It was another strong performance for the soon-to-be returning AJ Allmendinger. (Photo: Christopher Vargas | The Podium Finish)
LAS VEGAS – A series of events led to AJ Allmendinger adding another start to his part-time NASCAR Cup Series schedule.
Namely, with Alex Bowman sidelined due to concussion symptoms at Texas Motor Speedway, Noah Gragson has filled in as the interim driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet.
Moreover, the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship contender returned to his No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevy Camaro for Sunday’s South Point 400. While his intended, final start of 2022 was originally the Charlotte ROVAL weekend, circumstances brought the Los Gatos, California native back, for the time being, at Las Vegas.
Allmendinger kicked off his Las Vegas Cup race efforts with a somewhat subpar 21st place result in qualifying. Although it was not an ideal starting spot, he and crew chief Matt Swiderski had to like their chances on race day, where the No. 16 Celsius Chevrolet Camaro has thrived in 2022.
Steadily, the 40-year-old stock car veteran climbed up to 18th in Stage 1 before placing 14th in Stage 2.
Once the race reached its final moments in Stage 3, Allmendinger made some noise like in his most recent Cup efforts.
Tallying a respectable ninth place result, Allmendinger added to his dress rehearsal for 2023 while battling some handling issues.
Allmendinger picked his way up the scoring ladder throughout Sunday’s South Point 400. (Photo: Christopher Vargas | The Podium Finish)
“Overall, I felt like it was a solid day for our No. 16 Celsius Chevrolet team,” Allmendinger said. “We fought being a little bit tight most of the day. Track position was critical and we lost that a couple of times. I was fairly happy with the speed we had. The car was fairly comfortable.”
Much like Cole Trickle assuring Harry Hyde that he could about anything in a racecar, Allmendinger delivered another sensational showing with a car that had its temperamental moments.
“We had one run where we got really loose, but other than that, we just fought the front issue,” he recalled. “We had good speed and it’s something to build on when we come back to Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March.”
If Allmendinger’s past five starts are any indication, he’s likely to be a fascinating driver to watch.
With an average finish of 5.8, the Californian seems to be warming up for his upcoming return to Cup with gusto.
In the latter portions of the Las Vegas Playoffs race, Allmendinger dueled with the frontrunners. (Photo: Landen Ciardullo | The Podium Finish)
Moreover, Allmendinger’s hot streak comes at a great time with teammate Justin Haley averaging a solid 9.8 in his past five starts.
Suffice to say, the Kaulig Racing duo are maximizing on the final races of 2022, an intangible that the two-time Cup race winner appreciates.
“To get another top-10 was really solid and I’m proud of both cars,” he shared. “Justin was fast. We’ll keep working on that.”
