AJ Allmendinger heads into Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway with confidence. (Photo: Sydney Redden | The Podium Finish)
DARLINGTON, S.C. — AJ Allmendinger continues to find his stride in his full-time return to NASCAR Cup Series competition in 2025. Along the way, he may finding his groove at one of the toughest tracks in all of stock car racing — Darlington Raceway.
The 1.366-mile egg-shaped track tests the best in the business with its narrow corners and fast straightaways. Its abrasive surface pushes tires to the absolute zenith in a green flag run while optimum handling is on the forefront of a driver like the 43-year-old native of Los Gatos, California.
In 13 career starts, Allmendinger’s best finish was a 13th in the 2023 Cook Out Southern 500, his most recent performance at “The Lady In Black.” Then again, he is quite candid about his perspectives in general, particularly with taking on this treacherous venue.
“Darlington is a racetrack that has been a struggle for me in the past,” Allmendinger said in a Team Chevy press release. “I felt like over the last couple years, I’m definitely getting more confident there.
“I feel like our program this year has been strong on bigger racetracks so I’m looking forward to going there and fighting for 400 miles to get some momentum back. Overall, this is the most confident I have felt going to Darlington and I know we will show up there and have speed like we have all year.”
Returning from a one-year stint in the NASCAR XFINITY Series last year, Allmendinger has been a catalyst with the “One Welcome” team philosophy in having Kaulig Racing and Richard Childress Racing collaborating closely against the juggernaut organizations. So far, those gains are apparent with Allmendinger tallying two top 10s in a tie for 17th in the points standings.
Allmendinger has familiarity working for him with crew chief Trent Owens as they worked together in the final nine races of the 2018 Cup Series season. Their chemistry did not take long to reemerge this year particularly with the stronger, more consistent performances.
Heading into Sunday’s 293-lap race, Allmendinger ranks seven positions higher than he did after seven races in the 2023 Cup Series season, his most recent full-time campaign. It is a testament to Kaulig Racing’s retooled and reorganized efforts working alongside the Childress organization.
Typically a pragmatist, Allmendinger expressed optimism ahead of the eighth round of the year. Before clambering into his No. 16 Action Industries Chevrolet for Saturday’s on track sessions, Allmendinger considered the team’s outlook and approach.
AJ Allmendinger hopes he can build upon his strong performances ahead of Sunday’s Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. (Photo: Sydney Redden | The Podium Finish)
“I feel good. I feel like we’re making gains. We’re improving,” Allmendinger said. “This is a racetrack that, in the past has has been a challenge for us, for me personally too. But, I like kinda where we’re at and look forward to the the challenge each weekend of going out there and and see where we’re at as a race team.”
In Saturday’s practice session, Allmendinger posted the 24th fastest time and 26th quickest 10-lap consecutive average. He backed up that pace by qualifying 22nd for Sunday’s race as he starts alongside Justin Haley.
If experience and savvy mean anything, Allmendinger knows it will not be raw speed to excel at Darlington. Patience, balanced handling and solid pit stops are key for a stellar showing and finish at “The Track Too Tough to Tame.”
At first glance with Allmendinger’s statistics at Darlington, it may look inglorious. However, he points to his most recent showing and how it built a solid foundation with executing at this historic track.
Like any other driver, even the most confident at their best track, Allmendinger knows it is about constantly elevating his craft for himself and team to build upon the best start for Kaulig Racing’s Cup program.
“Well, I’ll put it this way. It ranks a good bit higher after running the XFINITY races here and and running back in the ’23 Southern 500, we had a good run,” he said with a smile. “So it’s definitely better, but I won’t make it any secret. It’s still a racetrack that I gotta keep getting stronger at. So, I hope we can do that this weekend.”
Editor’s Notes
Zach Arnold contributed to this article onsite at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.
