By Seth Eggert, Associate Editor
CONCORD, N.C. – Kaulig Racing’s A.J. Allmendinger went through the epitome of a rollercoaster day before scoring a top-five finish in the Bet MGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
A slick track made the racing treacherous throughout the 300-mile event. Allmendinger experienced that firsthand, slamming into the outside wall at the start of the second stage. The damage eventually cut down the right rear tire on the No. 16 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet Camaro SS. Luckily for Allmendinger, the caution waved laps later, rewarding him with the free pass.
Throughout the remainder of the race the Los Gatos, Calif. native had to climb back up through the field. Successive cautions after green flag pit stops aided Allmendinger’s efforts. He slipped by wrecks that ended the races for Justin Allgaier, Cole Custer, and Austin Hill to pick up positions. Though he was still at a track position deficit as a result of the early wall contact.
However, on older tires, Allmendinger had nothing to challenge Chase Elliott’s fresher tires. The veteran NASCAR Xfinity Series driver snuck by Kyle Busch in the closing laps to take the checkered flag in fifth.
“That was a struggle,” Allmendinger admitted. “Everyone on our LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevy fought hard trying to make adjustments today. We’re searching, trying to find something, but we haven’t hit on it. A lot of credit goes to my spotter, Coleman Pressley, for trying to keep me in it. I couldn’t run the fence, the car would move around a lot, and we didn’t have speed running the bottom. Late race restarts, anything can happen. Just tried to be aggressive and get everything we could at the end.”
After qualifying 11th, Allmendinger moved into the top-10 in the first Stage. A relatively clean opening stage allowed the 42-year-old to take the green-white checkered flag in fifth, netting an additional six points. Contact with Riley Herbst sent the Stewart-Haas Racing driver into the inside wall on the backstretch. Allmendinger had nowhere to go when Herbst broke loose. Due to his issues in the second stage, Allmendinger did not score any more stage points.
The fifth-place finish was Allmendinger’s second top-five of the 2024 season. It was also the 52nd top-five finish of his Xfinity career.
The top-five finish moved Allmendinger up from seventh to sixth in the points standings. He’s 107-points behind leader Hill and 56-points ahead of the playoff cutline, currently held by Anthony Alfredo.
Next for Allmendinger is the Pacific Office Automation 147 at Portland International Raceway. In his only Xfinity start at the road course, back in 2022, he won.
The Pacific Office Automation 147 at Portland International Raceway is scheduled for Saturday, June 1 at 4:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 1. The race will also be broadcast on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.