AJ Allmendinger is enjoying life in the fast lane in 2022. (Photo: Logan Skidan | The Podium Finish)
Life is pretty good for AJ Allmendinger of Los Gatos, California.
At age 40, the 16-year NASCAR competitor is enjoying another fantastic season in the Xfinity Series.
For the second consecutive season, Allmendinger, driver of the No. 16 Andy’s Frozen Custard/Action Industries/Nutrien AG Solutions Chevrolet Camaro, won the NASCAR Xfinity Series regular season championship.
To say the least, Kaulig Racing has a stellar, competitive quarterback in their arsenal. In 2023, Allmendinger will take his talents with the same team but in the NASCAR Cup Series, his first full season in this division since 2018.
In his racecar, Allmendinger is tenacious, meticulous and intense. He races his heart out for himself, his team, family and friends, giving a full effort each weekend.
When Allmendinger is away from his stock car office, he’s witty, thoughtful and carefree. Certainly, he does not mind poking fun at those he accepts within his circles, a sort of badge of honor from the versatile racer.
For the legions of fans who appreciate the man known as “The Dinger,” they also love his status as a pet parent. Allmendinger and his wife, Tara, have a famed cat named Mr. Tickles and a canine pal in Xena.
Allmendinger puts his game face on ahead of a stock car battle. (Photo: Sean Folsom | The Podium Finish)
While Allmendinger works tenaciously at his craft, he has become more at ease as a stalwart in NASCAR. As evident in his prior analysis roles with FOX and NBC, he is analytical, precise and genuine.
Presently, Allmendinger pursues his first NASCAR Xfinity Series championship. Certainly, he is making a compelling case for this prestigious prize as he won last Saturday’s Sparks 300 at Talladega Superspeedway.
Now, he prepares to defend Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 250 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL for a third consecutive year. By all means, he may be turning up the wick at the right time with his No. 16 team.
Ahead of the Charlotte ROVAL weekend, I caught up with Allmendinger during the Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 race weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Suffice to say, this interview is anything but as it goes into a conversational tone, albeit in the comfort of a cool transporter.
Without further ado, grab some Andy’s Frozen Custard and Celsius for this latest “Hot Seat” interview with AJ Allmendinger here on The Podium Finish!
Rob Tiongson : Welcome back to The Podium Finish Live! at the racetrack. Rob Tiongson here with my good friend AJ Allmendinger, driver of the No. 16 Andy’s Frozen Custard Chevrolet Camaro fielded by Kaulig Racing. I think I got that one right.
How many AlmondDingers did Allmendinger enjoy ahead of his Texas race? (Photo: Sean Folsom | The Podium Finish)
AJ Allmendinger : You got it all right. What a great day for Andy’s Frozen Custard.
Tiongson : Tell me about it.
Allmendinger : Oh, it’s like 109 here.
Tiongson : But over here, it’s like, the cold front has passed by Texas.
Allmendinger : That’s why I told you we’re doing this interview here because I was not stepping outside to do an interview with you. Although… brilliant move with the long sleeves out in this weather. (chuckles)
Tiongson : I know. I’m very smart. Yeah, that’s why I have a 4.0 GPA in grad school right now.
Allmendinger : Yeah, just book smarts.
Tiongson : Just book smart.
Allmendinger : Yeah. (chuckles)
Tiongson : But I’m like Larry McReynolds when he was doing qualifying on pit road in 2010 on SPEED, remember at Michigan when he’s like, got this long sleeve shirt on….
Allmendinger : Rob, I can’t remember that far back. There’s a lot that’s happened since then, so…
Tiongson : Well, that’s why they pay me the big bucks. (chuckles) Anyways, congratulations on making the Round of 12 for the second year in a row with this team. It’s a great season. So far, you got those three win at COTA, Portland, and of course, Indianapolis. And earlier this year, you were saying, “Well, we have to make the most of it with what we got at the ovals, but at the real course, man, we can compete.”
So, what’s it mean for you to battle for another championship this year, given what you’re going through?
Surely, Allmendinger knows what it takes to make the Championship 4 at Phoenix. (Photo: Kevin Ritchie | The Podium Finish)
Allmendinger : Yeah, I mean, I’m super proud of of our race team and in what Kaulig Racing has done to be able to win two regular season championships in a row. The ultimate prize is winning the championship in Phoenix.
