AJ Allmendinger is returning full-time to the NASCAR Xfinity Series next season.
Kaulig Racing confirmed on Thursday that Allmendinger will race the No. 16 in the second-tier division in 2024. This follows a return Cup Series season in which he won once at the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL but did not make the playoffs.
Allmendinger, 41, who is entirely funded by the team and its partners, did not entirely have the sponsorship needed to race Cup, and the team was looking for a way to best fund the No. 16 Cup car.
Kaulig Racing did have conversations with Noah Gragson late in the season and it seemed like a deal was close but it never materialized. Gragson is seemingly headed to Stewart-Haas Racing in a deal that could be made official next week.
Gragson was spotted in the SHR shop this week in a picture alongside crew chief Drew Blickensderfer.
Meanwhile, as rumors began to churn that Ty Dillon was nearing a deal to drive the No. 16 Cup car next season, sources close to the situation told Sportsnaut earlier in the month that this wasn’t true and that Allmendinger would split the car with someone else.
AJ Allmendinger’s NASCAR future
Allmendinger, who will run an undefined number of Cup races, is the most successful driver in the short history of Kaulig Racing. He has 15 Xfinity wins, two Cup wins and two deep Xfinity Series playoff runs.
He made the final four in 2021, just missed it in 2022 and won five times in both seasons.
Team president Chris Rice gets the best of both worlds in having Allmendinger contend for a championship while growing the Cup Series program like he did in 2021.
“We feel AJ [Allmendinger] returning full time to our Xfinity Series program gives us the best chance to continue growing our organization as a whole,” Rice said in a statement. “He’s passionate, he’s aggressive and he pushes us to keep getting better. We’re excited to see what we can accomplish in the 2024 season on both the Xfinity and Cup side.”
Allmendinger has been fiercely loyal to Rice and team owner Chris Rice. Even though he has expressed a desire to remain in the Cup Series, he has also said that they have saved his personal and professional life — specifically his spirit — and will race whatever they want him too.
He echoed that sentiment in the statement.
“My plans for 2024 have always been whatever Matt Kaulig and Chris Rice think is best for the team,” Allmendinger said. “We’ve got work to do on both our Xfinity and Cup side as we continue to grow but I think we are putting ourselves in the best position to keep improving. With Josh Williams coming on board, it’ll be fun to learn each other’s driving styles and work together as teammates on Saturdays. I’m excited to be a part everything we’re working on at Kaulig Racing and see what we can get done next season.”
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.