By Jerry Jordan, Editor
CORONADO, Calif. – No, A.J. Allmendinger isn’t departing Kaulig Racing and his contract isn’t in jeopardy. In fact, he’s got a job there for as long as he wants it.
The noise around Allmendinger’s future became so loud from fans and media that Kaulig Racing CEO, Chris Rice, came to the media center at Naval Base Coronado to set the record straight … and he was very clear about the relationship between Kaulig and their driver.
“You know, I felt the need. I’ve been seeing it a lot, just all the chatter,” Rice said. “AJ and I talked and I just felt the need to come in here and just let everybody know AJ is here through 2029 and with options to go through 2032. He’s going to be with us for a long time.”
Rice said that if anyone has a question about how long Allmendinger will be at Kaulig, then this should make it crystal clear.
“How long does AJ want to go full time racing? That’s up to AJ. Matt and myself have been very clear with him about that.”
Rice explained that when Allmendinger is done and wants to retire, all he asks is that they meet and have a discussion but he doesn’t foresee that day coming anytime soon. Rice said he believes Allmendinger is often too hard on himself but if anyone has doubts about whether the team is performing adequately, then they should realize, Kaulig “wins every week.”
“You know, when you look at AJ Almendinger, what he’s done for Kaulig Racing and the sport is pretty impressive, you know, and I just, he worries about himself and how good he’s doing, and then you have media ask him, is he still gonna have a job, that it probably gets to him a little bit. I just wanted to make sure that the media knew and that the world knew that Kaulig loves racing and loves AJ.
“We’re not the traditional race team, we never have been, we never will be. We keep our stuff, our stuff, and we don’t say, well, A.J. signed an extension or a long-term contract. AJ’s deal with us was a handshake for a long time, then we got bigger. We got OEM support. We got all of this going, we had to, we had to put it in writing but it’s still almost like a handshake but he does have a contract that he signs the signature page of, and I bet you, if you asked him, ‘does the contract at his house,’ he would probably tell you no but it’s in Chris’s office.”
Rice added that when Allmendinger is ready to get out of the racecar, there is a place for him to mentor the roster of young drivers that Kaulig works with. He said there is no doubt that he could fill nearly any administrative role and that would be something Allmendinger would also be good at.