“It’s near where I grew up”: AJ Allmendinger looking forward to running double duty races at home track Sonoma

As NASCAR heads to the Sonoma Raceway for the second road course race of the season, AJ Allmendinger is excited for the weekend in California. He will be doing double duty, as the 2.52-mile road course is set to host its inaugural Xfinity race.

AJ Allmendinger will be in his element at this weekend's road course race. This is because his two Cup series victories and 11 Xfinity wins have come on such tracks.

However, the Los Gatos, California native driver hasn't impressed on his home track. Out of his 11 Cup starts at Sonoma, the #16 Kaulig Racing driver has only two top-10s with an average finish of 23.5.

The Golden State native is eager to better his results this weekend, as he said:

"Sonoma is always a special, important weekend for me. It’s near where I grew up, and I still get to see a lot of friends and family there. Quite honestly, it’s a race track that I don’t have a very good average finish. I’ve felt like I’ve always been fast there, but it hasn’t worked out."

Allmendinger will be racing in the #10 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing in the DoorDash 250 Xfinity race. The extra time on the track will help the driver understand the track better.

AJ Allmendinger in the #10 Chevrolet

The Kaulig Racing driver added:

"Being able to run both races, I’m really looking forward to it. Sonoma is a race track I’ve always wanted to win at, knowing it’s my home racetrack and I would be able to do that in front of a lot of friends and family. Hopefully, we can go back there and have some success to keep building on our program."

The Xfinity race has attracted many Cup Series drivers, as seven of them will be pulling double duty in Sonoma. The list of drivers includes previous winners Kyle Larson, and Daniel Suarez along with Ross Chastain, Ty Gibbs, Ty Dillon, AJ Allmendinger, and Aric Almirola.

With only 38 spots available for the 41 entrants, drivers will have to qualify for the race.

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Kaulig Racing and AJ Allmendinger welcome a special sponsor for Sonoma Raceway

Heading to the wine country in California, Kaulig Racing has partnered with Austrian brand Gabriel Glas. The brand provides customers with a true-universal wine glass complementing all types of wines.

This Glassware company will be the primary sponsor for AJ Allmendinger's #16 Chevrolet in the Cup Series race and his #10 ride in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Allmendinger is hopeful for a good weekend with his new sponsor, as he said:

"Being my home track, it's a special place for me. It's always fun to see family and friends there and I'm excited to have Gabriel Glas onboard for both races. I'm hopeful we can have a good showing for them."

Watch AJ Allmendinger's #10 Gabriel Glas Chevrolet on track for the DoorDash 250 on June 10 at 8:00 pm EST. Watch the #16 Chevrolet in the Toyota/Save Mart 350 on June 11 at 3:30 pm EST.