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AJ Allmendinger recently shared his thoughts after an eventful Food City 500 race at Bristol Motor Speedway. With a ninth-place finish at the short track, the veteran Kaulig Racing drivers hope to build momentum as they believe he has a shot at winning in the near future.
Marking his full-time return to NASCAR's premier division after stepping away from the tracks following the 2018 season, the No. 16 Chevrolet driver has shown promising results in his 2025 campaign. The 43-year-old secured his best qualifying effort at the 0.5-mile mark of the 2025 season and bagged a third top-10 finish.
In a conversation during the media availability, Allmendinger opened up about his recent outing to the short track in Tennessee. He said:
"To have three top-10 finishes in the last five races is a big deal for us at Kaulig Racing. More importantly, we were able to run inside the top 12 all day which is really great momentum for our team. We were able to get another stage point which shows we're consistently running with the front of the field. We will keep building on what we have, knocking out these top-10 finishes and go execute at the races we know we have a shot to win."
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Last year, AJ Allmendinger showed prowess running in the Xfinity Series. He managed one triumph at Las Vegas, six top-five finishes, and ended the year in the third spot in the final driver's standings. As he embraces his return to the Cup Series, the California native claims to be in the "ball game" after showing signs of improvement.
AJ Allmendinger weighs in on the signs of improvement for the 2025 NASCAR season
AJ Allmendinger had an underwhelming start to his Cup Series return with a DNF at the Daytona 500 event. However, he has had better results since then. Other than his three top-10 finishes. The Kaulig driver also showed speed at Atlanta, Las Vegas, Homestead-Miami, and most recently, at Bristol.
"I think generally we're making our stuff better," AJ Allmendinger said (via Bob Pockrass). "We still need to keep improving on it, but at least we're in the ballgame right now when it comes to whatever 7, 8 races into the season."
Furthermore, Allmendinger addressed the "biggest thing" he has noticed in his No. 16 machine.
"Even when we're off or we're, maybe struggling or not where we want to be, like the cars aren't bad to drive," AJ Allmendinger said. "You know, maybe we're just lacking a little bit of speed [...] So, you know, I think driveability of the cars is a lot better. You know, so that to me is the biggest sign of improvement."
Currently, AJ Allmendinger sits at P16 in the 2025 Cup Series points table. With the drivability of his car and the improvement in confidence, the No. 16 driver would look to build his momentum on the same and execute a better finish in the upcoming races. NASCAR will return to action for superspeedway racing in Talladega on April 27.
