Kaulig Racing has added their special touch to this year’s silly season drama. The team will bring their road-course specialist, A. J. Allmendinger, back to a full-time ride in the Cup Series in 2025. Allmendinger will take command of the No. 16 team, which is currently split between multiple drivers on a partial schedule.

The 2023 season was supposed to be the last dance in the Cup Series for the 42-year-old veteran driver. However, after a mediocre 2024 season, the team is looking to rely back on the old guard. Allmendinger took command of the No. 16 Chevy in 2024, twice at the road course races. He had a strong P6 finish at COTA but had a day to forget at the Chicago Street Race.

Allmendinger has been with the organization since 2019, and he’s been a top contributor to the team’s success at the Cup level. He has won two races; both of them came at the road course racetrack. However, the 2023 season was the only year where he ran a full-time schedule driving the No. 16 Chevy.

An aging veteran driver wasn’t looked at as the prospect who could lead the team going into the 2024 season. So not just one, but four drivers took charge of sharing the 36 races. Josh Williams, Ty Dillon, Shane van Gisbergen, and Derek Kraus, but none of them have been able to match the success that the team enjoyed with A.J.

Similarly, the veteran driver hasn’t been able to find his mojo in the Xfinity Series. Therefore, it only made sense for the team to get him back to his deserved place, which is in a Cup car. However, the fans weren’t impressed with the musical chair Kaulig was playing with their best driver.

Fans question Kualig Racing’s vision after Allmendinger’s return to the Cup Series

Daniel Hemric was seen as the driver who would lead the charge for the team. Be more competitive and try to compete for victories, as Allmendinger did. Apart from three top-10 finishes, he hasn’t lived up to his billing yet, and while there’s no confirmation on his future with the team, fans were glad to see A.J. back in the Cup car. “Thank God. Such a joke he was taken out of the car full time this year.”

At 42, the driver is arguably in his final few years of competitive racing. While Allmendinger wasn’t able to compete against the top dogs in every race, he did have his moments on the road courses. He won the race at Roval in 2023 and had a P4 finish at Watkins Glen. Puzzled by his demotion to the Xfinity Series, this fan added, “Once again what the f**k was point in moving to Xfinity this year? He’s 42!”

Meanwhile, there were a few who stated that sponsorship money was one of the big reasons he had to vacate his seat in the Cup Series. “Should’ve stayed in Cup this year but obviously funding was a problem. AJ is the only driver who can consistently get results out of Kaulig’s Cup cars.”

It’s hard to gauge the plans or projects laid out by the leadership group at Kaulig Racing. Especially given how much shuffling they have been doing off late. They do have talented race car drivers, but somehow they do not seem to get the best out of them. “Kaulig sucks way more than they should. I don’t hate Dinger but flip flopping drivers around doesn’t seem very sustainable.”

However, not everyone was sold on the idea of Kaulig trying to make amends for their mistakes. Rather, a fan predicted a similar turn of events after the end of the 2025 season and so on. “And then he’ll be full time Xfinity in 2026, and then full time Cup in 2027, and then full time Xfinity in 2028.”

Allmendinger’s return could also suggest more changes for the team at the Cup level. The high-riding Kiwi speedster SVG could turn out to be the team’s second full-time entry in 2025.