AJ Allmendinger, pictured here last Saturday at Kansas Speedway, qualified ninth for Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 at the Charlotte ROVAL. (Photo: Wayne Riegle | The Podium Finish)
CONCORD, N.C. — AJ Allmendinger has long been regarded as one of NASCAR’s premier road course racers, and the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL has often brought out the best in the veteran driver. As the 43-year-old Kaulig Racing star returns to the 2.28-mile road-oval hybrid for Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400, he carries a sense of optimism that belies a season defined by challenges.
Allmendinger’s 2023 victory at the ROVAL remains one of the defining moments of his Cup Series career. That day, he fended off the sport’s best road racers to claim his third career Cup win, delivering an emotional triumph for Kaulig Racing and reminding the industry that his skills behind the wheel remain world-class. While he is not in championship contention this season — just as he wasn’t last year — Allmendinger knows the ROVAL presents a rare opportunity to shine on one of his favorite stages.
“The Charlotte ROVAL is always one of my favorite races,” Allmendinger said. “Our team has so many great memories there and we hope to go make some more. I’ve struggled a little bit this year when it comes to our road course program, but we have put a lot of effort in to have good speed and be competitive. Obviously, the ultimate goal is to compete for the win, but for how the year’s gone on the road course side of it, running top five, avoiding mistakes, and giving ourselves an opportunity to be there at the end will be a successful day for us.”
For Allmendinger, the ROVAL represents more than just another race. Since its debut in 2018, the Charlotte hybrid layout has been a natural fit for his road-course-honed driving style. In five career ROVAL Cup starts, Allmendinger has completed 496 of 548 laps (90.5%), notching one win, two top-five finishes, four top-10s, and 89 laps led. His average starting position is 10.2, and his average finish sits at a respectable 11.2 despite a heartbreaking mechanical failure in 2021 that left him 38th.
That record is a testament to his consistency on the course. In 2018, while driving for JTG-Daugherty Racing, now known as Hyak Motorsports, Allmendinger earned a seventh-place finish in the inaugural ROVAL race, backing up his reputation as a formidable road course competitor.
AJ Allmendinger was the fastest driver in Saturday’s practice session ahead of the Bank of America ROVAL 400 at the Charlotte ROVAL. (Photo: Grady Lundberg | The Podium Finish)
After joining Kaulig Racing full-time, he endured a 2021 engine failure but rebounded with a fourth-place finish in 2022. His crowning moment came in 2023, when he started sixth and led 46 laps en route to Victory Lane, a commanding performance that underlined his knack for the ROVAL’s tight corners and technical chicanes. Even last season, when the competition intensified, Allmendinger proved resilient, finishing sixth despite a mid-race setback.
That perseverance is what makes the veteran dangerous even in a down year. Although Kaulig Racing’s road course program has lacked the punch it showed last season, Allmendinger’s determination has not waned. Sunday’s race offers the California native a chance to reclaim some of that lost magic, particularly with the team refocusing efforts on chassis setups and braking stability after earlier struggles this season.
One of the elements that plays to Allmendinger’s strengths is the ROVAL’s unforgiving design. Its 17-turn layout combines the high-speed straights of Charlotte’s oval with narrow, technical infield corners and treacherous chicanes that can catch even the most experienced drivers off-guard. Mastering the rhythm of the ROVAL requires precision braking, smooth throttle control, and the ability to attack curbs without upsetting the car, skills that have long defined Allmendinger’s road course prowess.
The track’s history also fuels his motivation. Few drivers have managed to find repeated success at the ROVAL; in fact, Allmendinger’s victory last year made him just the third driver to win at the venue in the Cup Series. That triumph was as much a statement about Kaulig Racing’s upward trajectory as it was about his personal redemption. Returning as a past winner, he knows the expectations are high to contend again, even if the championship isn’t on the line.
AJ Allmendinger hopes to have a strong result in Sunday’s Bank of America ROVAL 400 at the Charlotte ROVAL. (Photo: Chloe Gunn | The Podium Finish)
Allmendinger’s success at the ROVAL has always been built on patience and execution. In 2023, he capitalized on long green-flag runs, maintained tire life, and timed restarts to perfection to fend off challengers late in the race. Those are the same ingredients he’ll need to replicate if he wants to hold off a field that includes defending race winner Kyle Larson, road course standout Shane van Gisbergen, and a host of playoff contenders desperate to secure a Round of 8 berth.
The mental side of racing at the ROVAL also plays into his wheelhouse. Known for his intensity behind the wheel, Allmendinger channels that energy effectively on tracks that reward precise timing.
That margin for error is slim; a wheel hop into Turn 1 or a misjudged entry into the backstretch chicane can ruin a race in an instant. Allmendinger’s ability to adapt to changing track conditions, as well as his strong communication with crew chief Trent Owens has historically allowed Kaulig Racing to fine-tune the No. 16 Chevrolet over the course of a grueling 400-mile event.
Even though this season’s Cup campaign hasn’t yielded the results he or Kaulig hoped for, the ROVAL remains a reminder of what the team is capable of on any given Sunday. A strong run, or even another win. would provide a morale boost to the organization as it continues building toward sustained success at NASCAR’s top level.
For Allmendinger, a good performance this weekend could also reaffirm that his road course mastery remains a valuable asset for the team’s future direction. Despite the challenges of adapting to the Next Gen car and evolving tire compounds, his track record proves that, under the right circumstances, he remains a threat to win.
As the green flag approaches, the focus will be on whether Allmendinger can summon that same tenacity and precision that carried him to victory in 2023. While the championship spotlight may be elsewhere, Sunday’s race provides the perfect setting for him to once again remind fans and competitors alike why the Charlotte ROVAL has become synonymous with AJ Allmendinger’s name.
In a sport where moments of glory can be fleeting, the ROVAL has been his refuge, a place where experience, skill, and grit converge.
If Allmendinger can channel that history one more time, there’s no reason why he and the Kaulig Racing No. 16 Chevrolet can’t write another memorable chapter in their ROVAL story.
