A.J. hopes it's going to be a hum-Dinger of a weekend at Daytona
It will be double duty for A.J. Allmendinger this weekend at Daytona.
In fact, it will be the first of many double duty weekends this year for the Kaulig Racing driver. This weekend, like many more to come this year, Allmendinder will be behind the wheel of the No. 16 CELSIUS energy drink Chevrolet in both Saturday’s Xfinity Series race and Sunday’s 66th running of the Daytona 500.
But unlike last year, Allmendinger will run only a partial Cup Series schedule this year. His main focus will be the Xfinity Series, where he will run all 33 races for Kaulig and compete for the title.
On the Cup side of things, Allmendinger expects to run “anywhere from 12-15 races” this year, with Josh Williams and former Australian SuperCars champ (and winner of last year's debut Cup race on the streets of downtown Chicago) Shane Van Gisbergen picking up the remainder of the races. While Allmendinger would have preferred to stay in Cup full-time, he accepted the decision out of loyalty to his team.
“I made no bones about it, if I had a choice, I wanted to stay in Cup,” Allmendinger, who starts 28th Sunday, said in an interview with Auto Racing Digest. “But my allegiance is with Matt Kaulig and Chris Rice and all the men and women here at Kaulig Racing. Whatever they want me to do, I am very fortunate and very lucky that they still want me to drive their race cars.
“I’ve always told them ‘whatever you want me to do, I’m willing to do.’ There’s no secret, the motto of Matt Kaulig and Kaulig Racing is ‘trophy hunting’ and in the Xfinity Series we have equipment that can win races and win a championship. That’s what our ultimate goal is.”
But there was one race Allmendinger wanted to make sure was on his 2024 Cup schedule.
“It’s the Daytona 500,” Allmendinger said. “ It’s the biggest race that we have in the sport. It’s the pinnacle. You can use all the adjectives you want. But you have an opportunity to win this race and become part of an iconic list of drivers and you become a legend.
“Not doing the Cup Series full-time this year, (the Daytona 500) is a race I told Matt Kaulig and Chris Rice that I have to be in. That’s how important that this race is. I want an opportunity to go and try to win this race and be part of that list.”
Hunting for the champion’s trophy
Allmendinger has won twice in the NASCAR Cup Series for Kaulig, but in the Xfinity Series, his numbers are far more impressive.
Since joining Kaulig in 2019, Allmendinger has scored 15 race wins, 10 pole positions, 47 top-five finishes and 65 top-tens in the Xfinity Series. He also was credited with the regular season championships in 2021 and 2022.
So, does Allmendinger think he can finally win a NASCAR title for Kaulig in 2024?
“We can for sure,” Allmendinger said. “I feel like since 2019, when I became part of this organization we have had flows during the season of being really good and then where we struggle a little bit. I will always say that when we’re at our best, nobody can beat us.
"I think we’re the elite team to beat. I do feel like when we’re not at our peak, we’re a little bit off compared to Joe Gibbs Racing, Stewart-Haas and JR Motorsports.
“That’s the ultimate goal through the process of the season, to try to make our weaknesses better and be contending every race. The regular season championships the last two years that we’ve been full-time have been amazing and the way these championships work in NASCAR now, it’s down to one race. You can win 32 out of 33 races and if you don’t beat the three right drivers in that final race, you don’t win the championship.
“The ultimate goal is always the championship. That’s what our long-term goal is. But for me, I always look at the process. If we can go out and win 8-10 races during the year, no matter what happens at Phoenix it’s a great year. But we have to get to Phoenix first, and the easiest way to do that is win a lot of races during the year.”
A first championship for all parties involved
If Allmendinger is able to win the Xfinity Series championship this year, it would not only be the first for himself, but also the first for Kaulig. Since joining the team six years ago, Allmendinger has been instrumental in its growth.
“Why I love Kaulig Racing, part of it is that I’ve always enjoyed being part of the growth (of the team) like that,” Allmendinger said. “You come into something established, it’s like when I drove for Team Penske, you just want to be a small part of that team and be a little successful just to be a part of that. But when you can be part of a brand that may not be as well-known but then starts to grow and being a huge part of it now makes it very enjoyable for myself.“
Additionally, Allmendinger has been able to give CELSIUS their first wins in both Xfinity and Cup Series competition as a sponsor. Their involvement in motorsports has also grown over the past few years, growing to the point where the energy drink brand just announced a multi-year sponsorship of Scuderia Ferrari in Formula One.
Allmendinger, a former open-wheel racer himself, was open to the idea of his sponsor using cross-promotion between both series.
“I mean, if they want to fly me to Monaco, I’m not racing the 600 this year, so If they need me in Monaco to hang out there and promote some things, I’m willing to do that,” Allmendinger said with a laugh. “It will be very fun to see where the partnership grows to and all the different types of things we can do.”