Elkhart Lake, Wis. ? After losing his ride in June, A.J Allmendinger has pulled his career off the scrap heap with four Champ Car series victories for his new team.

Next he might be chasing NASCAR’s checkered flags – and dollar signs.

Allmendinger knows he must make a decision about his racing future soon, but the tumultuous 2006 season has taught him to appreciate the present.

“Something I’ve learned to do this year is kind of live by the moment instead of kind of looking towards the future,” Allmendinger said. “I think that was part of the reason why I wasn’t having any fun, because I was always trying to figure out what was going to happen next.”

In June, Allmendinger was fired by the RuSport Racing team, then immediately signed with the rival Forsythe Racing team. The move paid off right away, as Allmendinger won his debut with Forsythe in Portland – the first of three straight victories.

After winning again in the Grand Prix of Road America on Sunday, Allmendinger is second in the Champ Car standings, 58 points behind leader Sebastien Bourdais.

Although Allmendinger concedes he probably won’t overtake Bourdais for the championship in the final two races, he says it still has been quite a year.

“If we come up short in the championship, finish second, it’s still been a fantastic year no matter what,” Allmendinger said. “Because after four races this year, when I was like 80 points back and jobless, I didn’t think I was actually going to be in contention.”

The 24-year-old California native’s unscripted style is vaguely reminiscent of another former open-wheel star who found success in NASCAR, Tony Stewart.

As the only American driver in Champ Car, Allmendinger had a little fun with the fact that he kept Bourdais from clinching the championship Sunday.

“I’m not letting a French guy clinch on American soil,” Allmendinger declared in victory lane.

Allmendinger continued his tongue-in-cheek ugly American act in the postrace news conference, causing Bourdais to shake his head and grin. “My English is not good enough to answer that,” Bourdais said.

Allmendinger said he expects Bourdais to wrap up the title Oct. 22 in the series’ next race in Surfers Paradise, Australia.

“At least I held it off for one race,” Allmendinger said. “You know, you never know. You just got to keep fighting.”