Two seasons and one race into his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career, AJ Allmendinger (No. 44 Charter Communications Dodge) won’t demur when asked for its highlight:

Last Sunday’s third-place finish in his first–ever Daytona 500.

A huge step, and eye-opening to some, especially for a driver who had to race his way into a starting spot. That third-place finish also means he’s third in the series standings heading into Sunday’s Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway, another career high.

“For our team’s sake, we would have loved to have had a chance to win the Daytona 500,” Allmendinger said of last Sunday’s rain-shortened race, “but leaving there with a third-place finish isn’t all that bad. I’m not going to complain.”

Now, Allmendinger returns to his home state of California with significant momentum and confidence, all necessary for a driver who’s filling a part-time role with the newly-minted Richard Petty Motorsports. A Los Gatos native, he’s set to run the first eight races of 2009, plus the July event at Daytona International Speedway, while RPM officials work to secure fulltime sponsorship for his team.

As part of the sport’s recent wave of open-wheel transfers, Allmendinger began his NASCAR Sprint Cup tenure with Team Red Bull in 2007. A lack of experience and starts — he started only 17 races in ‘07 and 24 in ‘08 — led to a steep and often frustrating learning curve. Released by Red Bull late in 2008, he ran the season’s final five races for what was then Gillett Evernham Motorsports.

Earlier this year, RPM (a combination of GEM and Petty Enterprises) announced that Allmendinger has been signed through 2009 with a team option in 2010. So far he’s validated that move, finishing fifth in the non-points Budweiser Shootout on Feb. 7 and 10th in his Gatorade Duel qualifying race for the Daytona 500.
“I want to do well at any track,” Allmendinger said. “But winning at (Auto Club Speedway) would be extra special. I have a lot of friends and family there and I’d like to perform well in front of them.”