Top Dog: AJ Allmendinger
After 500 laps at Bristol Motor Speedway (Sept. 17), all I can ask is, “What just happened?”
In over 15 years of watching NASCAR since I was a little kid, that was one of the craziest non-superspeedway races I have witnessed. I’m sure I could get a second motion on that.
Tire blowouts, power steering failures, engine failures, loose wheels and a playoff cut-off race to add the cherry on top made Bristol one of the biggest races of attrition in 2022. For the underdogs, it was AJ Allmendinger leading the pack.
A day after successfully defending his 2021 NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season championship with another one, albeit in a much less dramatic way, Allmendinger climbed into Kaulig Racing’s No. 16 NASCAR Cup Series car en route to another top 10.
Not sure what’s happening but it’s pretty sick! 😵💫 pic.twitter.com/k5ispikwio
— Kaulig Racing (@KauligRacing) September 17, 2022
After starting in 13th, Allmendinger struggled with grip early on, sliding outside the top 20. After some adjustments, he was able to rally to 14th in stage one.
The No. 16 struggled in traffic during stage two, with Allmendinger reporting the car was “bouncing.” With just under 45 laps to go in the stage, Allmendinger stayed out on track during a yellow to gain track position but slid back to 16th from the top 10 by stage end.
You can almost relate Allmendinger’s driving style to his career: he is an absolute grinder. That drive for more has earned him strong results in the Cup and Xfinity series, and it proved to be worthy once again in the final stage. Allmendinger quickly drove into the top 10, which allowed him to avoid the melee behind him when a big wreck occurred with just over 200 laps to go.
The Los Gatos, California native really shined in the closing stages. While running well inside the top 10, a caution flew for Christopher Bell with 64 laps to go. During pit stops, Allmendinger’s crew gained him three spots, allowing him to begin the final restart in row two. Stronger cars were eventually able to overtake, but one of NASCAR’s most determined journeymen held on to finish seventh after a grueling 500 laps.
Knucks for the boys 🤜🤛@AJDinger | @Justin_Haley_ pic.twitter.com/IoT3li9Zwy
— Kaulig Racing (@KauligRacing) September 18, 2022
In a race where mechanical failures dominated the event, it had to feel good for Kaulig to survive with a strong night. It happened 24 hours after mechanical issues…
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