Getty AJ Allmendinger has some goals for Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
AJ Allmendinger is back in the No. 16 Cup Series entry at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This was a late change as Noah Gragson replaced an injured Alex Bowman, but it provided Allmendinger with an opportunity to showcase a CELSIUS scheme for the first time.
“What’s been great about Kaulig, really since I’ve been here, is we get to have the opportunity to work with a lot of different partnerships and new sponsors, and hopefully, kind of help develop those relationships into bigger and better things,” Allmendinger told Heavy before heading to Las Vegas. “So we’ve had good success debuting new cars. So hopefully, we can do the same thing [on Sunday].”
To Allmendinger’s point, he has achieved some success with new partners during his Xfinity Series and Cup Series career. He scored wins with Digital Ally, C2 Freight Resources, Ellsworth Advisors, Hyperice, and Ramco Specialties. Now he wants to deliver a strong performance for CELSIUS.
The boys are VIBIN’ today 😏
@CelsiusOfficial flavor check:
@landoncassill: ❄️
@DanielHemric: 🍑
@AJDinger: 🍍🌴
Multiple Kaulig Racing drivers have showcased CELSIUS as a primary partner as the beverage company has taken on an expanded role with the team. Justin Haley highlighted the company during the regular-season finale at Daytona International Speedway while Daniel Hemric joined in for the fall race at Talladega Superspeedway.
Haley crashed and finished 28th at Daytona after sudden rainfall sent the majority of the field into the wall and each other. Hemric finished 30th at Talladega due to a surprising electrical issue in the No. 16.
Now Allmendinger will try to turn in a strong performance at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a track where he has 10 Cup Series starts and five top-20 finishes. Allmendinger also has a sixth-place finish from the 2015 season.
Allmendinger Will Use This New Opportunity to Prepare
GettyAJ Allmendinger will move up to the Cup Series in 2023.
Based on the previously announced schedule, Allmendinger was not scheduled to compete in Cup during any remaining races. However, he will take over the No. 16 while Gragson replaces Bowman in the No. 48.
This is a sudden change that didn’t give Allmendinger much time to prepare for his first points-paying start at a mile-and-a-half track in the Next Gen era. He only had about one hour on the simulator. However, he has embraced the change due to another recent announcement.
Allmendinger and Kaulig Racing revealed on October 5 that he will move back to the Cup Series full-time in 2023. He will join Justin Haley in the lineup while pursuing his third career win at the top level of NASCAR. This extra start at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will help him prepare for this return.
“I think that that’s the biggest challenge for me, just trying to get — with 15 or 20 minutes practice — just get a feel of what these cars feel like,” Allmendinger said. “You know, Vegas is a really fast mile-and-a-half. So trying to watch the in-car footage of the first race here this year, kind of way the race played out, things like that.
“Just trying to get a feel for… I always talked to Justin and Daniel, but for me, I think it’s always trying to visualize seeing what the car [is doing], listening, and then just feeling it itself. So, you know, the conditions will be a bit different because it’ll be a good bit hotter than when you’re in March. So that could kind of change how the car handles as well.”
Allmendinger’s approach will be different than what it was during the Xfinity Series race. He is not in the playoffs, so he will not have to worry about securing stage points. Instead, his focus will be on turning in a solid performance and building momentum for 2023.
Though if there is a chance to steal a win, he will certainly take it. After all, Kaulig Racing has the mantra of “trophy hunting,” and Allmendinger bagged one for the team during the 2021 Cup Series season.
The Next Gen Era Led to Allmendinger’s Move
There have been numerous conversations about the Next Gen car during the 2022 season. There have been comments about safety concerns, random fires, and the level of competition on road courses and short tracks.
There have also been some conversations about the improved action on intermediate tracks. Fans, drivers, and media members alike have pointed out how the new cars revitalized Auto Club Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and other tracks.
Allmendinger has driven the Gen 5, Gen 6, and Gen 7 Cup Series cars, so he has considerable experience with a variety of horsepower and aero packages. He knows that the current version isn’t perfect, but he still chose to run full-time again in Cup due to the potential for fun.
“There is a challenge of I think we’ve got to make it a little bit not as aero sensitive behind other cars, to where we can pass a little bit better at certain racetracks,” Allmendinger explained. “But with that said, I’ve actually enjoyed driving the car. And that is part of the reason why I decided I wanted to [go full-time] because I had fun driving the car. And I think we can stay on this path that we have of just making the car better and more enjoyable to race.
“…So that was a big factor. Because why do it if you’re not even going to enjoy the car that you’re going to be in? Right? So it’s something that really came into my thought process as we were going through all this of like, ‘Hey, I actually do enjoy this car.’ I’ll be the first one to say, last year’s aero package on the mile-and-a-halfs and the bigger racetracks — the low horsepower, big spoiler — If that was still it, I probably wouldn’t be in the Cup Series because I just didn’t think that was a lot of fun.”