Top Dog: AJ Allmendinger
A growing annual review that several media members and fans have tackled is what things are coming to an end in 2022. Once again, that was the case during the week leading up to the season finale at Phoenix Raceway (Nov. 6).
For AJ Allmendinger, it includes two opposite circumstances. On one hand, he closed the door on his full-time tenure with Kaulig Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, three years after joining the team to help build it up.
On the other hand, his time as a part-time driver in Kaulig Racing’s No. 16 in the NASCAR Cup Series came to a close as well because he’ll run for the organization full-time in 2023. On Sunday (Nov. 6), he capped his part-time tenure strong with a 12th-place run.
After starting 16th, Allmendinger quickly drove up to 12th early on, where he stayed until the conclusion of stage one.
A rough pit stop during the stage break put the No. 16 back in 27th to begin stage two. Dirty air caused Allmendinger to struggle as he drove up to 19th. However, he was short on fuel to make it to the end of the stage, forcing him to pit with about 20 laps to go in the stage. Fortunately, he was able to get his lap back by the end of the stage.
Early in stage three, the 40-year-old got caught on the outside of a four-wide situation, which ended with both Michael McDowell and Tyler Reddick spinning. Allmendinger said he got hit in the left rear, but no issues developed from it.
Another close call occurred in the final stage when Allmendinger hit the wall, but nothing came from it once again.
With 45 laps to go, a caution flew for Alex Bowman, leading to the final pit stop of the race. Allmendinger restarted in 10th and was able to keep his ground, crossing the line for the top 15 finish.
Daniel Hemric spoke with Frontstretch following the Xfinity race and was asked about his time as a teammate with Allmendinger. At one point, Hemric said “[Allmendinger] is as good as anyone if not better than those guys on Sundays.” Despite all of the rough patches during his career, Allmendinger certainly established himself as a potential playoff contender for 2023.
While he only competed in 18 Cup races, Allmendinger had an average finish of 15.4 in 2022, better than any other season in his Cup career. He had a career-high three top fives and the third most top 10s of his career with eight.
In his final 10 starts with Kaulig, the Los Gatos, Calif. native finished outside the top 10 only three times. The…
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