Allmendinger is in his second season driving the No. 84 Toyota, but Red Bull opted not to renew his contract for the 2009 season. The team also pulled him from the car for the two-day test session that began Tuesday at Lowe's Motor Speedway.
Speed, meanwhile, was testing a third Red Bull entry in the session and is scheduled to make his Sprint Cup Series debut next month at Lowe's. He said during the dinner break Tuesday night he's not sure if he'll fill Allmendinger's seat next season, but will do whatever Red Bull officials ask of him.
"Red Bull has made great decisions for me my whole career," Speed said. "I trust that when they think I'm ready, they'll make the right choice."
Speed is a favorite of Red Bull's Austria-based executives, who spent considerable money developing him for Formula One. When he washed out of that series, he was sent back to the U.S. to learn stock cars, and has been solid in the Truck Series and developmental ARCA Series.
It's believed Red Bull executives want Speed in one of their two Cup cars next season. Brian Vickers already drives the flagship No. 83, leaving no room for Allmendinger if Speed moves up to the next level.
"I have a lot of drive to do this because I think if you can be successful in Formula One and come over here and do this and be successful in Cup racing, that's another huge accomplishment," Speed said. "I think I've learned everything pretty quickly. But the thing I'm missing is experience. You can't learn experience."
Speed could conceivably replace Allmendinger before next year.
Allmendinger is listed on the entry sheet for this weekend's race at Kansas Speedway and is expected to fulfill that obligation. But Speed could replace him for the final seven races of the year and still retain his rookie status for next season.
Allmendinger, meanwhile, is now looking for a ride after what's been a tumultuous time with Red Bull.
He moved from the now-defunct Champ Car Series to NASCAR before last season, and struggled as he and Red Bull adapted to the Sprint Cup Series. He got off to a slow start again this year, and general manager Jay Frye temporarily pulled him from the car to give Skinner, a veteran, a chance to assess the program.
Since returning to the car in April, Allmendinger has shown steady improvement but has not been able to get the car off the top-35 bubble. The No. 84 is currently ranked 34th in car owner points, just barely inside the window that guarantees it a starting spot in the field each week.
"AJ is a talented driver and we really enjoyed working with him," Frye said in a statement. "He's come a long way in just two years and we wish him nothing but the best."
He's believed to be a candidate to replace Reed Sorenson in the No. 41 for Chip Ganassi Racing. Sorenson is moving on to Gillett Evernham Motorsports next year, and was replaced Tuesday at the test by Jeremy Mayfield, but the team said that was simply to obtain feedback from the veteran driver.
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