Top Dog: AJ Allmendinger
The NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Oct. 27) may have been all about the playoff contenders, but AJ Allmendinger rode his recent wave of momentum to another top 10 in the Next Gen car in South Beach.
Two weeks out from a shot at the NASCAR Xfinity Series title, Allmendinger continued his preparation for his full-time Cup return in 2025 by building more confidence, finishing eighth in a full team effort.
Stage one was just like a wave from the shores of Miami, Fla., featuring highs and lows for the No. 16. After starting 32nd, Allmendinger blazed his way through the field, finding his way into the top 20 within the first 40 laps.
The first challenge came when Allmendinger got mired back in traffic on lap 47 while cycling through green flag pit stops. Then during another round of stops under yellow, he was pinned in his box by Erik Jones, relegating him to the tail end of the lead lap. Resiliency shone through, however, as Allmendinger rebounded to 16th before the end of the first frame.
Following a green flag stop at one point in stage two after staying out more laps than his competitors, Allmendinger went from 22nd to 10th to close out the stage, absolutely sending notice to those around him.
The Los Gatos, Calif., native benefited most from long runs, allowing him to get the front tires under him. He displayed that strength by driving to seventh on the final long run before the final caution unfolded with nearly 10 laps remaining. Despite a short run to end the race, Allmendinger closed out a strong day in eighth, earning his fifth top 10 of the season.
While the 42-year-old has been in and out of the Cup car in the Next Gen era, he has competed in all three races at Homestead-Miami in NASCAR’s seventh generation car. Impressively, he is the only driver to record a top 10 in all three of those annual events, combining for the best average finish of all drivers, only tied with Christopher Bell. That is even more remarkable considering that he has been more consistent than championship contenders at the 1.5-mile track.
Allmendinger’s five top 10s are just two short of the seven he tallied in a full-time effort with Kaulig Racing last season. This year, that mark comes in just 16 starts. It mirrors a part-time 2022 campaign where he grabbed eight top 10s in 18 starts, prompting Kaulig to promote him to Cup.
With a second chance at both the Xfinity title as a member of…
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