Dale Earnhardt Jr. puts NASCAR Cup series on notice for one driver

The emergence of AJ Allmendinger and Kaulig Racing has been one of the more notable stories of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season. At 43 years old, Allmendinger looks maybe the best he ever has in Cup competition.

Allmendinger finished a season-best fourth in this past Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He’s up to 17th in the points standings, just below the playoff cutline.

One month from now, the inaugural five-race NASCAR In-Season Tournament gets underway at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic, who co-hosted Tuesday’s “Dale Jr. Download” alongside Dale Earnhardt Jr., said that Allmendinger could be a contender to win the $1 million prize. Looking at the schedule, Earnhardt agreed.

“They [Kaulig] were awful last year,” Earnhardt said. “They made a massive gain in terms of speed and it’s actually one, if not the most impressive story of a team improving over last year. AJ was up front all night, strong all night, really good in practice. You see those practice times for AJ and he was second in five, 10 and 15-lap averages and you’re like, ‘Is that real? Will he run good in this race.’ Sometimes, you have people who will do those things in practice and you’re like, ‘[expletive], that’s a fast car.’

“… He stayed up in the top-10 and raced in the top-five at times and had a real solid night. To your [Bianchi] point, if he comes out of the bracket — if he survives Atlanta, he’s got a great shot at Sonoma to stay alive and the speed they have at these other racetracks.”

NASCAR schedule ahead sets up favorably for AJ Allmendinger

After Atlanta, the next two tournament events are the Chicago Street Race and a trip to Sonoma Raceway. Allmendinger is one of the best road course racers on the circuit, giving him a favorable opportunity to make some noise in the tournament.

There are four road course events remaining on the regular season schedule. Allmendinger pointing his way in is no guarantee and obviously, a win would automatically earn him a spot in the postseason. Earnhardt talked about the difficulty of making the playoffs on points from where Allmendinger currently is at.

“That’s very doable. 13 points is actually a lot,” Earnhardt said. “Coming into Charlotte, no driver had ever overcome a 20-point deficit to point their way into the playoffs. I would have never thought that was a big deal. 20 points, only twice have drivers climbed their way back into the playoffs 20 points out going into Charlotte. That’s wild, because it feels like there’s a ton of racing left. But that’s how competitive the racing around that bubble is.”