AJ Allmendinger, the road course Xfinity ace, was looking for his first win this season. The 29-race winless streak hovered above his head heavily before the Las Vegas race. However, all it needed was a celebratory mood within the Kaulig Racing team. The glimmer of the Ambetter Health 302 trophy became his as Allmendinger set out on a mission—to bring a smile to his boss’ face on his birthday.

AJ Allmendinger drops a surprise gift

With a Cup Series schedule waiting around the corner, pressure was building on the No. 16 Chevrolet team. AJ Allmendinger has proved his Cup Series mettle earlier, clinching the 2014 Watkins Glen race and the 2021 Indianapolis road course victory. However, his 18th Xfinity Series win eluded him in 2024—until Matt Kaulig cut his birthday cake. Allmendinger led 102 of the 201 laps in Las Vegas, pushing his No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet to a 0.156-second margin of victory. Ryan Sieg finished second after a long-drawn pursuit in the closing laps.

Adding his second trophy at the 1.5-mile tri-oval, AJ Allmendinger was overjoyed in Victory Lane. He was especially gleeful as he brought smiles to his team and family, proving his worthiness to compete in Cup next year. “I absolutely love these guys and girls at Kaulig Racing. Been such an up and down – but what I love about them is we stick together, we keep fighting. First of all, happy birthday Matt Kaulig. The boss’s birthday – I told you I was getting you a trophy. Let’s go, man, I love you! …Tara, Aero, my mom, and dad – I hope they see how much I care.”

AJ Allmendinger further oozed excitement, as 2024 seems like a solid chance for him to win the Xfinity championship. He thanked his car sponsors, dizzy with excitement. “Oh man, it’s a modern-day garage Chevy—was absolutely hooked up, as fast as Xfinity internet. Thank you guys for all you do for this sport. Celsius, Action Industries, Leaf Filter…I don’t know there’s a lot more, I’m forgetting. God, what a way to get to Phoenix after a year that we’ve had. Let’s go win a championship, let’s go!”

As Matt Kaulig celebrates both his birthday and team victory, his team is actively working on improving itself. And AJ Allmendinger is on this mission in mind and spirit.

Team spirit just got a boost

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Over the past 2024 season, the NASCAR garage has been rapt with whispers about improvement within Kaulig Racing. It saw a decline in performance this year. Both its full-time entries sat outside the top 30 in the owners’ standings before the Charlotte Roval race. The team hired Ty Norris as the chief business officer in September and replaced Travis Mack with Darian Grubb as the No. 16 entry’s crew chief. These developments added pressure on Allmendinger, who had to appease Celsius, his fifth-year sponsor which enabled his Cup return for 2025.

So prior to the Charlotte race, AJ Allmendinger was determined to boos Kaulig Racing’s drooping fortunes. “We can get our organization back in the right direction…took a step back on the Cup side. We can go into the offseason and reset. Kaulig Racing with Matt Kaulig and Chris Rice are making great moves to make our competition better. It will be good for us to settle down and rebuild the racecars to get us where we need to be.” Accordingly, Allmendinger delivered. His runner-up finish at the Charlotte Roval was soon followed up by a spectacular victory at Las Vegas.

Evidently, AJ Allmendinger’s ardent proclamation of love for his team stands true. Now let us wait and see if he can hoist the coveted championship trophy before going back to Cup.