AJ Allmendinger’s Mrs. North Carolina-winning wife shares “wonderful feeling” of spending Father’s Day weekend at the Iowa NASCAR race

Kaulig Racing #16 driver AJ Allmendinger raced at the Iowa Speedway during the recent Father's Day weekend. His wife, Tara Allmendinger, accompanied him to the event.

Allmendinger and his wife, Tara, first met at the Indy 500 back in 2015. They began dating not long after their first encounter. The couple tied the knot in December 2019 at Murray's Mill in Catawba, North Carolina. They announced the birth of their first child, Aero James, in September 2023.

Tara Allmendinger recently shared on Instagram how happy she was to be at the Iowa Speedway last weekend. She wrote:

"Traveled with my sash from NC to @iowaspeedway this weekend! Representing North Carolina in the Midwest was so fun because I am from Omaha, Nebraska. It was also wonderful to be with my husband for Father’s Day! Happy Dad’s Day to all of the dads out there, including my dad Leonard."

Originally from Nebraska, Tara Lea Meador (now Allmendinger) is known to have a multitude of talents. From being crowned as Mrs. North Carolina in 2021 to taking part in the Mrs. America Pageant, the impact she has had in the world of pageantry is undeniable. She is also a social media influencer and entrepreneur, working as the president of Glorie, Inc. She is also the creator of Anarchii Designs, a company specializing in graphic design services tailored for pageantry, branding, and various other creative requirements.

AJ Allmendinger, on the other hand, races full-time in the Xfinity Series and part-time in the Cup Series for Kaulig Racing. The 17-time Xfinity race winner currently sits in 8th position in the Xfinity Series driver standings, with 410 points, 3 top-five finishes, and 7 top-ten finishes in the 2024 season.

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AJ Allmendinger's performance at the Iowa Speedway

The Iowa Speedway was repaved ahead of NASCAR's race weekend. As such, multiple drivers faced trouble managing their tires during the race. AJ Allmendinger, though, took it harder than most and spent less time in the #16 than he had anticipated.

During the Xfinity Series race on Saturday, Allmendinger was a victim of an early setback, leading to his premature retirement from the Hy-Vee Perks 250. Allmendinger was in P10 in the 34th lap when his tire failed at the exit of turn 4, sending the #16 Chevrolet Camaro into the barriers.

Here's a look at the incident at Iowa Speedway on Saturday:

However, Allmendinger had a chance at redemption in the Cup Series race on Sunday, but to add to his misfortune, his race ended on lap 52.

AJ Allmendinger started the race in 18th place but slipped down to 27th by the 50th lap. However, things went from bad to worse as the #16 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 fell victim to another tire failure, resulting in a crash with the safety barriers. Here's a look at the incident on Sunday:

AJ Allmendinger finished 37th in the Xfinity Series and 36th in the Cup Series at Iowa. This was not the Dinger's finest weekend, as he only completed 86 of the 600 laps he was supposed to run.