Just a few weeks ago, I had the pleasure to hang out with A.J. Allmendinger and the JTG Daughtery Race Team for the day. I was given the opportunity before the race to interview AJ Allmendinger. I want to thank Kroger for this opportunity. I also want to thank JTG Daughtery racing team and A.J. Allmendinger for taking time out of their busy schedule to make this interview possible. I learned a lot about him and know that he truly loves racing.
Watch the YouTube Video:
Southern Family Fun:
Who was your inspiration? What got you into NASCAR?
A.J. Allmendinger:
Growing up it was always my dad, my dad was a local dirt track racer in California, even before I was born and as a young child I was always at a race track watching my dad race or we would just go watch a race. My dad is always what got me in it and it has always been a family thing between my mom and dad. As I grew up, I really liked Jeff Gordan. I was a big fan of Sprint Car racing and he was a big Sprint car racer, then he moved up to NASCAR, so I always followed Jeff Gordan.
Southern Family Fun:
What made you choose this career being that it is so dangerous?
A.J. Allmendinger:
I don’t like manual labor and it is the only career you can wake up at 9 or 10 o’clock and still be early for whatever you have to do. It doesn’t pay too bad, decent pay. It is what I grew up around and always had the passion for. I like competing. I like competing against myself and the other drivers. It doesn’t have anything to do with the speed. It doesn’t matter if we are doing 220 miles per hour or running 60. It’s just the competition of other drivers and putting yourself up against them is what I really enjoy. Sometimes, get frustrated about it. It is a tough sport because there are so many variables. It is not just you against the other person. There is a race car, race team. It is the comradery and the competition that I love.
Southern Family Fun:
Wow, there is so many things I can give myself advice about. I still probably haven’t learned. If I could go back and make my younger self be a little more chill to have my older self be more chill, that is probably what I would do. My biggest weaknesses, and can be strengths, is that I am a fiery guy, passionate about it, but hard on myself. I am the hardest critic I have on myself. Sometimes, it works for me and sometimes it works against me. I need to learn to be a little more chill during the bad times and learn how to take it better. I am who I am, that is how it has gotten me here, and I am here to stay.
Southern Family Fun:
What is something that the fans may not know about you?
A.J. Allmendinger:
I am actually really shy. I am really outgoing when I have to be and to a certain degree when I am around my friends that is my personality, but in a crowded room amongst other people, I always say the fewer people know about me the better off I am. I am just buried to myself and shy. I wouldn’t say what you see is fake, because that is my personality but when I am away from this and when I am not in that racing element, I am a really shy guy.
Southern Family Fun:
What do you do when you are not racing?
A.J. Allmendinger:
People know my golfing. I have a bad addiction to golf. That is what I do when I am racing. When I did not do well the other day, I left the race track not happy and went golfing. Don’t do that- the golf game doesn’t go very well when that happens 🙂
Southern Family Fun:
A.J. Allmendinger:
Definitely the Indy 500 race. I was running a great race, and with about 70 laps to go my seat belt popped loose. I tried to refasten it but was unable to do so. Because of this, I had to make a pit stop so the crew members could fix it. I felt we had a great car and if this didn’t happen, I possibly would have won my first Indy 500. (paraphrased)
Leave a Reply