AJ Allmendinger made the headlines a couple of weeks ago by taking his third Cup Series victory at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. The Kaulig Racing star has been a NASCAR driver for nearly two decades. Allmendinger recently opened up about one of the struggles of being a NASCAR driver. In spite of being successful, the 41-year-old acknowledged that the sport is frustrating. He gave his own and Kyle Larson’s examples to explain the tougher side of the world’s biggest stock car racing competition.
The conclusion of the Roval race a couple of weeks ago brought tears to a lot of fans’ eyes. An emotional AJ Allmendinger dedicated his victory to his wife and child in front of the world. One often tends to forget just how much of a driver the 41-year-old is. He had held off a game against William Byron in Charlotte, who was a title contender and had a faster car.
AJ Allmendinger reveals the hardships NASCAR racers like Kyle Larson have to endure
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AJ Allmendinger’s win record in the Cup Series does not do justice to his illustrious career. The veteran motorsports athlete has won the regular-season championship in the Xfinity Series twice. He is also a two-time International Kart Federation champion. The 41-year-old is also someone who has always been good enough to get paid every year he has raced.
In the initial years of any aspiring motorsports driver’s career, hitting payday can be quite a challenge. It takes a lot of money to take part in motorsports, but it is not nearly as rewarding, at least when drivers start out. A lot of them have to take part in races that offer money to maybe the top 5 or 10 finishers to pay their bills.
But it was different for AJ Allmendinger. On a recent episode of Kenny Conversation with Kenny Wallace, the 2023 Roval Race winner revealed that he was fortunate enough to have the “best life.” However, it came with its own set of challenges.
“At first, I didn’t think about it. I was like yeah that’s what I’ve done my whole life. But I’ve been fortunate enough every year. I’ve raced cars and I’ve been paid, you know, some years better than others but I’ve been paid and that’s all I’ve ever done for a living,” Allmendinger said.
“So, I always tell people, I have the best life in the world and it’s also why I’m, miserable every day, because I wake up and it’s like, yesterday wasn’t good enough, go be better,” the veteran racer added.
Indeed, falling short in a NASCAR race can be quite frustrating. Even when a driver is in the prime of their life, performing at the highest level possible. Someone like Kyle Larson would be quite miserable if he did not win a race, as per AJ Allmendinger.
“Kyle Larson wins 10 races but those 26 he’d lost, he was probably a miserable human being at home. So like, that’s how we are,” he said.
Despite being paid for his entire motorsports career, AJ Allmendinger’s entry into the sport was not at all easy. Earlier in the Kenny Conversation episode, the 41-year-old revealed the trials and tribulations his parents had to endure.
Former Xfinity Series regular-season champion reveals parents’ struggles
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Motorsports is a very expensive sport to get into, regardless of the level. For an aspirant, if your family is not well off, you’d have to work your socks off to get even the faintest glimmer of hope. That was the case for AJ Allmendinger and his family.
“My mom was a medical nurse, my dad’s a carpetlayer. You know, it was always in the off-season, do you want rubber for your feet or rubber for your go-kart,” he said.
“My dad raced local stuff but yeah. They mortgaged our house three times to make sure that I kept racing. And for everybody listening, I paid that back. I paid all three mortgages off,” Allmendinger added.
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These are the stories that make AJ Allmendinger’s victory at the Charlotte Motor Speedway a couple of weeks ago all the more special. He might not be in the Cup Series full-time next year, but fans will be hoping for his success wherever he ends up.