NASCAR Great Kyle Petty Still Has High Hopes for AJ Allmendinger Despite His Bizarre Tactics Last Week

Strategy and game plan are critical, especially in a team sport like NASCAR. However, sometimes overdoing on that end can turn out to be detrimental even for experienced and seasoned drivers. And Kaulig Racing driver AJ Allmendinger’s performance last week can be attributed to the same.

Sitting just outside the playoff spot at 18th, the road racing sensation is yet to the party and desperately needs a huge turnaround to cement his playoff berth. While the team and the driver decided to adopt a bizarre plan last week to skip the Cup Series practice at Richmond, focusing on Xfinity Series, he missed a top-5 finish.

The same can be said for his Cup Series race. However, former NASCAR driver and NBC analyst, Kyle Petty still has high hopes for AJ, mentioning his strengths as the driver sits just outside the playoffs bubble at 18th.

Can AJ Allmendinger prove himself? Veteran Kyle Petty says yes

AJ Allmendinger has been around, being in the game for close to 15 years. Sadly though, the 41-year-old is yet to make his mark on NASCAR’s top-tier division. Popularly called “The Dinger,” the driver at times seems to jump between Xfinity and Cup Series rather than focusing on the biggest opportunity at hand.

The driver’s same mentality was evident when he decided to go focus on the Xfinity Series for the rest of the season instead of practicing for the short-track race at Richmond, adopting a peculiar strategy. Unfortunately for him, this bizarre failed miserably as he barely made it into the top 10 at Road America, finishing 9th. The same can be said for his Cup Series venture at Richmond, where he finished 27th.

But, all is not lost as per NASCAR veteran Kyle Petty. The NBC analyst still believes in AJ, giving him a 50-50 chance to make it into the playoffs. During the latest episode of NBC’s Motor Mouths, Petty was asked, “So with all that pressure, that’s out there, will anybody outside of the playoff right now be in a playoff spot after the regular season finale at Daytona later this month, Kyle?”

Acknowledging the apt question, Petty spoke his mind about the Kaulig racer, saying, “I’m really and I’m going to say this, I’ll go on record. AJ [Allmendinger] and Kaulig Racing, I thought they were, ‘we’re going be there,’ and then they decided to put the Xfinity Series over the Cup Series. So I’m not sure what that says about where they’re at as a team and where they’re at and what they’re trying to do.” 

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While even the veteran shared his skepticism about the driver’s awkward game plan for last week, he mentions the upcoming road courses to be the deciding factor. “But they can win at Watkins Glen and they can win at Indy so there’s a team that maybe is looking at that, saying, we got 2 shots, we’ve got a 50-50 shot of winning and being in this thing with AJ Allmendinger and I believe they do have a 50-50 shot with this guy driving a race car but you know, Daytona is your wild card, this is the last sane race,” said Petty. 

Kaulig Racing celebrates the return of #1

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Now for avid NASCAR fans, the Cup Series may be the epitome of motorsports however, the organization’s second-tier division is also filled with competent drivers who can offer Cup Series drivers a run for their money. John Hunter Nemechek is a perfect example of this.

As we head to Michigan this week, NASCAR’s most polarising driver, Ross Chastain returns to Xfinity to try his luck, this time piloting Kaulig Racing’s #10 Chevy at the Michigan Speedway. The team lauded Chastain’s return, tweeting out celebrating his arrival with the caption,

“1,001 days later, @RossChastain returns to the No. 10 Chevy to go #TrophyHunting with Kaulig Racing once again! 🏆 Catch the Melon Man wheeling the 10 car this weekend at @MISpeedway! #CaboWabo250 | #XfinitySeries.”

While the #1 driver has booked his playoff spot with a stellar Superspeedway win at Nashville, his on-track antics have silenced him, especially after his tussle with Kyle Larson at Dover. And a return to Xfinity certainly is a better idea considering his lackluster performances moreover, Saturday’s Xfinity race before his Cup Series race on Sunday will give him the edge at the 2-mile moderately banked speedway.

READ MORE: Despite Being in the Playoff Bubble, Kaulig Racing Driver in a Calculated Move, Shifts Focus on Xfinity Series