Former Hollister driver is in the hunt for Rookie of Year
By NATHAN MIXTER
Sports Editor
Former Hollister racer A.J Allmendinger has been on quite a roll recently.
The Champ Car rookie driver made his first podium appearance Sunday, placing third in the Molson Indy race in Vancouver.
Allmendinger finished behind teammate Michel Jourdain Jr., of Mexico, giving the RuSPORT team its third visit to the podium in the last seven races.
“It was definitely a relief,” Allmendinger said. “I am happy because it was the first time we were able to put a full, complete race together. It was the best race I had from my standpoint because I didn’t make any mistakes.”
Starting 11th in the race in his Western Union No. 10 car, Allmendinger was able to edge Bruno Junqueira in the last 25 laps of the race for third place.
“We’ve been making progress each race,” Allmendinger said. “We definitely still have a lot of stuff to work on. We are getting closer each week, but the results didn’t really show it because of some of the mistakes I’ve made. Hopefully it is a sign of good things to come.”
The 21-year-old driver leads the Rookie of the Year standings with 108 points and is eighth overall.
“I soon found out early on that this is a very difficult series to be a part of,” Allmendinger said. “There are so many good teams and great drivers in the series. If you off just a little bit, you are mid-pack. There is a lot of stuff to learn.”
Allmendinger has had continued to progress in his three years of Champ Car racing. Last year, he was named as the Toyota Rookie of the Year and the Toyota Atlantic champion.
“It is fun to be around other drivers and be part of everything that goes on as a Champ Car driver,” Allmendinger said. “But it is difficult because there is more pressure than I have ever experienced before from the media and the team. But there is no other place I would rather be.”
One of the highlights of Allmendinger’s season is always when he comes to Monterey to compete at Laguna Seca. He said he expects to have 20-30 friends and family show up when he next visits Sept. 10-12.
“It is definitely a race I am looking forward to,” Allmendinger said. “Not just because it is my home race, but it is a track I love and I’ve had good success at. And it is a fun track to drive. I think at that point we will be in the full swing of things and it will be a race we can have another good result at.”
Allmendinger, who graduated from Leigh High in San Jose, lived in Hollister for four years before moving to Colorado. His parents still live here.
“I went to almost every race that he went to last year,” his mom said at the start of the year. “But I probably won’t go to many this year because they go all over the world. Hopefully everyone cuts him some slack because it is a new team. There will be a learning curve, but he will do fine because he has raced all his life.”
He started racing when he was five years with BMX bikes. He went into Quarter Midget racing and then go-karts when he was 11.
Although he hasn’t gotten back to Hollister this year because of his busy schedule, Allmendinger plans to stay about a week while in Monterey to visit his family and racing buddies.
“Starting in go-karts is probably the best way to start for any young kid thinking about being a professional race car driver,” Allmendinger said. “The one thing I always say is never give up. If you give up, that means you never had a chance to begin with. This sport has a lot of ups and downs. Fortunately for me, I haven’t had too many down parts. But for most people, there are a lot more downs than up. But as long as you don’t give up, you have a chance to make it.”
