A.J. Allmendinger, A.K.A, NASCAR’s “Dinger” has had a remarkable career in the highest level of motorsports. Having won multiple races in the Cup and Xfinity Series, he currently drives for Kaulig Racing in both tiers. Along the same line, his personal life is quite remarkable too. At age 42, he is now the happy father of a 7-month-old son, Aero James, and husband to Tara Allmendinger. But his journey to this stage wasn’t completely straightforward.
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Allmedinger’s first serious relationship was with Lynne Kushnirenko, a former Miss Molson and a Playboy Cyber Girl. The duo met in 2005 when Kushnirenko started working for the Champ Car Series that Allmendinger was then a part of, in a public relations role. Growing closer with time, they ended up getting married in 2007. Kushnirenko was, at the time, delving deep into her passion for chiropractics before she turned to a career in modeling.
The couple’s puppy, Misty, was a star of its own accord having starred in the Hollywood flick “Marley and Me”. Five years into their marriage, they filed for divorce in 2012 and separated at a time when the driver was going through a rough patch on the track for violating NASCAR’s drug policy. He was suspended by the sanctioning body and fired from Team Penske for his offenses. The driver eventually did get his life in order and rejoined the field to drive for Phoenix Racing.
A.J. Allmendinger’s resurgence in both his professional and personal lives
Following his suspension and divorce, Allmendinger staged a comeback for the ages. He began racing for JTG Daugherty Racing in 2014 and collected his first-ever Cup Series win at Watkins Glen. During the 2015 Indianapolis 500, he met Tara Lea Meador. They quickly struck a chord and dated for a long time before getting hitched in 2019.
Meador holds a Master’s degree in Architecture and worked as an aquatic consultant before turning towards pageantry. She is the 2021 Mrs North Carolina and has been a staunch supporter of Allmendinger’s racing career. The duo’s pets Mr Tickles, a cat, and Xena, a French bulldog, are pretty infamous on social media. The most recent addition to their little family was Aero James Allmendinger.
The little boy was born on September 7, 2023, and is now cruising towards his first birthday. Behind the wheel, Allmendinger has three top tens in the Xfinity Series this season. His next race will be at Richmond this weekend.
