AJ Allmendinger, Kaulig Racing are more prepared than ever heading into Xfinity championship race
Yesterday at 05:01 PM
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Throwing the Xfinity Series Playoff field for a loop, AJ Allmendinger was the first driver to punch his ticket to the Championship 4 by winning last month at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. There was a sigh of relief for Allmendinger and Kaulig Racing President Chris Rice.
Over the last three weeks, all attention has been on the No. 16 Chevrolet that Allmendinger will run this weekend at Phoenix Raceway. Evidently, the car he will use is the same chassis that he dominated with at Las Vegas, leading 102 of 201 laps (39.5% of his season total).
The goal was simple for Allmendinger in 2024: elevate Kaulig‘s Xfinity program and return to its winning standard. Much of the season was a battle, though NASCAR newcomer Shane van Gisbergen won three road course races, besting Allmendinger each time. This season was unlike Allmendinger‘s standout 2021 and 2022 seasons, when he won both regular season championships and collected a combined 10 checkered flags.
"The previous couple of years, we won a lot of races and had a lot of bonus points and people expected us to make it [to the Championship 4]," Allmendinger said on Thursday at Championship 4 Media Day. "This year, there was a time in the middle of the summer where Chris and I started looking at each other and were like, 'Damn, we might need to do something just to make the Playoffs, let alone worry about trying to get through each round. It‘s definitely been an up and down year."
Allmendinger enters Saturday‘s Xfinity Series Championship Race with seven top-five finishes, 10 fewer from his most recent full-time season. His 17 top 10s are 11 fewer than 2022.
But it all comes down to one race. Phoenix and tracks similar to it have been a hindrance to Kaulig Racing since its inception. The organization qualified for the Championship 4 twice before, most recently in 2021 with Allmendinger, placing fourth in points. The year prior, Justin Haley placed third in the standings.
"I will put it to you this way, if it doesn‘t go well this weekend, it‘s not from a lack of effort; it‘s probably from a lack of talent on my end," Allmendinger said. "We cannot be any more prepared than the way it‘s went since Vegas with building the racecar, running sim laps.
"There are no promises tomorrow when we unload, but I can promise it‘s not from a lack of effort. We are fully prepared, more than we ever have been for one race."
To prepare for Phoenix, Kaulig has utilized Daniel Dye as its primary simulator driver to make sure the tire coding is up to date. Behind the scenes, both Dye and Christian Eckes — who will race for Kaulig in 2025 — have been knee deep in Kaulig‘s sim program. Even Allmendinger hopped on the simulator in an attempt to get up to speed at Phoenix.
Once Allmendinger reached the lead at Las Vegas, his No. 16 Chevrolet was unbeatable. The team is hoping to have a similar pace to begin the weekend.
"I think we‘re all a little nervous because we want to unload and have speed in the racecar, but it‘s more confidence," Allmendinger said. "Those two years, it was like no matter what we do, we were probably going to need a miracle. If we get it right, we will have the speed to go win this race."
No matter the outcome on Saturday, Allmendinger, a versatile racecar driver, doesn‘t believe it will change his life. But delivering the Xfinity Series title to Kaulig Racing, the company that gave Allmendinger a third life in NASCAR, would mean the world.
"I know that Matt and Chris have made the commitment to me that I can be here for as long as I want to be. But the satisfaction might change other people‘s lives within the race team," Allmendinger said. "That‘s where the determination and intensity this weekend come from is trying to bring a championship to Matt and Chris and all the men and women because I‘ve seen all the hard work and feel like I‘ve let them down this year at times. It means more to me for them than it ever would for me."
In five Xfinity races with Kaulig, Allmendinger has three top-10 finishes and a best finish of fifth. He finished 18th in the spring race.
