AJ Allmendinger through the years

AJ Allmendinger returned to the full-time NASCAR Cup Series fold in 2025 after a Championship 4 campaign in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series during the 2024 season. He's now expected to continue with Kaulig at the Cup level for the foreseeable future.  

As he makes his 500th start at Sonoma Raceway, take a look back at memorable moments and photos through Allmendinger's career.

After multiple years competing in American open wheel racing, Allmendinger transitioned to stock car racing, making his NASCAR national-series debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with Bill Davis Racing in 2006. He instantly made an impression with a top-five finish in his second career start at Talladega Superspeedway.

Late in 2006, Red Bull Racing announced Allmendinger as one of its two drivers going into the 2007 Cup Series season after a handful of starts in the Truck Series.

While competing part-time in the Cup Series in 2007, Allmendinger also ran a part-time O'Reilly Auto Parts Series schedule with Chip Ganassi Racing. His best finish was 13th at Phoenix Raceway.

Allmendinger made his Cup Series debut in 2007 with Red Bull Racing at Bristol Motor Speedway. He ran 38 races with the team from 2007-2008, scoring two top 10s.

After being released by Red Bull Racing late in the 2008 Cup season, Allmendinger ran the final five races of the year with Gillett Evernham Motorsports. He scored three finishes inside the top 15.

Allmendinger competed in his first full-time season in the Cup Series in 2009 with Richard Petty Motorsports after running two part-time seasons in 2007 and 2008. He scored his lone top-five finish in 2009 at the Daytona 500.

The 2010 season saw the rise of Allmendinger as he improved his average finish from 22.4 in 2009 to 17.8 a season later. It was also his first year with multiple top fives, and Allmendinger earned his first career Cup pole at Phoenix Raceway.

The 2011 season marked Allmendinger's best in the Cup Series, with a top-five finish, 10 top 10s and an average finish of 16.1. The highlight of his career year came in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where he scored a fifth-place finish.

After putting together his best Cup season in 2011, Allmendinger joined Team Penske for the 2012 season, replacing Kurt Busch in the No. 22 car.

Allmendinger made 17 starts with Team Penske before a midseason release by the team. His short tenure with Penske was highlighted by a runner-up finish at Martinsville Speedway.

After being released during the 2012 season by Team Penske, Allmendinger made his return to the Cup Series at the end of 2012 with Phoenix Racing, filling in for Regan Smith who substituted in the No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet due to an injury suffered by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Allmendinger also made nine starts in 2013 with Phoenix Racing.

In 2013, Allmendinger made two starts with Team Penske in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series, piloting the No. 22 Ford. He went on to win both of his starts at Road America and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for his first two career O'Reilly wins.

Along with his part-time O'Reilly Auto Parts Series schedule in 2013, Allmendinger made 18 starts in the Cup Series, running for both Phoenix Racing and making his debut with JTG Daugherty Racing in the No. 47 car. Allmendinger joined the team full-time after 2013.

Before the 2014 season, Allmendinger signed a multiyear deal to drive for JTG Daugherty Racing full-time in the Cup Series. It marked his first full-time ride with a team since 2011.

After eight years in the Cup Series, Allmendinger broke through with his first career win at Watkins Glen International in an electric battle to the checkered flag with fellow road-course aficionado Marcos Ambrose. Allmendinger qualified for the 2014 Cup Series Playoffs, where he finished a career-best 13th in the points standings.

Despite going winless from 2015-2018 with JTG Daugherty Racing, Allmendinger had a knack for strong runs in the Daytona 500, accumulating third-place and 10th-place finishes in 2017 and 2018, respectively. He left JTG Daugherty Racing after the 2018 season, collecting one win, six top fives and 28 top 10s in six seasons with the team.

After leaving JTG Daugherty Racing at the end of 2018, Allmendinger joined Kaulig Racing in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series for the 2019 season. He made five starts and took home the checkered flag at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.

Allmendinger had four wins in his NASCAR career, but all of them occurred on a road course. That changed in June 2020 as Allmendinger led 37 laps en route to his first oval victory at EchoPark Speedway.

The 2021 season marked Allmendinger's first starts in the Cup Series since 2018. Along with running full-time in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series with Kaulig Racing, Allmendinger ran a part-time schedule for the team in the Cup Series that culminated in his second Cup win in the inaugural race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

Allmendinger competed in his first full-time season in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series in 2021 with Kaulig Racing. Highlighted by a wild finish at Bristol Motor Speedway that netted him the regular-season title, he collected five wins and advanced all the way to the Championship 4 but came up short and finished fourth in the standings.

In 2022, Allmendinger ran a partial Cup Series schedule but powered on with his winning ways in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series. He scored five victories and 17 top-five results in a full-time O'Reilly campaign, just missing out on a second consecutive Championship 4 appearance.

A crisp October afternoon didn't prevent emotions from prevailing, especially in the case for Allmendinger, who found Victory Lane at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval on Oct. 8, 2023. The career win was his third in the Cup Series and his first since Aug. 15, 2021, at Indianapolis.

AJ Allmendinger returned to full-time O'Reilly Auto Parts Series racing in 2024 with Kaulig Racing and didn't disappoint. A Las Vegas Motor Speedway triumph (and the celebrations that came with it) eventually culminated with a Championship 4 berth. Allmendinger concluded 2024 third in the championship standings, a career-best in the O'Reilly circuit. 

Welcome back to the Cup Series, AJ. Kaulig Racing tabbed Allmendinger to return to full-time Cup racing in 2025 as pilot of the No. 16 following a successful 2024 season in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series.

Though Allmendinger didn't return to Victory Lane in 2025, his Cup Series campaign had several bright spots. He tallied top fives in the Coca-Cola 600 and Southern 500, along with scoring his first Cup Series pole award since 2015, doing so in the Bristol Night Race. Allmendinger finished the season 26th in points.

AJ Allmendinger continued his Cup Series journey into 2026 as full-time driver of the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet. On June 28, 2026, Allmendinger made his 500th career start in NASCAR's premier circuit, doing so at Sonoma Raceway.