AJ Allmendinger returning to full-time NASCAR Cup with Kaulig next season

AJ Allmendinger will return to the Cup Series with Kaulig Racing next season.

It continues the up and down cycle for the 42-year-old, who has raced for Kaulig since the 2019 season and full-time since the 2021 season. He was full-time in Xfinity in 2021 and 2022, full-time Cup in 2023, full-time Xfinity this season and back full-time at the highest level in 2025.

Allmendinger is funded by Matt Kaulig himself, the Leaf Filter driver, as it were and that his assignment each year is dependent on where the organization’s other opportunities lie.

This year, Daniel Hemric jumped from full-time in Xfinity to full-time in Cup with the No. 31 team having brought the funding to do so and has been paired with a rotating roster in the No. 16 that includes Allmendinger, Shave Van Gisbergen and Derek Kraus.

In 10 Cup Series starts this season with Kaulig, Allmendinger has earned three top-10s. He has three wins at the Cup Series level, two of which has come with Kaulig since 2021 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course and the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL.

In the Xfinity Series, Allmendinger is sixth in the standings with 10 top-10s in 20 starts with three top-5s with a 13.9 average finish.

Before racing NASCAR, Allmendinger raced Indy cars, including in the Champ Car World Series. He made six IndyCar Series starts in 2013. He makes sporadic sports car starts too.

The rest of the organization’s lineup, both Cup and Xfinity, plus crewing assignments are still TBD.

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