A.J. Allmendinger's parents mortgaged their home three times to keep his dream alive, a sacrifice that defines his outlook as a father

A.J. Allmendinger recently opened up about the sacrifices his parents had to make when he was a young age to keep his racing dreams intact. The driver of the #16, a father of a two-year-old son, Aero, also discussed how his personal experiences have shaped him as a father.

The Kaulig Racing driver spoke to motorsports insider Jeff Gluck for a "12 Questions" interview via The Athletic. Gluck made mention of how the California native's childhood shaped him into who he is today. Allmendinger's mom was a nurse, while his dad was a carpet layer, and mortgaged their house three times in order to help his racing career.

Gluck made a point that Aero, born in September 2023, while have a much different upbringing than A.J. did because of his status as a longtime NASCAR Cup Series driver. When asked how he plans to teach Aero the qualities that are important to him, A.J. Allmendinger made it known he has no intentions of pushing his son into racing if he doesn't want to. Whatever Aero wants to do, A.J. wants him to give it his best.

Here's what A.J. Allmendinger said via The Athletic:

"My parents always said to me they’d do everything they could for me as long as I kept showing that I wanted to do it. It was always a family thing; I’m named after A.J. Foyt, so my dad obviously truly loved (racing). My mom loved it too, but she was the quieter person about it. To me, it’s about embracing the challenge. Whatever he wants to do, go out there and work your butt off for it. I’ll never force him to race cars or play golf. But whatever he chooses, put everything you have into it. If you’re not going to, then there’s no point in even doing it. Part of me still doing this now is trying to make sure we never have to worry about mortgaging things. But I just want him, whatever he goes after, to go 100 percent. If you don’t, then there’s no point even trying."

A.J. Allmendinger aiming to end winless drought in remaining 2025 NASCAR Cup races

NASCAR: Cup Practice - Source: Imagn

With four races remaining in the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, A.J. Allmendinger will look to end a winless drought that dates back to the Charlotte Roval in October 2023. The three-time Cup Series winner is currently 25th in the points standings amid his return campaign to the Cup level.

Allmendinger has posted two top-fives this season with an average finish of 20.2. The 44-year-old returned to the Cup Series full-time season after spending last season the Xfinity Series on a full-time basis. He is set to return to Kaulig Racing full-time again in 2026.

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Edited by John Breeden