A.J. Allmendinger’s late-season, five-race stint with Gillett Evernham Motorsports has earned him a full-time ride—at the expense of Elliott Sadler.
Allmendinger’s business manager, Tara Ragan, said Saturday night she expects Allmendinger to soon complete a deal to drive for GEM next season and replace Sadler in the No. 19 Dodge.
“Yes, we’re in the final stages of negotiations with Gillett Evernham,” Ragan said. “I think things will be sorted out within the next week. Nothing’s done till it’s done—knock on wood—but I think we’re all eager to make that work, and I think it’s safe to say we’re in the fine details and the fine-tuning of that.
“I don’t foresee any problems coming up, and I don’t think they do, either. But is it signed, sealed and delivered? No, not quite, but hopefully it will be in the next few days.”
Sadler signed a multiyear contract extension with the organization in May. How his departure will be orchestrated remains unclear.
Despite GEM extending Elliott Sadler’s contract earlier this year, Allmendinger proved over the last five races of the season that he was better suited for the ride. Allmendinger, 27, outran Sadler with an average finish of 16.4 behind the wheel of GEM equipment compared to the veteran’s finish of 31.8.
Sadler’s possibilities are rumored to include the No. 41 Chevrolet at Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing or the No. 77 Dodge at Penske Racing should Sam Hornish Jr. replace Helio Castroneves in the IndyCar Series.
Despite scaling back its Nationwide Series program, GEM says it plans to field three cars in Sprint Cup next season for Kasey Kahne, Reed Sorenson and now Allmendinger. The team is also in talks with Petty Enterprises about a merger involving the No. 43 team.
Allmendinger was released by Red Bull Racing last season, replaced by Scott Speed. He then took over driving duties in the No. 10 GEM car for the final five races of the season, replacing Patrick Carpentier as the team attempted to get the car into the top 35 in owners points.
UPDATE: December 30, 2008 05:34 am
This economic time likely is going to put additional pressure on car owners. Performance (and marketability) will be key. Certainly Elliott Sadler is someone fans can relate to with his common-man appearance. Yet, the fact is he didn’t win at Gillett Evernham Motorsports. He finished 24th in points a year after placing 25th in points for the team.
The thing with Allmendinger is people saw how he’s progressed. He had no shot his rookie year in 2007. A new driver to the sport with a new team. If you didn’t think that would lead to bad season than you don’t know much about NASCAR. But folks saw Allmendinger’s performances improve. It didn’t hurt that Red Bull got stronger as did the Toyota program in year 2. There’s potential with Allmendinger. Doesn’t mean he’ll fulfill it, just that he has it. Think of him as a highly touted recruit. Maybe he’ll meet expectations. Maybe not. It’s easy to get excited about something like that than someone you’ve competed with the past few years and seen what they can do.
It doesn’t mean Sadler won’t get a job. There’s possibilities out there. Not many but a few. The key is he’s going to have to prove himself at his next place and work hard to help build it up because it likely will be on the same level with GEM at the very best.
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