Kaulig Racing’s AJ Allmendinger has just made NASCAR history. He captured the Charlotte Roval race and became the first driver to win four straight Xfinity Series road course races at the same track.
Allmendinger looked like the favorite early in the Xfinity Series race on October 8. He started from the pole with Ty Gibbs next to him, and he led every single lap in Stage 1 before taking the green and white checkered flag. However, power steering and handling issues buried him in the field during Stage 2.
RETWEET to congratulate @AJDinger!
He’s STILL UNDEFEATED in the @NASCAR_Xfinity Series at the ROVAL! #NASCAR
Allmendinger was able to work his way back into contention during a caution-filled final stage. He pushed his way past Sheldon Creed and then took the lead from Gibbs on one of the restarts. Allmendinger then had to repeatedly fight the Joe Gibbs Racing driver during multiple overtime restarts before ultimately building up a sizable lead.
The only drivers that have more consecutive wins at a single track all did so on ovals. Dale Earnhardt won five times at Daytona International Speedway, Kyle Busch won five times at Texas Motor Speedway, and Jack Ingram did so at South Boston Speedway.
Allmendinger Has Had a Huge Week
GettyAJ Allmendinger celebrates a win at the Charlotte Roval.
The driver of the No. 16 has had a busy seven-day stretch full of celebrations and big moments. He and Kaulig Racing visited Victory Lane two times while also making a major announcement about the future.
Allmendinger kicked off the stretch by winning at Talladega Superspeedway. This was his first-ever trip to Victory Lane after a plate race, and it checked off the last remaining track style where he needed a win.
The week continued with the Kaulig Racing Fan Day which featured a 5k run. Kaulig Racing also used the event to announce that Allmendinger will move up to the Cup Series on a full-time basis while remaining with the organization.
Three days after announcing the move to the Cup Series, Allmendinger won the pole at the Roval for the first time in his career. He then went on to lead 25 laps before winning his fourth straight race at the road course. He remained undefeated and added even more bonus points before the Round of Eight.
Only 2 Xfinity Series Drivers Have Won at the Charlotte Roval
Allmendinger has been unstoppable at the Charlotte Roval since first competing in the 2019 Xfinity Series race. No other driver has been able to disrupt his reign of dominance in the October race.
Only two drivers have won Xfinity Series races at the Charlotte Roval. Allmendinger is the most notable, but he wasn’t the first. That honor belongs to Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe.
The current Cup Series driver actually won his first career race during the 2018 season. He captured the inaugural Roval race for Stewart-Haas Racing with Biagi-DenBeste after holding off both Justin Marks and Austin Cindric.
This win was crucial for the Indiana native. He explained to media members prior to the Talladega Superspeedway race that he was on the cusp of seeing his career come to an end before he broke through in the No. 98 entry.
“I hadn’t done anything that year, I hadn’t gotten a single top-10,” Briscoe told Jayski’s Dustin Albino. “Ford was paying for all my racing. I hadn’t performed. I kind of got the hint from them that if I didn’t start running good, there was no point in them having me.
“I could kind of see the writing on the wall in a sense. They never told me for sure I was done the next year, but I know we had not talked a single thing for next year. I won that race and that Monday they called me, like, ‘Hey, what do we gotta do for next year?'”
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AJ Allmendinger Makes NASCAR History