NASCAR CUP SERIES
KANSAS SPEEDWAY
TEAM CHEVY DRIVER QUOTES
APRIL 18, 2026
AJ Allmendinger, driver of the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, met with the media in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series practice and qualifying session at Kansas Speedway.
Media Availability Quotes:
We’re getting toward the quarter point of the season. Where do you think you’ve leveled out in terms of expectations you set at the beginning of the year?
“Yeah, I think it’s interesting in our situation. I’m not sure we really set any expectations. Obviously you want to go out there and run as good as possible, but in our situation, I think every weekend is kind of a new test. I thought we started the year really well, and then we kind of went through a stretch of with Martinsville and Darlington — Las Vegas was, I think, probably our most frustrating weekend because we’ve been pretty good at Vegas and we just missed it. I’m not sure if it was the new body on the Chevy side of it and trying to learn that. Basically, for us, trying to guess at it. I think that the challenge has been when they change the aero package. Even some of the good racetracks, like Darlington that we have we had good notes on, we couldn’t really use those.
So all in all, we’re 20th in points, which I try not to really look at the points. But you know, I feel like more than anything, whether it’s a good or bad weekend, we’ve gotten pretty much everything out of that weekend, whether it was 27th in Martinsville or last week we ran inside the top-12 all day and had a top-15. We’re finishing most of the laps and we’re not really making any mistakes, so far, it’s been okay. It’s so weird.. it’s hard to say, like last week, we ran top-15 and we’re happy with that because it’s tough to say that. But you know, in our situation, it’s really good. I think if we can have more runs like that over the next few weeks, I think we’re moving in the right direction, at least.”
In a week like this, where you come back with the same tire package as let’s say the fall, does it make it at least a little easier for you guys to guess, even though the body obviously is different?
“Yeah, I think it makes it a little easier, but the body definitely had us thrown off at Las Vegas. For instance, like last week at Vegas, I felt like I had a good balance on the rear of the car. We were always just a little bit tight, but we had speed doing that. And this year, we were just massively loose from the first lap on the racetrack, and we never got ahead of that. I think that’s the biggest thing with being on our own; if we unload in practice and we’re good… like last weekend at Bristol, I thought we were decent in practice and that carries into qualifying and the race. If we unload and we’re way off, you’re literally just taking a big swing, as much as you can with these cars going into the race. So hopefully we unload, at least, fairly close and have a good practice. That’s always important. But yeah, that makes it a little bit easier. It’s more of just trying to judge the body and seeing what that balance is supposed to be.”
It’s going to be mid-50s today for practice and qualifying and 70s for the race tomorrow. Is there anything in today’s session, in particular, that you’re going to be looking for, compared to a day where it would be warmer?
“I mean, the temperatures are always going to give it a little more grip, so I think trying to wrap your head around how fast you are in practice and knowing that the pace will slow a little bit during the race and trying to get those heights right for that. More than anything, we’re fortunate, a little bit, that we’re in the second group… maybe not in out-right practice speed, but the ARCA race is going to go run; there’s no rubber on the racetrack and at least through the first-half of the first group, I think you’re just going to be peeling the ARCA rubber off the racetrack. I think the second group will at least have a little bit of Cup rubber down. But that’s the biggest thing with this racetrack, I feel like, is a lot of rubber gets put down. You start searching for places that don’t have rubber. If you have speed, I think you’re still going to have speed tomorrow. But definitely trying to counteract that with the thought of – OK, the O’Reilly Series is going to run after we’re done. There will be more rubber on the racetrack. It will be a little bit warmer, so what balance do you need for that. You just take the conditions as they come. Being in the second group will at least help, I think, be a little closer.”
What makes this place specifically so challenging for you?