But with the way this Playoff format works, to only have three races around, if you get to Phoenix, you’re racing against three other drivers. You can legitimately win 35 races and not win the championship.
And it’s great. It’s what makes it exciting coming to Phoenix, but to be able to win the regular season championship again, 26 races, the ups and downs, I love how we’ve executed this year.
There’s no doubt (that) we’ve definitely needed more speed on the ovals at times. But we’ve executed every race for the most part. And that’s the reason we won the championship.
So hopefully, we take that momentum. And here in Texas, we would love to win the race. But at least you start hopefully with a solid race and kind of get the playoffs kicked off. And it doesn’t matter how you get to Phoenix; as long as you get there in the Final Four. So that’s what the ultimate goal is.
Tiongson : Certainly, I mean, it’s always a unique path. And you saw how hard it was to get there last year. What are some of the things you learned from last year that you’re looking to apply into this year’s Playoffs?
Allmendinger : Yeah, I mean, I think last year was was a lot different. Austin (Cindric) and I, we were kind of, in my mind, like Noah (Gragson) and Ty (Gibbs).
We had so many bonus points that we earned during the season, that it was kind of one of those things like, “Hey, if we just run inside the top five, top six, we’re gonna make it there. Like it’s no doubt.”
And I feel like that’s the way Noah and Ty are right now with all the bonus points, especially that Noah’s earned. Anything can happen.
But if you just go do your job, those probably are going to be the two drivers that are going to be at Phoenix. So I look at the second round, there’s going to be six drivers probably racing for two spots.
With that said, we have to focus on the first round and get through step by step. But definitely in that second round, if we get there, it’s not just make the best of the day. We got to run inside the top five, and hopefully win one of those races to get to Phoenix.
Tiongson : Certainly. But before we get to Phoenix, of course, we got to deal with Texas. And it’s kind of a maligned racetrack. But you know, it’s a unique racetrack. So walk me through a lap around here for someone like me who was just a journalist and doesn’t deal with stuff like you.
It’s a tricky balancing act at Texas as Allmendinger describes prior to this moment. (Photo: John Arndt | r/NASCAR)
Allmendinger : It’s a tricky racetrack because after they did the repave (in 2017) , they made the corners so different. So (Turns) 1 and 2, you don’t have a lot of banking as you roll off in there. So the car always wants to get loose, get down in the corner, because there’s nothing really holding the racecar into the racetrack.
But the problem is, is once you get in the middle of the corner, it falls off the other way so the car gets really tight. So trying to set up for 1 and 2 is really difficult. You never really get it perfect.
You’re just trying to get the best of both worlds there. And then 3 and 4 is as banked as any racetrack. It feels like you’re almost running there wide open, and just holding your breath at times through there.
So both ends of the racetrack are tough. And then I think what makes it a real challenge is the PJ1 or the resin that they put down. It’s so hard because you try to activate. It makes sure that it does have more grip than the regular pavement. But if you get too high, it gets like ice when you hit it.
And 1 and 2, you can kind of get away with it if it steps out, you can save it. 3 and 4, you’re carrying 190 mph through that corner and if it steps out, you’re hitting the wall. So I wish they didn’t put that stuff down. I get why they try to do it to make the racing better, but sometimes.
I just feel like it actually makes the top lane worth more than the bottom line. But we all have to face it and deal with it. So that’s what we do.
Tiongson : I mean to ask you about that because the intent is to make it kind of sticky like when you guys go to pit road and you guys can nail your pit stall. Is that sort of the same intent?
Allmendinger : It is. Without it, this track is probably more of a one groove racetrack on the bottom. So what they’re trying to do is give it some grip up top to make it two lanes.
But in a place like this, like Bristol kind of works. As we saw, we can kind of move around. But once it wears off it, it’s gone.
We don’t wear it off enough here like Bristol where everybody kind of moves to the top. And it almost makes the top line dominant. And it’s hard to pass somebody because even if you’re quicker than them, they got that little bit extra grip up there.
And the bottom line when a car, especially an Xfinity car, when a car is next to you, that bottom car is really loose. So it is what it is. Like I said, we all have to face it. I wish we didn’t have to put it on the racetrack but it’s not my call.
Tiongson : I can understand that, for sure. Let’s take it to different gear or segue here because we’ve talked in the past about how F1’s got that Drive to Survive series and now we finally got one on USA with Race for the Championship.
