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IndyCar
INDYCAR: Cindric Pleased With Allmendinger Test
Penske Racing president Tim Cindric tells Marshall Pruett he's happy with how AJ Allmendinger's first Team Penske test went, and what's up next for Dinger.
AJ Allmendinger could be back for more IndyCar testing with Team Penske next month. (Photo: Marshall Pruett)
Penske Racing president Tim Cindric left Sebring in a positive mood on Tuesday after the Team Penske IndyCar team met all of its objectives during a one-day test.
AJ Allmendinger also completed his maiden outing with the team, making a strong impression on all those who were present.
“I think for us it was a good rehearsal just as a team with the changes we've made in the off-season to come out here and get everybody working together. Either Will [Power’s] guys and Helio [Castroneves’] guys, it's two different chemistries that you start to develop. Sebring is always a very difficult place to make too many judgments as far as on-track. You can be fast at Sebring and I don’t care if it’s Champ Car, IndyCar, CART, or what it is, and show up for the first race and be off the mark.
“Sebring is a unique place; you have to come in pretty disciplined with a list of things to go through and not get too caught up in lap times other than you want to be competitive. But whether you’re first or fifth, it really doesn’t matter if you get through your things. I think we had a good day going through things, and we also got solid laps in with Allmendinger.”
The former Penske Racing NASCAR driver was quick from the outset at Sebring, but struggled to post a faster lap during the afternoon session. Expecting miracles from Allmendinger—especially with a 7-year absence of open-wheel factoring into the equation—would have been unfair, and as Cindric reveals, the 31-year-old taught the team a few things.
“I was surprised at how quick he was able to get up to speed,” he said. “At least to be on the charts within a few tenths of Helio pretty much all day. I expected he was going to struggle to go from mid-pack to the top of the charts. It seems like in these cars it's not too difficult to get competitive, but to be among the best, it's going to take a bit of time. But I think he showed that potential, he was actually quicker than our other two drivers in a corner or two.
“So it shows that there's things there that they can already be learning from him. But I thought it was solid. I thought we accomplished what we came here to do which was to familiarize him with the modern-day Indy car. That was our goal.”
Allmendinger’s exact schedule with Team Penske is currently unknown; he has some obligations in NASCAR that could vie for his time, but it appears the No. 2 Dallara DW12-Chevy could be pressed into service at the upcoming IndyCar Spring Training session at Barber Motorsports Park held March 12-13.
“That's our goal,” confirmed Cindric. “Our goal is to try and put that together. We’re probably a week or two away from knowing whether that’s reality or not. That's where we'd like to see him next.”
Cindric also mentioned the steady encouragement the team has received after deciding to evaluate Allmendinger for an IndyCar ride.
“Well, he's had a lot of support,” he said. “Even last year when he went through the difficulty there, I was surprised really by the amount of support that he has. I think that, whether it’s the Twitter followers he had or his relationship with the majority of the media, he’s certainly bringing a very positive aura around him, as far as momentum.
“And I think that it brings a freshness for the sport. It's a new name. It kind of brings… it's an odd situation, because it brings the Champ Car diehards in and brings the NASCAR program in and it also benefits the existing IndyCar fans. So it's a bit of that triangle there that I think only he can pull off.”
Marshall Pruett is SPEED.com's Auto Racing Editor, covering IndyCar and sports cars. Now in his 27th year in the sport, Pruett was an open-wheel mechanic, engineer and manager before joining SPEED. He also contributes to RACER, Road & Track and Racecar Engineering. Follow him @MarshallPruett.
AJ Allmendinger also completed his maiden outing with the team, making a strong impression on all those who were present.
“I think for us it was a good rehearsal just as a team with the changes we've made in the off-season to come out here and get everybody working together. Either Will [Power’s] guys and Helio [Castroneves’] guys, it's two different chemistries that you start to develop. Sebring is always a very difficult place to make too many judgments as far as on-track. You can be fast at Sebring and I don’t care if it’s Champ Car, IndyCar, CART, or what it is, and show up for the first race and be off the mark.
“Sebring is a unique place; you have to come in pretty disciplined with a list of things to go through and not get too caught up in lap times other than you want to be competitive. But whether you’re first or fifth, it really doesn’t matter if you get through your things. I think we had a good day going through things, and we also got solid laps in with Allmendinger.”
The former Penske Racing NASCAR driver was quick from the outset at Sebring, but struggled to post a faster lap during the afternoon session. Expecting miracles from Allmendinger—especially with a 7-year absence of open-wheel factoring into the equation—would have been unfair, and as Cindric reveals, the 31-year-old taught the team a few things.
“I was surprised at how quick he was able to get up to speed,” he said. “At least to be on the charts within a few tenths of Helio pretty much all day. I expected he was going to struggle to go from mid-pack to the top of the charts. It seems like in these cars it's not too difficult to get competitive, but to be among the best, it's going to take a bit of time. But I think he showed that potential, he was actually quicker than our other two drivers in a corner or two.
“So it shows that there's things there that they can already be learning from him. But I thought it was solid. I thought we accomplished what we came here to do which was to familiarize him with the modern-day Indy car. That was our goal.”
Allmendinger’s exact schedule with Team Penske is currently unknown; he has some obligations in NASCAR that could vie for his time, but it appears the No. 2 Dallara DW12-Chevy could be pressed into service at the upcoming IndyCar Spring Training session at Barber Motorsports Park held March 12-13.
“That's our goal,” confirmed Cindric. “Our goal is to try and put that together. We’re probably a week or two away from knowing whether that’s reality or not. That's where we'd like to see him next.”
Cindric also mentioned the steady encouragement the team has received after deciding to evaluate Allmendinger for an IndyCar ride.
“Well, he's had a lot of support,” he said. “Even last year when he went through the difficulty there, I was surprised really by the amount of support that he has. I think that, whether it’s the Twitter followers he had or his relationship with the majority of the media, he’s certainly bringing a very positive aura around him, as far as momentum.
“And I think that it brings a freshness for the sport. It's a new name. It kind of brings… it's an odd situation, because it brings the Champ Car diehards in and brings the NASCAR program in and it also benefits the existing IndyCar fans. So it's a bit of that triangle there that I think only he can pull off.”
Marshall Pruett is SPEED.com's Auto Racing Editor, covering IndyCar and sports cars. Now in his 27th year in the sport, Pruett was an open-wheel mechanic, engineer and manager before joining SPEED. He also contributes to RACER, Road & Track and Racecar Engineering. Follow him @MarshallPruett.
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