and a half. Obviously the Penske side of it is completely different from this side of it. Mike Shank – we’ve done this for seven years and I told him we’ve been waiting for the 50th anniversary.”

    Allmendinger acknowledged that the last five years have been tumultuous for him in the NSCS, even for as hard as he worked. When it came to trying to win at Daytona with the No. 60 team for Shank it was much of the same, always coming up short. The team stayed committed though to building faster and faster cars and finished runner up in 2007 with the same group of drivers.

    Now they’re all champions, beating the best in the business and in the Rolex 24 by dominating the superstar lineup of the Chip Ganassi teams. The Shank drivers completed 761 laps through the 24-hour race and were leading for 249 of those laps.

    When it came down to the final few though, Shank full-filled his promise to Allmendinger of putting him in the car for the final stint to the finish. Even agreeing that should Allmendinger be the driver of the car when they win the race, he would shave his initials on his head, which he plans to do this week.

    “The last seven years this whole team, Mike Shank Racing, went through a lot to get to this point, to not only win the race but have two cars on the podium,” Allmendinger said as Shank’s second car the No. 6 finished third.

    “It’s a small group of guys that Mike’s put together and they work their butts off and it’s really cool this year to have them get a well deserved victory and a second car on the podium,” continued Allmendinger.

    “I feel very fortunate; this is one of the reasons why I love this race, because it really kicks off Speedweeks. It’s such a prestigious race. It’s one of those races you want on your resume and you want to say that you were part of a victory. It’s amazing. I’m going to cherish this.”

    Allmendinger will for as long as he can since the swagger he has now will most likely be knocked back down by Speedweeks, he’ll be reminded he hasn’t won in Cup yet. Or maybe not because when he comes back to Daytona to start the NASCAR season it’ll be with a confidence he’s may never had before. This year he’s with a team that he knows can win races and championships, a team that wanted him to be their driver.

    Driving for Penske, the California native has high expectations ahead for him. He knows they’re there; he’s ready for them and even says himself that this might be the best chance he has to show what he’s capable of. On Sunday he talked about the 2012 NSCS season briefly but focused mainly on what he and his Michael Shank Racing team had accomplished.

    “Yeah, none at all,” Allmendinger said on the pressure from those expecting him to win this year.

    “For the last five years for what I went though and I think Michael McDowell said it best, Sprint Cup racing is the toughest in the world right now, it’s so hard to win. And yeah, I look at this year as my best opportunity to go win a Cup race but that’s easier said than done. So for right now I’m just going to take this for what it’s worth, not think about anything for a couple days and just enjoy it. Right now it’s the biggest win I’ve ever had because we’ve worked for seven years to get to this point with Mike Shank and we’ve been so close so many times.”

    When he took the car over with three hours to go in the race Allmendinger thought about all the previous times the team had been in that position. Only to have something happen and the win snatched away.

    But not on Sunday as Allmendinger held a pretty wheel for almost all three hours. Of course there were a few heart-stopping moments when he was navigating traffic and fighting for the lead with Starworks Motorsports drivers.

    It wasn’t enough to make him crack under the pressure though, as his competitors expected. The 24-hour, 35 minute and 57 second race featured 10 different leaders and 14 cautions. There could have been more near the end, something Allmendinger didn’t want to see as he continued to extend his lead. Fortunately for the team there wasn’t any and as long as nothing broke they were headed for victory lane and brand new Rolex watches

    “Honestly you get in the car with three hours to go and having a chance to win the race and I joke about it, but I haven’t had that position for a long time,” Allmendinger said.

    “For me it’s about having confidence but you sit there and go, ‘OK, can I be in this position and hit three hours of perfect laps and not make any mistakes.’ It creeps into your mind as I’m sitting strapping my helmet on and about to get in the car. [Negri] did such a great stint at that point to hold onto the lead and a ton of pressure and he never put a wheel wrong before I got in the car and at that point I felt like I had worked so hard to get that lead and I had done everything that I sat there and thought to myself everything I needed to do to get the lead. Yeah, I didn’t want to see a yellow but at that point if it came out that was just another test for myself as a racecar driver.”

    Allmendinger spoke about how proud he was of everyone on the team for all his or her hard work. Everyone who worked on the car, those involved on raceday and were now loading the car up to go home. But he also didn’t hold back in saying that he was proud of himself and his personal performance.

    It takes a lot for a driver to compete in an endurance race like the 24 hours at Daytona. Especially one as prestigious as the Rolex 24 and Allmendinger said it was a great test for him he was proud that he had a chance to go win the race. Something he hasn’t had many of in Cup since he came NASCAR in 2007.

    “2007 was hell honestly, it was the worst year of my life when it came to my career,” said Allmendinger before opening up a big.

    “There was plenty of times in my bus on Friday, missing a [Cup] race that it was either should I go back to IndyCar or slit my wrist, honestly. We’re race car drivers right? It sounds over the top but I knew I wanted to be in the Sprint Cup Series, that’s where the best of the best was.”

    Sure, Allmendinger says he would have loved to gone about entering NASCAR differently. When CART and IndyCar had things going on that didn’t appeal to him he jumped at the chance to go to NASCAR, wishing he could have done come Truck or Nationwide races first. Instead he went right to Cup and it was anything but pretty.

    “It was just a tough couple of years, the last few years have been tough and I feel like the last two years I at least got on a good rhythm and it makes me feel good to know that a guy like Roger Penske can look at my talent and say, ‘You know what, he might not have a Cup win’ and Shell Pennzoil that’s used to winners and champions in their car but if we give him the right stuff he might be able to do that,” said Allmendinger.

    “It’s been a tough time but the fun thing was a guy like Mike Shank, no matter how I felt about myself after a tough year or tough season he never waivered on whether he wanted me in the car. Every year we said we were doing this, that’s why I love this guy so much. He’s always been there for me, I would do anything for him and I’m just happy I can be a small part of this victory for him.”