Thursday
NASCAR driver AJ Allmendinger to be part owner of new IndyCar team next year
Caught in the Catchfence™
The team, which competes in the Daytona Prototype class in Grand Am, has formed a new partnership to compete in IndyCar that includes NASCAR Sprint Cup driver AJ Allmendinger.
Allmendinger, who competed in open wheel before moving to stock cars, has competed for Michael Shank in the Rolex 24 Grand Am race at Daytona but won’t drive the IndyCar entry.
“For me, the Indianapolis 500 has always been the dream,” Shank said. “With the new 2012 Dallara IndyCar, there is a window for a team like mine to join the series and pursue that dream.”
A driver for the new Indy team has not been announced.
“Obviously I have a close connection to open-wheel racing, but add that to the chance to work with Mike and his organization and it’s something that really appealed to me,” said Allmendinger. who drives the No. 43 Ford for Richard Petty Motorsports. “Mike is one of the hardest working guys in motorsports and he’s a racer. I’ve always liked that about him, so I know he’ll fight hard for MSR Indy’s performance. We also hope to open some business relationships for our NASCAR Cup partners with this effort too.”
- al.com
Article Tags: AJ Allmendinger, Dallara IndyCar, Daytona Prototype, IICS, Indianapolis 500, IZOD IndyCar® Series, Michael Shank Racing, MSR, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NSCS, Richard Petty Motorsports, RPM
