Allmendinger Back At The Track

AJ Allmendinger

AJ Allmendinger upped his effort to find a new job on Friday by making his first appearance at a NASCAR event since his suspension for failing a drug test.

The visit to Talladega Superspeedway is the first since Allmendinger's July 7 suspension. He was reinstated by NASCAR last month and is looking for a job for 2013 after being dropped by Penske Racing three months ago.

"I'm looking, but from reading the Internet, there doesn't seem to be a lot of jobs out there," Allmendinger said.

Allmendinger first returned to a track last month at Fontana, Calif., attending the IndyCar season finale as Roger Penske's guest. He seemed nervous before arriving but said he felt at ease as soon as he entered the garage.

He experienced the same emotions at Talladega, where he said the reception was good.

"Nobody has told me to get out yet," joked Allmendinger, who stopped in the Penske Racing garage stalls and visited with his former crew. "It's been a lot of fun to be back in the garage. It's been a rough few months, and I'm just really glad to be back here."

He was greeted with hugs from some of his former crew members at Richard Petty Motorsports, where he spent three seasons before moving this year to Penske Racing. He was let go by Penske in July after his backup urine sample also failed a test.

NASCAR has not revealed the substance, but Allmendinger has said he tested positive for Adderall, a prescription drug typically used to treat attention deficit disorder. He does not have an ADD diagnosis or prescription, and said he took it a couple of days before the June 30 race at Kentucky Speedway because he was tired.

He spent two months completing NASCAR's "Road to Recovery" program, which is the only way a driver can be reinstated.

Now back, he's looking to see what opportunities exist for him. More at Fox News