Allmendinger: Shank Had to “Talk Me Into” Doing Rolex 24

Photo: Brandon Badraoui/IMSA

AJ Allmendinger admitted that Meyer Shank Racing team co-owner Mike Shank had to “talk me into” doing the Rolex 24 at Daytona again, given the open-wheel turned NASCAR driver didn’t want to let down his longtime friend amid the magnitude surrounding MSR’s now full-factory Acura GTP program.

Allmendinger will be making his 16th appearance with the Ohio-based squad in the Florida endurance classic but first since 2021 when he shared the team’s Acura ARX-05 DPi with Dane Cameron, Juan Pablo Montoya and Olivier Pla to a fourth place overall finish.

His inclusion in the lineup, which includes NTT IndyCar Series champions Scott Dixon and Alex Palou, as well Honda Racing Corporation Super Formula ace Kaku Ohta, “meant a lot” to the the 43-year-old Californian but has also stacked on pressure to perform.

“For Honda to allow me to do it, first of all, means a lot to me,” said Allmendinger, who drives a Chevy in the NASCAR Cup Series for Kaulig Racing. “I missed this race. I watch it every year. To me it’s one of the coolest races we’ve got on this planet.

“I always thoroughly enjoy coming here and being a part of it. I feel like it’s always a good way to kick off, especially way the [NASCAR] Cup stuff works now where you basically go straight into a race and there’s no real testing.

“More importantly, it’s just to have Mike call me up and ask me to be a part of it.

“Honestly, he had to kind of talk me into it because I don’t want to let him down; that’s the last thing I ever want to do in this world.

“It’s my wife Tara, my parents and then probably Mike Shank [in terms of importance in my life]. I don’t want to let him down and I know how good these guys are.

“The team itself, but Colin [Braun], Tom [Blomqvist] and Scott… Nothing needs to be said about them about just how good they are.

“I know I’m going to be the weak link in the chain I just don’t want to be super weak. I want to do everything I can to go out there and hold my weight.

“That was the biggest thing I told Mike. I’m like, ‘Bud, I don’t want to let you down’ and he was like, ‘Ain’t going to happen. You never have. We want you.’

“You never know how many chances you get at it.

“I at least had to get in this thing and see how this test went at least.”

Allmendinger got his first laps behind the wheel of the hybrid-powered LMDh car in the recent IMSA-sanctioned test at Daytona International Speedway, in what proved to be an eye-opening experience.

“There’s definitely a lot to this car to learn,” he said. “The last time I was in one was the DPi in 2021. There’s definitely a lot going on but the great thing is I got to do a little bit of sim and be at the shop.

“Tom and Colin have babysat me through all of it, trying to learn.

“I’m just trying to learn… a lot of it is the braking, trying to get used to the braking and what the threshold is of not too much or too much. I found too much right away.

“My biggest thing is trying to learn as quick as I can. I know the guys I’m teamed up with are world class. I’m trying not to be the slow guy and letting them down.”

Allmendinger Wouldn’t Race Rolex 24 for Anyone Other Than Shank

While making his return to the Rolex 24 after a five-year absence, Allmendinger revealed he didn’t pursue rides with any other team during that period.

“I love this race for some reason but the biggest reason I love doing it was always with Mike,” he said. “I’ve never really sought after trying to go find somebody else to drive for.

“It’s like the Indy 500. If you run it with Roger [Penske], it’s hard to want to go it with anybody else.

“It’s the same way. I’ve always loved this race with Mike, even the ups and downs. They’ve got three [wins] now but hell, we could have maybe three of four [more] back in the Grand-Am days or even when the new car came out.

“That’s always been the biggest thing for me, the enjoyment of it, is the ups and downs of being here with Mike.”

Allmendinger first met Shank in 2005 when he was racing for the Jeremy Dale-owned RuSPORT squad in Champ Car alongside Justin Wilson, when both drivers were drafted into MSR’s Riley-Lexus DP for the Rolex 24 the following year.

“It just took off from there,” he said. “I was like, ‘Man, this guy is pretty damn cool. I like driving with this guy.’

“He’s a lot of fun. He’s a racer. He bleeds for this sport. He’s obviously put his house and everything up several times to keep going.

“He called me back the next year and it just grew for however many years straight we did it.

“It’s been a fun ride and hopefully whether it’s the last one or there’s more, hopefully we make this one a good ride.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John