Five things about ... the one they refer to as 'Dinger

Driving home from a third-place finish in his Daytona 500 debut, A.J. Allmendinger was all smiles. Then again, he's always smiling.

But why wouldn't he? Riding shotgun was his beautiful wife, Lynne. And in the back: his super-famous dog, Misty.

Life is good for the 27-year-old Allmendinger, who in late January was finally offered an eight-race deal to drive the No. 44 Dodge for Richard Petty Motorsports.

Allmendinger capitalized on the opportunity and raced his way into the Daytona 500 and found success with a crew that was put together just a few weeks before the race.

His "no quit" attitude is making Allmendinger a favorite among the NASCAR community. Fans are dying to know more about this California boy known for his perfectly coifed hair and effervescent personality.

Here are five things about Allmendinger to quench your curiosity:

A.J. and Misty

On Christmas Day, the hit movie Marley and Me debuted and so did the Allmendinger's famous four-legged pet, Misty -- a yellow Labrador he purchased from a breeder in last year at Daytona. As a puppy, Misty was cast to play Marley, the neurotic Labrador that would bring great pains but greater joy to his masters.

Misty became famous for the part in the movie where Marley takes off running with a bra in his mouth and crashes through the screen door.

"We for sure knew that was her because she does the same thing at home, she gets Lynne's bras and underwear," said Allmendinger, who thought Marley and Me was one of the saddest movies he had ever watched.

"It sucked," he laughed. "All these kids were there to watch this movie about a dog on Christmas Day and he dies. Everyone in the entire theater was crying."

The movie certainly was sad, Allmendinger said, but it wasn't the saddest day in his life. No, the saddest day in his life came in March 2008 at Phoenix International Raceway. A buddy told him that his "man crush" and life-long hero, Brett Favre, had retired (for the first time). That same day, his boss at Red Bull Racing had told him he was being replaced for six races by Mike Skinner after Allmendinger had failed to qualify for the first three races of the season.

"It was the worst day of my life. My boy had just retired and I was out of the car for six races," Allmendinger recalled.

Better days have found Allmendinger.

"I'm at peace with Brett retiring now," he said. "I do have a man crush on Brett but don't think it's because I think he's sexy or anything like that. I just admire his passion. You see all the trouble he went through and see that he never gave up. He showed up everyday hurt or not and never gave up."

When Allmendinger moved from Champ Car to NASCAR and debuted with Red Bull, they gave the driver a slogan, of sorts.

"In 2007 I loved that Justin Timberlake song Sexy Back and they wanted me to have a catch phrase. I said, 'I'll bring sexy back to NASCAR,'" Allmendinger laughed. "It kind of stuck more than I thought, but honestly, I just brought my wife to NASCAR; it had nothing to do with me."

His wife is sexy but she also is talented. This season she is starting her own chiropractic business in the garage.

"She is looking to sign on teams and basically set up her table in front of the hauler and be open for business. She's going to be my sugar mama since I only have eight races," he added.

Until recently, Allmendinger had never been to Walt Disney World -- the famed Mickey Mouse vacation spot nearly every kid in America sees before his or her 13th birthday. Not Allmendinger. He didn't go until he was 24.

"When I was young, my whole life was about racing. My mom always gave me the choice. Do you want to go to Disney or new tires for your go-kart? I always picked the tires," he said.

To show his appreciation for his parents support throughout the years, Allmendinger took the family to Disney on Saturday following the final practice for the Daytona 500.

"They had never been, either, so I took them; it was great," he said.

Turns out, Allmendinger is a terrible gambler. He doesn't like to bet for money so most times he wagers his dignity. During the offseason, one game got him into major trouble.

He and some friends were playing beer pong -- with little beer even -- and Allmendinger lost on more than one occasion.

"I had to wear my wife's underwear outside the house," he said. "It was December and 21 degrees out. Luckily, it was 1 a.m. and no one had to see."

Maybe this is why fans have grown to love this driver affectionately known as 'Dinger; he keeps it interesting.