What do you think of that series so far? I know it’s only domestic here in the US. But do you think it’s gonna help bring in new fans and new audiences to try to watch NASCAR?
Who says Allmendinger isn’t a cool character in NASCAR? (Photo: Sam Draiss | The Podium Finish)
Allmendinger : Yeah, I hope so. You know, it’s it’s one of those things that it’s all about trying to get the person that’s never seen it before, right? Like maybe, if it’s one of the… if you want to call them characters on there, or whatever, if you just get somebody that’s never seen NASCAR racing, and they go, “I like this guy,” or “I hate this guy, but I’m gonna watch now because I want to see how he does,” that’s what it’s all about.
I don’t know if it’s really going to make that big of a difference. But it’s a step in the right direction, because it’s about just trying to get new eyeballs in the sport.
The fans that we have already are amazing, right? Like, there’s some of the most passionate fans that you have in all of sports in general. But to grow it, you got to get the new eyes.
That’s what the Drive to Survive for F1 did because it got people and it did it at the right time to you because when the pandemic was going on, there was nothing on anyway. But that’s what it did.
It got a lot of the people in the US starting to watch it and go, “What is this?” And you start getting, brought into the characters and you want to see them.
Tiongson : Oh, for sure, I was hoping they’d have an Xfinity one because you’re definitely a personality to say the least.
Allmendinger : I don’t know about that.
Tiongson : (laughs) I think…
Is it possible that Allmendinger is telling Ty Gibbs to enjoy Dido? (Photo: Dylan Nadwodny | The Podium Finish)
Allmendinger : It’s all for the camera. Back at home, I’m just very quiet and just sit in a room by myself and just listen to Dido and just think of my deep thoughts.
Tiongson : You’re just another 40 year old…what are you like, that SNL skit?
Allmendinger : Like how I came up with Dido? (laughs) I was trying to think I was gonna go like Alanis Morissette and I thought that was a little too, that went a little too deep for AJ, at least with who that is, but Dido sounds good.
Tiongson : We’ll go with that. Oh my God. (chuckles)
Now, obviously, your T shirt, you’ve got a really cool sponsor with Andy’s Frozen Custard. And like we said earlier, this is a hell of a day to have it. So I mean, what do you think of your namesake flavor?
Allmendinger : I mean, it’s perfect. You’ve got vanilla custard, hot fudge, Heath Bar, almonds, obviously, peanut butter… so it’s a combo that’s just quite creamy. It’s quite delightful. It’s the perfect day for it.
Tiongson : I gotta imagine that you are super thrilled about Sonoma going to the Xfinity Series schedule next year. How long overdue has Sonoma been to be on the Xfinity schedule?
With Allmendinger going to Cup in 2023, he’s hoping for a kinder Sonoma race weekend. (Photo: Ethan Smith | The Podium Finish)
Allmendinger : Well, I’m just hoping it’s a race that I can actually have a good race at Sonoma because if you look at my career stats in Cup, that’s actually one of my worst racetracks. It’s sad so I’m hoping to find something that I have a good race at Sonoma, but I love it because that’s basically my home race, and I always have my parents (there).
They live in North Carolina now, but I always have a lot of family and friends out there. And, it’s great. Hopefully I can run both of those races and have two opportunities, at least have one good race in my life at Sonoma.
Tiongson : I think that track deserves to be a little nicer to you, don’t you think?
Allmendinger : I agree.
Tiongson : I mean, come on.
Now, we know how high energy you, Chris Rice and Matt Kaulig are. So let me ask you this. What kind of energy drink or coffee would best define the energy and enthusiasm that all of you have combined together?
Allmendinger : Celsius. Right, that’s easy. It’s just a flavor of Celsius. Oh, Celsius.
Tiongson : Oh, there you go.
Are Allmendinger and Rice talking about Celsius Peach Vibe? (Photo: Blake Ulino | The Podium Finish)
Allmendinger : Peace Vibe. It’s just a matter of how I’m feeling that day of which flavor I want. Yeah, but it’s always Celsius.
Tiongson : OK, fair enough. Now, you mentioned me a few months ago. I think you were driving, I hope you weren’t, or Tara was driving or I don’t know who was going to New Hampshire. And you’re like, “I want to be on Press Your Luck. But I want to be like that cheater Michael Larson.”
So let me ask you this. If you could pick anybody to be your teammate to win the big bucks, current teammates or whoever, who would you choose?
