Kaulig Racing surprised AJ Allmendinger, driver of the No. 16 Hyperice Chevrolet, on Monday morning with a special throwback scheme commemorating his first-ever NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) win.
Allmendinger, who had a 12-year NCS tenure, won the Cheez-It 355 at Watkins Glen International in 2014, while driving for JTG Daugherty Racing. Throughout his NCS career, Allmendinger recorded one win, 11 top five and 57 top-10 finishes before retiring from full-time competition in 2018.
“This was unexpected for sure,” said Allmendinger. “It’s definitely something that means a lot to me. That Cup win was really special at that point in my life for so many reasons. I spent a long time in the sport, and had many ups and downs. Looking at this car brings back great memories to think about what that day meant for me and everything that came along with it. Hopefully we can do the same thing and go out there, win the race, and burn it down.”
Following his retirement from full-time competition, Allmendinger joined Kaulig Racing to drive part-time in the 2019 and 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) seasons where he earned three wins, eight top five, and 10 top-10 finishes.
He then inked a deal with the team to drive full-time for the 2021 NXS season, including a limited NCS schedule.
“AJ is very special to us at Kaulig Racing,” said team president, Chris Rice. “He has done so much for all of us, both on and off the track, so we wanted to do something special in return to show our appreciation.”
The Steakhouse Elite 200 at Darlington Raceway will take place on Saturday, May 8 at 1PM ET with coverage on FS1.
Kaulig Racing PR
