AJ Allmendinger thought he’d learned plenty about pressure during his sometimes bumpy first two years racing in the Sprint Cup.
Then seven-time NASCAR champion Richard Petty put his hands around Allmendinger’s neck.
Before getting into his Richard Petty Motorsports Dodge and attempting to race his way into the Daytona 500, Allmendinger received a message from the King.
Get it done.
“It kind of puts a little incentive to make it happen,” Allmendinger said. “It ultimately came down to that I felt like I deserved to be in this race.”
He drove like it Thursday, securing a spot in NASCAR’s biggest race by finishing 10th during the second 150-mile qualifier.
Allmendinger quickly flipped on his sunglasses after emerging from his car so nobody would see him cry. Blame it on pent-up emotions two years in the making. He narrowly missed qualifying in 2007 and 2008 before getting let go by Red Bull Racing toward the end of last season.
“When you’re out of the show, you pretty much got two options: make it or bring it back on a wrecker,” Allmendinger said.
His car made it off the track intact with a spot on row 10 next to Paul Menard for the 500.
“You just had to drive hard,” Allmendinger said. “We had nothing to lose.”
He wasn’t the only driver who ended a run of tough luck Thursday. Jeff Gordon picked up his first victory — albeit an unofficial one — in more than a season by taking the first qualifier.
“Because of the pressure that we felt from being winless last year, you know, it’s important for us to gain some momentum and confidence that we’re doing the right things,” he said.
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