Cameron Bebeau
Staff Writer
While Corey Heim, Austin Hill and Layne Riggs celebrated victories at Naval Base Coronado this past weekend, several drivers put together runs that deserve a little more attention.
Cup Series: AJ Allmendinger & Kaulig Racing
Kaulig Racing’s Cup Series season has been largely defined by transition, but AJ Allmendinger gave the organization something to celebrate at the San Diego Street Course.
Allmendinger earns this week’s Cup Series under-the-radar performance after starting 15th and finishing fifth, scoring his first top-five finish of the season and giving Kaulig Racing its first top five of the year. It was also just the organization’s 17th top-five finish in program history.
While Corey Heim understandably drew most of the attention after scoring his first career Cup victory in a part-time 23XI Racing entry, Allmendinger quietly turned in one of the most complete afternoons in the field.
The finish is backed up by the loop data. Allmendinger posted an average running position of 12.09, ranked seventh in both driver rating and green-flag speed, and spent 50 of the race’s 75 laps inside the top 15. He was also busy in traffic, making 85 green-flag passes, fourth-most in the field, along with 45 quality passes, second-most on the day.
This makes the result even more important for Kaulig. As the organization leads Dodge’s return to NASCAR via RAM entries in the Craftsman Truck Series, its Cup operation was left in a difficult spot. Autoweek recently reported that Chevrolet withdrew its support, including data and simulation, and that Kaulig’s alliance with Richard Childress Racing was over.
Allmendinger’s road-course background made him a logical contender, but the performance still stood out. In the middle of an awkward transition year, the No. 16 team put together a clean, competitive afternoon and left Coronado with one of Kaulig’s best Cup results in recent memory.
O’Reilly Auto Parts Series: Parker Retzlaff & Viking Motorsports
Viking Motorsports continued to show signs of growth in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, this time with Parker Retzlaff leading the way.
Retzlaff earns this week’s under-the-radar performance after finishing seventh in the United Rentals Driven to Serve 250. The result gave Viking Motorsports its eleventh top-10 finish of the season between its two entries, following Anthony Alfredo’s sixth-place finish last weekend.
The No. 99 SA Recycling Chevrolet had speed from the start. Retzlaff qualified second, ran second at the halfway point and spent most of the afternoon near the front. He finished the race with a 6.78 average running position, fourth-best in the field, and a 102.8 driver rating, fifth-best among all drivers. He also spent 52 of the race’s 60 laps inside the top 15.
Perhaps one of his biggest contributions of the weekend came while leading the race, where he led five laps and brought Viking Motorsport’s season laps-led total to 13. Alfredo also showed speed before being collected in a Lap 34 accident. He started third and ran as high as second before finishing 35th place, a result not fully showing the speed Viking brought to Coronado.
Retzlaff’s seventh-place finish was not just a solid result. It was another sign that Viking Motorsports is becoming more competitive, and that the team’s recent momentum isn’t with just one driver team or one track type.
Craftsman Truck Series: Landen Lewis & Niece Motorsports
Tyler Reif had the most dramatic Niece Motorsports storyline at Coronado, but teammate Landen Lewis left with the organization’s best finish.
Lewis earns this week’s Craftsman Truck Series under-the-radar nod after finishing fourth in the Navy 250, the best result of his Truck career. The 20-year-old made just his sixth career start in the series, but looked comfortable in a race filled with restarts, chaos, and uncharted territory.
Reif nearly stole the spotlight before missing the final chicane while battling for what would have been his first career win. Lewis’ afternoon, while less extravagant, was anything but a fluke.
The numbers showed how much work he did to get there. Lewis recorded 60 green-flag passes and 34 quality passes, ranking inside the top five in both categories. He also spent 40 of the race’s 53 laps inside the top 15 and posted a 90.7 driver rating.
His 13.28 average running position was lower than his fourth-place finish, but that highlights the perseverance he put through. Lewis didn’t ride near the front like Retzlaff did; he made passes, avoided trouble and took advantage of the opportunities that came his way.
For a driver in his shoes, Lewis looked composed in a unique environment that the Truck Series doesn’t always see. His calm demeanor helped highlight one of the quieter breakout performances of the weekend.