Editor’s note: This is the fifth in a series in which we review the top 30 drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series in reverse order of the 2025 final standings.
Driver: AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet
Crew chief: Trent Owens
Final 2025 ranking: 26th
Key stats: 0 wins, 2 top fives, 7 top 10s, 42 laps led
How 2025 ended: Although Allmendinger did not qualify for the 2025 playoffs, the 43-year-old Californian scored his first pole position in 10 years, turning in the fastest lap at the Bristol Motor Speedway night race, where he led 24 laps – the most of any race this season. He scored two of his seven top 10s in that final 10-race stretch, but also suffered four DNFs, dropping him to 26th in the final standings.
Best race: Although it’s more likely for the renowned road course racer to earn a victory on that style of track, Allmendinger’s best statistical day of the 2025 season instead came on the traditionally tough Bristol short track. He claimed his fifth career pole position and first on an oval since Kansas in 2012. And the veteran made good on that promising start, leading the opening 23 laps of the race before being collected in a mid-race crash and ultimately retiring with a steering problem with 100 laps remaining.
RELATED: 2026 Cup Series schedule | AJ Allmendinger driver page
Other season highlights: Allmendinger proved again what a force he was on the road courses, where he has shone throughout his decorated career, collecting top 10 finishes at the Chicago Street Course and later at the Charlotte Roval. Although he was winless in his first full-time season back in the Cup Series after running for the Xfinity Series championship last year, Allmendinger did earn top-fives in crown jewels at Charlotte and again at one of the most notoriously tough ovals, Darlington Raceway.
Stat to know: Allmendinger’s seven top 10 finishes were tied with the most he’s had in his last seven seasons in the Cup Series, with the exception of 2022 (eight), and his 16.8 average starting position was his best in that statistical category since 2012 (16.3).
Quotable: “The only thing that’s been tough this year is some of the races that we’ve had a lot of speed at, and a lot of teams can say this I’m sure, but the ones that we’ve been really quick at, we’ve had some bad things happen really out of our control. So, sometimes you don’t get those results and it’s hard to go back to the shop and smile about it and know that you’re making progress.
“But at the end of the day, we’ve made a lot of progress over the last two years of me driving the Cup car of the speed that we got. Matt Kaulig has put a lot more resources into it. Obviously, (CEO) Chris (Rice) has got a lot of work on his plate between the Xfinity side of it and the Cup side of it. With (Chief Business Officer) Ty (Norris) here and then Mike Cook being here as our competition director. So, yeah, we’re making progress.” – said Allmendinger, reflecting on the development of Kaulig throughout the season.
Looking ahead: Though a smaller operation compared to many other teams on the grid, the Kaulig Racing team has proven itself year-over-year as a legitimate threat to win races, and with a veteran such as Allmendinger behind the wheel, it makes a true run at qualifying for the playoffs a viable goal. In 2026, the team is shifting its focus somewhat and will be fielding five RAM entries in the Craftsman Truck Series. That’s in addition to cars for Allmendinger and a yet-to-be-confirmed second driver in the Cup Series, where the team has announced going forward, it will be ending its technical alliance with Richard Childress Racing, although still using ECR engines.