Allmendinger : To win the big to win all the money?
Tiongson : Yeah, and the vacations.
Allmendinger : In the racecar?
Tiongson : No, not in the racecar. On Press Your Luck.
Allmendinger : Oh, on Press Your Luck? Oh, yes. Well, I mean, I would have to go with with my son J (Justin Haley) just because his positivity, you know, I feel like that’s the right game for him.
You get the Whammy, could you imagine him? He’s so positive as it is all the time. Imagine if he hit the whammy with that attitude? I’d love to see that. I might actually root for the Whammy instead. I just want to see how he reacts.
Tiongson : I just feel he’ll be like “That’s OK.”
Allmendinger : Yeah, that’s exactly how it is. Yeah.
Tiongson : Oh my gosh, that’s scary. That’s a little scary. Now, where would you and Tara (AJ’s wife) want to go for future trips once you have some time? Like two to three bucket list ones?
Allmendinger : Yeah, so that’s a good question because our vacations are a little challenging. She’s got so many food allergies. She does. Yeah, like basically, she’s allergic to anything, like anything and everything. So oils, gluten, lactose… and we both eat fairly clean.
But she has to be super specific about everything. Because if not, she will like literally break out. And it’s something she dealt with as a kid growing up. And she’s worked really hard to figure out everything that she can eat because doctors couldn’t diagnose anything wrong with her.
So our vacations are tough, because we’d love to go out to different countries like in Italy or somewhere. But we don’t even know if she could eat anywhere. So, we usually stick to here in the US like the Hilton Heads and Kiawa (South Carolina), like those types of places, we enjoy.
Tiongson : You should probably add Austin, Texas. But I’m just a little biased about that.
Allmendinger : Well, it’s okay.
Tiongson : I’m really from Boston. So that’s okay. We can rag on Austin. Now, my last question for you because I like to have fun with you, if you had access to Marty McFly’s DeLorean Time Machine, where would you go? What year and why?
Perhaps Allmendinger will make a time machine out of his No. 16 car. (Photo: Sam Draiss | The Podium Finish)
Allmendinger : Oh my goodness. Damn, Rob, that’s a good question.
I mean, this may be boring because it’s always going to lead back to racing. I would love to go back to like, the late 70s, early 80s and go watch Formula One and IndyCar back then, especially Formula One.
That early 70s to mid 70s would just be absolutely awesome to see those cars because those guys were just insane to get in those cars, and go as fast as they were going. So I would love to go back and go to Monaco or go to Monza or somewhere like that. Just watching those racecar drivers with those cars.
Tiongson : Also too, you’d have an excuse to grow so muttonchops for a change.
Allmendinger : That’s true. Well, will my face allow it back then if I take the time machine?
Tiongson : I think so.
Allmendinger : OK, because it doesn’t now. It’s very patchy.
Tiongson : Well, you should just try it.
Allmendinger : Can’t help the baby face.
Tiongson : That’s what happens when you turn 40.
Allmendinger : No, I’ve always had the baby face.
Tiongson : Well, that’s what happens when you turn 1.
Allmendinger : Okay, exactly.
Tiongson : Well, ladies and gentlemen…
Allmendinger : Like a fine wine, remember, it’s better with age.
Tiongson : Oh, goodness, gracious folks. That was AJ Allmendinger. I hope you don’t need to take Excedrin or Goody’s. But I had a good time here. And I hope you fans at home…
Allmendinger : Did you need some Celsius?
Tiongson : Need some Celsius, folks? Try that out. And if AJ wins, I’m sure he’ll insult me later on…
All in all, Allmendinger knows what he’ll enjoy if he wins the title with his No. 16 team. (Photo: Blake Ulino | The Podium Finish)
Allmendinger : It’s Celsius and Andy’s Frozen Custard all day if we win.
Editor’s Notes
Special thanks to AJ Allmendinger for taking the time at Texas Motor Speedway last month for this latest “In the Hot Seat” interview!
Also, special thanks to Carly Miktuk and Kaulig Racing for their assistance with this latest interview on The Podium Finish. You can keep track of AJ Allmendinger on his Twitter account and of course, here on TPF.
This interview has been edited for clarity. The full, unedited, and entertaining video version of Allmendinger’s “Hot Seat” interview is set to publish on YouTube during the Charlotte ROVAL weekend!
