AJ Allmendinger will wheel the No. 22 car for Penske Racing in a pair of upcoming Nationwide Series road course races at Road America (June 22) and Mid-Ohio (Aug. 17).
AJ Allmendinger to run Nationwide road course races for Penske Racing
AJ Allmendinger will run a pair of Nationwide Series road course races for Penske Racing beginning later this month at Road America.
Todd Warshaw
Currently a part-time driver for Penske in the Izod IndyCar Series, Allmendinger hasn’t competed in a NASCAR event for the organization since being suspended July 7 of last year following a positive test for Adderrall. He was later released from his ride.
After being reinstated by NASCAR following completion of its Road to Recovery Program, Allmendinger has driven in select Sprint Cup Series races for Phoenix Racing and a limited schedule of IndyCar events for Penske, including a seventh-place finish in Sunday’s Indianapolis 500.
Even upon releasing him, team owner Roger Penske remained adamant that Allmendinger could return to the NASCAR team in some capacity and with his open-wheel background and his familiarity with running stock cars on road courses, this was a natural fit.
“He is a great talent on road courses and has been doing a great job for Team Penske already this year in the IZOD IndyCar Series,” Penske said in a statement. “With his stock car experience and his road course experience, we think this is the perfect opportunity for him and for the team.”
Allmendinger has never competed before in a Nationwide road course event, but has nine Cup starts at Sonoma and Watkins Glen where he has recorded four top-10s with a best result of third.
“I’ve always really enjoyed the road course racing in NASCAR, so to get the opportunity to compete in two events in the Nationwide Series with Penske Racing is amazing,” Allmendinger said in a team release.
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