Allmendinger vows fight to stay in NASCAR

He may have scored a career best finish this past weekend at Kansas, but AJ Allmendinger will not be in the No. 84 Toyota starting this week.

Red Bull Racing announced Tuesday that veteran Mike Skinner will share the car with former Formula One driver Scott Speed for the rest of the year. Speed will then take over the ride full time in 2009.

But while he may be out of a ride, Allmendinger isn’t ready to give up on NASCAR.

AJ Allmendinger climbs into his car before qualifying for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' Camping World RV 400 auto race at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., Friday, Sept. 26, 2008. Allmendinger went into the weekend believing it was his final race with Red Bull Racing. He's not returning to the team next year, and Allmendinger had hoped to move into a new ride before this season ends. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

"I always feel like I have something to prove,” said Allmendinger. “Especially when you're told you might not be the guy that's going to be back next year."

"You go out there with a little bit of a chip on your shoulder and you fight hard - that's what I did,” he added. “You've got to prove something to team owners, and hopefully they see what kind of character I have, that I'm doing going to lay down. I'm not going to give up, I'm going to keep on fighting.”

Allmendinger came to NASCAR from the now defunct Champ Car series, where he won five races in 2006. Since making the switch, Allmendinger and the Red Bull team have found it a struggle to be competitive, missing several races after failing to qualify. In fact Sunday’s top-10 finish was only his second in 38 starts. But despite the numbers, don’t look for Allmendinger to turn tail and head back to open wheel.

"I've still got a lot to prove, but I know I can do this,” Allmendinger said. “Hopefully I can show that, and I need a ride for next year. I've clawed and scratched too hard in NASCAR to just go out there and lay down. Hopefully we're back next week, if not, what a send off."

Where his future might take him isn’t clear, but one thing is for sure, there are plenty of people who believe AJ Allmendinger has a future in NASCAR.

"I'm really proud of AJ for knowing he's not going to be back in that car and posting his best career finish, it shows that he's not laying down," said his crew chief veteran Jimmy Elledge. "I think he's definitely the top pick of what's out there right now, I think he's got a bright future, that's why I went to work there. I've seen a lot of potential in him from when he first started driving. He's going to do well for other people."