UPDATE It was Allmendinger's passion that pushed him to the limit on Saturday night when cameras caught the racer in a heated exchange with his company's namesake, seven-time champion Richard Petty. According to Robbie Loomis, RPM vice president of competition, the King broke one of his own personal rules against approaching a driver during a race. "Richard has been in this position more times than anybody as both a driver and an owner," Loomis said. "He knows the car owner doesn't talk to a driver after a race or after an accident. You never criticize or condemn someone in public. There's nothing you can say to anybody that's going to make them feel worse that they already feel." Loomis went through a similar situation at Martinsville Speedway in 1997 with the late Bobby Hamilton not long after the King had retired from the cockpit. The former crew chief contends, "the longer you're out of the driver's seat the easier it seems to you. And it isn't easy." Loomis feels that Allmendinger is integral to RPM's future. He admits that it's the company's responsibility "to nurture" the driver. He's seen Allmendinger "adapt quickly" to a lot of different tracks, including Daytona, which likely added further to the driver's disappointment. "The King told me, 'AJ has a knack for that place. He's got it figured out,'" Loomis said. "There's not a lot of people that do." Allmendinger is in the final year of his contract with RPM. Although he has been offered a renewal, there are other suitors in the Cup garage as well. More from
FoxSports
07/04/10 AJ Allmendinger and car owner Richard Petty had a heated exchange in the garage area at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night. Allmendinger pulled away from the seven-time NASCAR champion, turned his back on his boss and then stormed away from The King. Allmendinger declined to talk to reporters, but the executive vice president of Richard Petty Motorsports said his driver was merely frustrated by having a strong car and a poor finish. "I always say the car owner shouldn't talk to the driver anytime after the race, especially after an accident," Petty VP Robbie Loomis said. "I think Richard's been here so many times, he's been through this stuff and he was just trying to get him to loosen up and let the boys do their stuff on fixing the car and getting back out there. Anytime you talk to somebody at the wrong time, it always causes discussion that needs to be worked out. That's all that happened." Allmendinger was still hot when Loomis got to the garage a few minutes after the incident, which happened 66 laps into the 400-mile race. "He's a hard-charging competitor and he's as passionate as anybody out there," Loomis said. "Unfortunately, two Daytona races with great cars and we haven't been able to bring the finish home." Associated Press/ESPN.com