NASCAR reveals punishment for AJ Allmendinger after unapproved adjustments on pit road

Despite being able to practice and qualify, AJ Allmendinger will not start from P17 on Sunday as NASCAR hands out his punishment. The Kaulig Racing No. 16 team made unapproved adjustments on pit road. They will be heavily penalized as a result.

AJ Allmendinger’s team made an adjustment to the splitter after technical inspection, just before practice. Allmendinger loses his starting spot and will go to the rear. He also loses his pit stall selection. To start the race, the 16 car will also have to make a stop-and-go after the green flag.

Perhaps even worse, Allmendinger’s car chief, Jaron Antley, has been ejected from the race and has had his hard card confiscated. NASCAR does not play with these kinds of penalties. They have drawn a hard line in the sand. Antley will have to wait in line to get his credentials each week for the rest of the season. A message has been sent to Kaulig.

When practice began, Allmendinger was held for 10 minutes. He had to go back through inspection, where NASCAR confirmed the change was made, and then he was held up. When Allmendinger hit the track in a legal car, he was pretty quick.

The thing is, AJ Allmendinger didn’t need to cheat up his car this week. Nashville is a track that plays into his hands, his strengths. This team is going to have to fight just to get where they would have started on Sunday if they had left the car alone. They will need a miracle in order to get a worthwhile performance out of tomorrow.

AJ Allmendinger is on playoff bubble

Looking at the points situation, AJ Allemdinger did not need this. Kaulig Racing has just shot itself in the foot. It won’t sink their season, but it is not going to help very much. Right now, the No. 16 car is 18th in points and not far from making it into the top-16 that it needs to be to make the playoffs.

Now, you could argue, Allmendinger has road course races coming up. So, there is ample opportunity to rebound and rack up points in the next couple of months. Mexico City, Chicago Street, and Sonoma are waiting for the Cup Series. But at COTA earlier this year, Allmendinger couldn’t even sniff the front of the field. So, it’s not guaranteed.

There are only eight winners this season, halfway through the regular season. That is good news for those drivers like Allmendinger who are hoping to point their way into the NASCAR Playoffs. But you never want to be that team trying to fall back on points.

A big penalty for AJ Allmendinger. We will see if he is able to rebound on Sunday. Right now, he is starting behind the ball and will have to really drive his heart out to have a good performance.