Kaulig Racing took to social media to reveal that AJ Allmendinger will be driving the team’s No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry for the 66th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in February 2024.
The news comes 13 days after the 42-year-old Allmendinger from Los Gatos, California, was announced to return to the Xfinity Series with the Kaulig organization for the 2024 season after spending this past season piloting Kaulig’s No. 16 entry in the Cup Series.
Allmendinger’s bid for the 2024 Daytona 500 indicates that Kaulig Racing’s No. 16 entry will return as the team’s “All-Star” entry for the first time since 2022 and field multiple competitors throughout the 2024 season. Despite Allmendinger scaling back to being a part-time Cup competitor, Kaulig’s No. 16 entry is expected to be guaranteed a starting spot for the event as a locked chartered entry due to contesting in all 36 events throughout the 2023 Cup season, though this remains to be determined. For the 500, Allmendinger will be a teammate alongside Daniel Hemric, who will be piloting Kaulig’s No. 31 entry on a full-time basis as he makes his return to Cup Series competition.
The 2024 Daytona 500 is set to mark Allmendinger’s 11th career apperance in the Great American Race and second in a row for Kaulig Racing. Through 11 previous starts, the Californian has achieved four top-10 results and two career-best third-place finishes in the 500 (2009 & 2017). He claimed a sixth-place finish during last year’s Daytona 500.
This past season, Allmendinger scored a Cup Series victory at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course in October, which marked his third win in NASCAR’s premier series. He also recorded four top-five results, seven top-10 results, 64 laps led and an average-finishing result of 19.6 throghout the 36-race schedule before settling in 21st place in the final driver’s standings. To go along with his Cup victory at the Charlotte Roval, Allmendinger won two Xfinity Series races (Circuit of the Americas in March and at Nashville Superspeedway in June).
Additional driver plans regarding Kaulig’s No. 16 entry along with Allmendinger’s part-time schedule for the 2024 Cup Series season remains to be determined.
Allmendinger’s 11th Daytona 500 career start and second with Kaulig Racing is scheduled to occur on February 18, 2024, with the event’s broadcast time set to air at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
