Allmendinger axed by Red Bull
09/17/08 Red Bull Racing's driver, former open-wheel racer A. J. Allmendinger, has made great strides since his stock-car debut last season, although his future with the team is still up in the air. In addition, Team Manager Jay Frye has former F1 driver Scott Speed waiting in the wings. Speed has been nothing short of remarkable this season, winning both Craftsman Truck series and ARCA stock car races. He leads the drivers’ standings in the ARCA series. Speed will make his Sprint Cup debut this fall at Lowe's Motor Speedway, and all signs point to him running a full Cup season next year. A decision on Allmendinger’s future is expected by week’s end. Yahoo Sports
09/11/08 From A.J. Allmendinger's column at Yahoo: "As far as my contract situation for next year, there’s no new news. Hopefully I’ll know something next week. But not knowing anything is hard. It’s stressful. You know, I just want an answer. Am I going to be back with Red Bull next year, yes or no? Of course I’d like it to be yes and they’d like me to stay and we have a great rest of the season and prepare for 2009. I love everybody at the shop and it’s hard because they’re asking me questions. They want to know what’s up, and I don’t have an answer for them. I mean, I really don’t have an answer. I’ve had conversations with other teams since August – and there were some good rides available – but I truly believe we have something here with Red Bull, so I don’t want to leave. We’ve been through a lot together as a team and I’ve been through a lot just to learn. I’ve had people tell me, ‘You suck. You shouldn’t be here,’ and I’ve had other people say, ‘Keep working. We know you got the talent.’ And I’ve fought through all that and in my opinion I think I deserve to be in the car. But right now, realistically, I think it’s about 50-50 at best that I’ll be back at Red Bull next year. Yahoo Sports
09/07/08 Red Bull Racing general manager Jay Frye was noncommittal when asked about the future Sunday – both his own and that of the team’s driver lineup.
Frye, reportedly being courted to head the Stewart-Haas Racing team next year, said “I’m happy where I’m at" several times when asked whether he would consider leaving Red Bull.
“There’s obviously a lot of things going on in the sport right now, there’s a lot of flattering things being said, there’s a lot of stuff to think about, but I’m very happy where I’m at," he said Sunday prior to the Chevy Rock & Roll 400. “The last place I was at [MB2 Motorsports/Ginn Racing], I was there for 12 years, correct? We basically went down with the ship. I’m not somebody that has ever bounced around or anything like that. I love where I’m at. We’re doing some great things."
Frye would not say one way or the other whether he would return to Red Bull next season or move to Stewart-Haas.
He also had no new information on the future of driver AJ Allmendinger, despite a trip to Austria where he met with Red Bull officials to discuss several scenarios.
The team currently fields two cars, for Allmendinger and Brian Vickers, but has ex-Formula One driver Scott Speed waiting in the wings.
“In this particular meeting, there were a bunch of scenarios talked about and different ways to go," Frye said. “[Allmendinger] was discussed a lot. Obviously AJ’s been a Red Bull athlete for a long time and they’re very fond of AJ. We’re going through these different scenarios right now and there should be a conclusion shortly."
Scenarios could include expanding to three fulltime cars, but could also include parting ways with Allmendinger.
“We have three good young guys and the plan is to figure out how to make it work for everybody," Frye said.
Allmendinger said he had no idea about his future when asked Friday.
“I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know," he said. SceneDaily.com
08/29/08 Red Bull Racing's AJ Allmendinger is still uncertain about whether he will return to his NASCAR Sprint Cup team next season. The driver has previously stated he'd like to stay with the group, but he says he continues to wait to hear from the team.
"Phone is silent as can be from their end," he said. " … I've stated I'd like to be back next year, but I just want an answer. I need to know I'm racing somewhere next year."
Allmendinger and his team are outside the top 35 in the owner standings, though they have been on the line of making that field and were in it for one week. Allmendinger says that the team has improved to the level where he expects top finishes week to week.
"We got that first taste of being in the top 35," he said. "Michigan we just missed the setup, and that was disappointing since we ran so well there the first time. Last week, it's Bristol, we were running top 12 and just got wrecked. Nobody's fault. Martin [Truex Jr.] blew a tire, and that got us out, but the car was fast. …
"We are running better. If we're not top 15, it's a bad day. We don't expect to miss the race. I expect to try to qualify top 15 every week and try to run there and that's what we have to do." Scenedaily.com