The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season will mark AJ Allmendinger’s third re-entrance as a full-time competitor in the series, where he will pilot the No. 16 Chevrolet entry for Kaulig Racing. As Allmendinger prepares to launch a comeback campaign in the series, he will commence his campaign with a milestone start for this year’s 67th running of the Daytona 500. By competing in this weekend’s season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway, Allmendinger will make his 12th career start in the 500-mile opener.
A native of Los Gatos, California, Allmendinger made his first career start in the Daytona 500 in 2009, driving the No. 44 Dodge entry for Richard Petty Motorsports. Allmendinger’s first entrance to the 51st running of the Great American Race occurred in his third attempt to make the season-opening event after falling short during his previous two seasons while driving for Red Bull Racing. Four days before the 500, he finished in 10th place during the second of two Daytona Duel events and secured one of two transfer spots into the main event. In 2009 Allmendinger navigated his way up to a career-best third-place finish in the rain-shortened event.
Over his next three Daytona 500 starts, Allmendinger finished no higher than 11th, which occurred in 2011, while he was strapped with two top-30 results in 2010 and 2012. Due to being suspended and losing his full-time ride at Team Penske for failing a drug test towards the halfway mark of the latter season, the Californian was unable to secure a ride to compete in the 2013 Daytona 500 event.
In his next three Daytona 500 starts, Allmendinger never finished higher than 11th, achieving that result in 2011. He recorded two top-30 finishes in 2010 and 2012. NASCAR suspended Allmendinger after he failed a drug test midway through the 2012 season. Team Penske removed him from his full-time ride, preventing him from securing a spot in the 2013 Daytona 500.
Beginning in 2014, Allmendinger returned as a full-time Cup Series competitor as he joined forces with JTG-Daugherty Racing. After finishing no higher than 20th place during his first three 500 events from 2014 to 2016, he then tied his career-best result in the Great American Race by finishing in third place amid a late fuel-mileage battle. He finished in 10th place during the 60th running of the Daytona 500 in 2018, a season that would also mark his last with JTG-Daugherty Racing.
After being absent from the Daytona 500 from 2019 to 2022 due to primarily competing in the Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing, Allmendinger has since competed in the previous two Great American Race events over the previous two seasons, both of which he has finished in sixth place and occurred in Kaulig’s No. 16 Chevrolet entry.
Through 11 previous starts in the Daytona 500, Allmendinger has racked up two top-three results, five top-10 results, 30 laps led and an average-finishing result of 15.6 as he continues his pursuit for his first victory in the event. A victory by Allmendinger in 2025 would make him the 44th competitor overall to win the Great American Race and the first California native to achieve the feat since Kevin Harvick previously won in 2007. In addition, Allmendinger would award the 27th Daytona 500 victory for the Chevrolet nameplate and make Kaulig Racing the 28th organization overall to achieve a victory in the event.
This week, Allmendinger, will pilot the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet entry that finished in 28th place in the 2024 owner’s standings. He will participate in a single-car qualifying session on Wednesday, February 12, and in one of two Duel events on Thursday, February 13, to determine his starting lineup for this year’s Daytona 500. The qualifying session on Wednesday will begin airing at 8:15 p.m. ET on FS1 while the Duels will air at 7 p.m. ET on FS1.
FOX will broadcast the 2025 Daytona 500 live on Sunday, February 16, starting at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Worst move in NASCAR history when Allmendinger and Mr The King parted ways. He could have stayed for years in the 43. Maybe not have been Mr contender every weekend but at least two three road courses a year guaranteed at least one win.