AJ Allmendinger was dissatisfied with how Kyle Larson repeatedly bumped him throughout the race, causing his rear tires to fail. The part-time Kaulig Racing driver was one of the many vehicles Larson passed after changing to fresh tires at his penultimate green flag pit stop. While Martin Truex Jr. and Chris Buescher battled for first place, Kyle Larson steadily gained track position, passing the duo with 8 laps remaining to claim his third win of the season.
AJ Allmendinger’s second Cup race this season was unexpected, with grudges, road rage, beef, and enmity. NASCAR has it in spades, as we witnessed in Sonoma. When Kyle Larson cranked up the pace after exiting the pits with 20 laps to go, viewers watched him pass one, sometimes two, cars at a time. This created its own drama, as tempers flared over the team radio over occurrences on the track.
A very irate Allmendinger was heard chatting with his team over the radio, stating “F*** Kyle (Larson), got no rear tires” after the 31-year-old bumped the rear of Allmendinger’s #16 Chevrolet Camaro. Travis Mack, Allmendinger’s crew chief, tried to keep his spirits up by stating “You’re doing a great job” on the team radio, which the 42-year-old responded with a “dammit”.
Allmendinger, who presently drives part-time for Kaulig Racing, was competing in his second NASCAR Cup Series race of the season. He finished sixth at COTA earlier this year and in the same place at Sonoma Raceway, thanks in part to his tires not performing optimum at the finish line. Kyle Larson had already advanced to fourth place on the grid when the 42-year-old reported the incident over the team radio.
However, his odds for a full-time Xfinity season aren’t looking good either!
When the veteran left the NASCAR Cup Series after winning the playoff race in Charlotte last year, there were high expectations for his Xfinity comeback this year. However, after competing in 14 races, AJ Allmendinger has yet to win a race. The 42-year-old is currently racing full-time with Kaulig Racing, where he has three top-5 results and seven top-10 finishes. Allmendinger, who is currently sixth in the standings, can take comfort in the fact that his Kaulig Racing colleague Shane van Gisbergen has now won back-to-back races in Portland and Sonoma, and will try to repeat that form for himself.
Speaking to CBS Sports, Allmendinger highlighted the importance of the team’s racing wins, adding, “Days like that are, I believe, what draws us together. It’s nice to win races; everyone is thrilled. And it was terrific for SVG to win simply to spread that spirit across the shop.”
With half of the Xfinity Series season remaining, the 42-year-old still expects to make the playoffs. He added, “And on our end, we’re obviously pushing and trying to improve. We aren’t where we want to be. But what’s fantastic about NASCAR’s model is that we only need to make the playoffs, and if you get hot in the playoffs, you can still win the championship. So, we still have time to correct it.”
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