Barely a year ago, a Kaulig Racing driver was in the doldrums. AJ Allmendinger was yet to clinch his next Xfinity Series victory for the 2024 full-time season. He eventually did so in Las Vegas, fending off tough rivals and clinching a playoff victory. Although he restored his Xfinity pride with his 18th trophy, his team owner wanted his excellence in NASCAR’s top tier. That faith just got a boost after a fantastic race.
Since the 2025 Cup Series season kicked off, AJ Allmendinger has been on fire. He has already clinched four top-ten finishes at ovals and short tracks, despite being famously good at road courses. Last weekend, Allmendinger fetched his first top five and punched a ticket for the 2026 season.
AJ Allmendinger will be back in full force
Well, the heartbreaks have gone hand-in-hand with the good finishes. In Texas and Kansas, AJ Allmendinger crashed and suffered an engine failure, respectively. These consecutive DNFs mired the No. 16 Chevrolet from 14th to 25th in the Championship standings. However, Allmendinger and his crew chief, Trent Owens, rolled up their sleeves. Qualifying 5th for the Coca-Cola 600, they ran top 10 all race, scoring 16 stage points. Dodging the numerous wrecks and navigating the challenging oval, Allmendinger finished 4th and closed within 13 points of Ryan Preece in the final provisional playoff spot with 13 races remaining in the regular season. This jaw-dropping performance was enough for team president Chris Rice to roll out an announcement.
In an interview with Sporting News, Chris Rice said that AJ Allmendinger‘s 2026 seat is confirmed. He reflected on his veteran driver’s countless contributions: “He is coming back next year, and he is going to be Cup racing. When we stepped out on a limb and hired AJ when no one really wanted him, we fell in love with each other and have become best friends. And he has constantly picked us up when we are down in the dumps. Every time, there’s AJ, and it doesn’t matter if it’s Cup or Xfinity, he makes us better wherever we need him. And so we’ve told him, he’s not running any Xfinity because we are focused on making the playoffs over here and he’s the guy to get it done for us.”
AJ Allmendinger will be back in the Cup Series next year for Kaulig Racing and Chris Rice says it’s because their driver just picks them up, repeatedly.
All you have to do in return, Rice says, is take AJ golfing. https://t.co/QmQrZTRywz
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) May 28, 2025
The last time AJ Allmendinger fetched a race trophy for Kaulig, it was in style. He led twice for a race-high 46 laps and beat runner-up William Byron by 0.666 seconds at the 2023 Charlotte Roval race. However, his Charlotte oval top-five was significant as it proved Allmendinger is ready to learn beyond road courses. He said after Sunday’s race, “This was important, right. When we have a car like we did, to execute and run basically top six every stage, none of us made mistakes today. The pit crew was on it. Trent was on it. There were times I thought maybe we needed to adjust a bit more, but he said no, and sometimes, I struggle to rip the fence here, but I had a good night.”
This remarkable dedication to Kaulig Racing is a thing of old. As Chris Rice mentioned, he and Allmendinger are the best of friends, and they continue their jovial bond.
Sharing strategies over a game
Do you play golf with your boss? If you do, your workplace must be one of a kind. Implementing this playful work ethic can also do wonders for a NASCAR race team. Evidence of that is available inside Kaulig Racing’s fold. Ever since AJ Allmendinger signed up for the team in 2019, things have turned around for him. He signed on for just five Xfinity races in his first year and managed to fetch his first NASCAR national-series victory in nearly five years. Two of his three career triumphs in the NASCAR Cup Series have come during his time with Kaulig. Allmendinger’s Xfinity Series win count now stands at 18, with 16 of those achieved in the last five-plus seasons.
If you are wondering how Allmendinger continues to bring success to his team, your answer lies in a sport beyond NASCAR. Chris Rice revealed the team’s special golf plan in his interview. While playing, they also discuss strategies. Rice said, “We don’t have to tell him anything. He knows everything that’s going on, and we don’t need to tell him anything he already knows. All we have to do is take him to play golf. We’re going on Thursday. Him and I, Ty Norris and Matt Kaulig. We’re going to go enjoy a game of golf and celebrate what he’s doing for us this season. He understands the cadence of a season and how to race any given situation. We just take him golfing.”
Evidently, the sky is the limit for AJ Allmendinger. With an extended Cup Series career and renewed faith in his talents, all he has to do now is fetch his fourth trophy.
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