Another week, another solid performance from AJ Allmendinger and the No. 16 Kaulig Racing team in the NASCAR Cup Series. This time, Allmendinger carved out a ninth-place result in the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, and with the latest good run, Allmendinger is just two points outside of the Playoff Grid.
STANDINGS: NASCAR Cup Series Standings After Bristol
RESULTS: Food City 500 at Bristol
After notching his third top-10 finish through the season’s opening nine races, Allmendinger was pleased with his team’s performance all weekend long at the 0.533-mile short track.
“To have three top-10 finishes in the last five races is a big deal for us at Kaulig Racing,” said Allmendinger. “More importantly, we were able to run inside the top 12 all day which is really great momentum for our team. We were able to get another stage point which shows we’re consistently running with the front of the field. We will keep building on what we have, knocking out these top-10 finishes, and go execute at the races we know we have a shot to win.”
While Allmendinger referenced the Stage Point that he earned with a 10th-place finish in the opening Stage of Sunday’s race, the driver also collected a bonus point by turning the Xfinity Fastest Lap of the race with a 15.380 second lap time on Lap 396 of the 500-lap event.
To recap, Allmendinger scored a top-10 finish, earned a Stage Point, turned the fastest lap of the race, and he earned his season-best qualifying result (8th) to start the weekend off.
“Bristol was a really good race for us,” said Trent Owens, Allmendinger’s crew chief. “We pretty much ran around the top 10 all day and were able to end the day with a top-10 finish. AJ drove a great race and gave good feedback to the team. We were able to make the right adjustments there at the end to get a little bit better. We’re leaving Bristol with a Stage point, a top 10, and the fastest lap for the race; it’s a good way for us to head into the off-weekend. I’m really happy with everyone at track and everyone back home preparing these cars.”
From top to bottom, it was a solid effort for Allmendinger and his team at Bristol, and the performance showcases that the No. 16 team is without a doubt Playoff-worthy at this point in the campaign.
The 43-year-old racer’s climb heading into the lone off-weekend of the season is made more impressive considering after the fourth race of the 2025 season, Allmendinger found himself 28th in the championship standings. Five weeks later, the driver and team have a completely different outlook on their season.
