AJ Allmendinger makes an honest admission on reuniting with former crew chief Trent Owens: “Something that I have always wanted”

After a partial schedule in recent years, NASCAR veteran AJ Allmendinger is all set for his full-time Cup Series return in 2025. He will be wheeling the No. 16 Chevy Camaro for Kaulig Racing.

Allmendinger is excited about his return, more so because it will pair him with veteran crew chief Trent Owens. The duo worked together last season during their 10-race stint with JTG Daugherty Racing, now Hyak Motorsports.

Speaking of the same during an interview with journalist Bob Pockrass, the 43-year-old driver said:

“I'm really looking forward to working with Trent again. I got to work with him (in) those last ten races that I ran in the 47. I just really loved working with Trent Owens.That was something that I have always wanted to do again.” (1:30)

With Mike Cook joining as the team’s new Technical Director, Owens will now focus solely on his role as AJ Allmendinger’s crew chief. Notably, this is going to be the first time for Kaulig to have a crew chief who isn’t already in a directorial position.

“He's been there this whole time but I've never been fortunate enough to work with him. Super pumped about (it),” Allmendinger said of Owens.

AJ Allmendinger has quite a successful with Kaulig Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, with 16 out of his 18 career victories coming with the North Carolina-based outfit. In addition to the latest overhaul, Kaulig Racing is currently looking to fortify its technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing in 2025 and beyond.

AJ Allmendinger gets inducted into prestigious Hall of Fame ahead of 2025 stint with Kaulig Racing

Last December, AJ Allmendinger was named one of the inductees into the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025.

This honor engraved Allmendinger’s name alongside a few other stalwarts of the sport like NASCAR team owners Rick Ware and Justin Marks, and ex-NASCAR driver Boris Said. The induction ceremony is scheduled for March 13, 2025, at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"The closeness of the voting for our Class of 2025 is unprecedented," said Ken Clapp, Chairman and CEO of the West Coast Stock Car/Motorsports Hall of Fame. "With a four-way tie for 10th-place we chose to include all 13 nominees on the final ballot. In the event we have a tie for fifth in the final vote, all will be inducted."

Meanwhile, NASCAR is neck-deep in its preparation for the 67th running of the annual Daytona 500. The crown jewel event will be held on February 16 and fans can watch it live on FOX or listen to radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio from 2:30 pm ET onwards.