Allmendinger and Ambrose talk about RPM

Jay W. Pennell, Frontstretch.com: I asked you last week about your situation at RPM and you described it by saying, "at least there's light at the end of the tunnel. It's not like there's a train coming back at you to hit you." Do you still feel that way now?

Allmendinger: "I feel like the train is coming back now. Honestly, I'm not exactly sure what's happening. I don't have any hardcore answers about what's going on inside the team. There are certain people that need to answer those questions. For me, all I can do is focus on driving the race car. Can't fix anything else. I feel bad for my guys that work so hard, my guys here at the race track, back at the shop, my guys that get told things like we might not be going to Talladega  which we are, we got the cars and the motors. They're the ones that work really hard and bust their butts. All I can do is take care of it as best I can, just try to keep us focused on coming to the race track. We can't fix what's going on and I don't know the true answers. We still have fast race cars. We're still working hard. The last couple of weeks we've had a couple of setbacks when it comes to engine problems during the race, but we've been running well, so that's all we can focus on."

Pennell: Are you worried about your situation for next season?

Allmendinger: "I'd be freaking lying to your face if I said, 'It's all good."

Pennell: What about Talladega or Texas? Are you worried about making it to those races?

Allmendinger: "I can't worry about it, honestly. If I let that take away from this weekend, then it doesn't really matter. If I go out there and suck it's kind of irrelevant when it comes to anything. There's definitely question. I think (we'll be at) Talladega, for sure, and I think we're getting our stuff together for Texas and things like that, but there's nothing set in concrete. For me, it's working hard at the race track and making sure we're running well. To me you've always got to look at the worst case scenario, and if it's the worst case scenario and we have to go work on other stuff and make that happen. That's why I pay Tara Ragan for and my management to work on that so I can worry about the race car."

Marcos Ambrose, moving to RPM in 2011: "I believe in the program over there (at RPM). I made the choice to commit to them because I believe it is a great fit for me. I wish them the best of luck to get themselves sorted out and back on the right path. I'm not involved in the decision making (at RPM). All I can do is voice my commitment to them. I believe the choices I made were right, I still do. I'm looking forward to the opportunity, they have a great program with assistance from Roush and the program's a great place. With Stanley coming on board supporting it, it's a great place for me to be. I was joking about it when we ran well in Richmond, but I believe in the program over there and want the chance to drive for Richard Petty Motorsports." Frontstretch.com