“I think just running the fence with so much speed. You can make a little bit of speed running in the middle or running on the bottom, but eventually as the tires wear out, it goes to the top. And then even in qualifying, it’s around the top. That’s something that I’m OK at, but I’m always trying to work on that; be better and figure out how to be faster and do things to be a little bit more comfortable doing it. You know, guys like Larson, Redick and Blaney, they’re so good at being right against the wall. I mean, hell, last year, they were wide open in turn one, the good cars were. That’s tough to get yourself to commit to if you don’t have a really good practice. And I think that goes back to having a really good practice. If you feel good with your racecar, it’s a lot easier to go down there than having a bad racecar or being a little bit off and trusting it.
At the end of the day, I think it’s all about making the right decisions. If you think you can go and get it, go get it. And if not, fencing the thing and making your team work on it is not what we need in our situation. Maybe it hurts pride a little bit, but you’ve got to just take what it gives you. I do feel like with this racetrack, especially as the tires wear out, you can pass it. I don’t think I’ve had great qualifying runs here, and I’ve been able to drive up into the top-10 or near the top-10 if you’ve got a good car. So that’s something that makes it a little bit easier, knowing that you can go pass if you’re near the back.”
What’s been the biggest surprise about the racing so far under the new points system?
“That’s a good question. I don’t know if anything’s really surprised me. I don’t know if it’s part of it because I’ve been in this before. Some of these guys haven’t raced this point system. I know what to kind of expect.
In our situation, I don’t think it changes. You’re trying to maximize the best finish. It does help for a team like ours, where if you’re ahead of somebody, they win the race and now they’ve locked themselves in. That was something I felt last year. We had a rough end of the year, but I felt like a legitimate 16th to 19th-place team. Next thing you know, you’re 25th in points because guys have won and moved up.
At the end of the day, I still feel like it’s so hard to win a Cup race. If we’re in that situation and I have a chance to do it, I’m going to do everything I can. I know it only pays a little bit more points now and it doesn’t lock you in, but it’s still about winning. I think we’ve seen races come to the end that it’s still about winning. It’s important even, if it doesn’t lock you in. I don’t think anything’s really surprised me. It’s just nice to know where you’re at in points at all times instead of getting jumped.”
You talked about the fact that you’re 20th in points and your team has been maximizing as much as you can with the resources that you have. Does that make you more optimistic moving forward with the fact that you are going to get more improvements as the season goes on? Do you look more forward to later on in the season when you come back to some of these tracks or is it kind of just the same?
“I think you hope that you’re going to get more improvements. I believe that we will, but there’s so much that goes into it. We could come back here in the fall and they’ve changed the aero package or we’ve changed the tire or something. I think it’s about doing the best you can every weekend and just getting the most out of it and working close with our group. I think Mike Cook, our competition director, is doing a great job. I love working with my crew chief, Trent Owens. We have such a good relationship. I love my group. In a way, it sounds extreme compared to what we are in this country right now, but you’re going to war together, right? It’s tough to go beat the Hendrick’s, the Penske’s and Gibbs’, and even run with them. It’s just putting your head down and whatever we have for resources, just maximizing it. That’s something that we’re trying to do. Hopefully, as the year goes on, that gets easier, but we don’t know that until we get down the road. It’s just like in life. You just do the best that you can. It’s a week like last week. I got out of the car. It’s like, yeah, do you want more than 15th? But could I look in the mirror and felt like we did everything we could? Yeah, and you just be happy with that. If you feel like you’ve messed up, then you fix it and don’t do it again.”
About General Motors
General Motors (NYSE:GM) is driving the future of transportation, leveraging advanced technology to build safer, smarter, and lower emission cars, trucks, and SUVs. GM’s Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC brands offer a broad portfolio of innovative gasoline-powered vehicles and the industry’s widest range of EVs, as we move to an all-electric future.
GM Motorsports, including the Cadillac Formula 1® Team develops and proves advanced technologies in the most demanding environments, accelerating innovation in performance, safety, efficiency, and electrification for its production vehicles. Cadillac Racing is one of the leading manufacturers in the IMSA and FIA World Endurance Championships (WEC). Chevrolet competes in single seaters in the US IndyCar series, and in NASCAR with multiple team partners and drivers. Corvette customer teams compete in GT series across the globe including IMSA and WEC. Learn more at GM.com.
