Quicken Loans to sponsor Allmendinger in Detroit
Allmendinger will drive the No. 2 Quicken Loans Team Penske Dallara/Chevrolet at the newly-configured 2.3-mile Raceway at Belle Isle Park street circuit. As Allmendinger continues to get reacquainted to open-wheel racing this season after establishing his NASCAR career the last seven years, the Belle Isle race weekend will provide plenty of opportunity for experience. The event will host the first-ever INDYCAR doubleheader weekend as Allmendinger and the rest of the series drivers will compete in races on both Saturday and Sunday.
"I’m excited to race in Detroit. It’s a huge event for Chevrolet and it will be an honor to drive the Quicken Loans Chevy in the hometown of both of those organizations," said Allmendinger. “It’s definitely going to be a challenge to compete in two races in one weekend but it’s a great opportunity for me to continue to improve and hopefully come away with two strong results at the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit presented by Quicken Loans."
Allmendinger joined the Team Penske IZOD IndyCar Series program this season as he returned to his open-wheel racing roots. The 31-year-old native of Los Gatos, California, raced at Barber Motorsports Park and at Long Beach in April and will drive the No. 2 IZOD Team Penske machine in the Indianapolis 500 on May 26.
“We are excited to see AJ Allmendinger behind the wheel of the Quicken Loans IndyCar here in Detroit," said Jay Farner, President and Chief Marketing Officer of Quicken Loans. “The entire Quicken Loans team is thrilled about the Grand Prix coming to our hometown, and now we have even more reason to cheer."
After rising through the open-wheel ranks, Allmendinger emerged as a young star in the Champ Car World Series posting five wins and 14 podium finishes from 2004-06. He transitioned to stock car racing full-time in 2007 and he has enjoyed a solid career in NASCAR the past six seasons. Allmendinger parted ways with the Penske Racing NASCAR team last season.
The opportunity to reconnect with Team Penske emerged during the off-season as the team was looking for a third driver to work with Helio Castroneves and Will Power during select events in 2013. Originally scheduled to only compete at Barber and Indianapolis, Allmendinger has been solid in his return to IndyCar racing and Team Penske continues to look for opportunities to give the personable racer more experience adding races at Long Beach and now Detroit.
“We would like to thank Quicken Loans for their partnership and for providing this opportunity to race AJ in the Dual in Detroit at Belle Isle," said Roger Penske. “With Penske Corporation, Chevrolet and Quicken Loans all calling Detroit home, this truly is a special event and we are excited to see AJ in action in the Quicken Loans Chevy."
Allmendinger continues to show his diversity by also competing in NASCAR while he reconnects with his open-wheel heritage. He has raced in four Cup Series events this season for Phoenix Racing in addition to his IndyCar Series starts.