Wilson praises rival over rookie battle.

Justin Wilson has put his disappointment at missing out on the Roshfrans Rookie of the Year title to one side to praise rival AJ Allmendinger for winning the award.

Wilson has scored seven top ten finishes this season and still had a shot of winning the award entering the penultimate round last weekend at Surfers Paradise, but Allmendinger was able to secure the points he required to secure the title.

"AJ and I have had some great battles on the track this season, and he is certainly a talented driver," Wilson said. "The Mi-Jack Conquest team had a great start to the season, but we lost a bit of momentum in the points chase with being knocked out of a couple of races in the middle of the season. RuSport and AJ did a great job to stay out of trouble and get the points he needed."

For his part, Allmendinger was excited to take the award, and was quick to point out that part of what made it special was the level of competition he faced for the award.

"I'm very happy with Rookie of the Year," he said. "I mean with contenders like Justin Wilson it's a pretty great thing to achieve."

Despite not taking the award, Wilson is enjoying his first season in Champ Car competition, and is desperate to end the season with a strong result in the final round in Mexico City.

"As a driver, you want to be competing against the best you can, week in and week out, and that's part of what makes racing in Champ Car so satisfying," he said. "I am looking forward to the Mexico City race to finish the season off on a high note."