NASCAR Cup Series driver AJ Allmendinger drives during practice for the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tenn., Saturday, May 31, 2025. Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NASCAR Cup Series team hit with major penalty ahead of Nashville race

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated May 31, 2025 10:41 PM ET

AJ Allmendinger and the No. 16 Kaulig Racing team will be facing an uphill battle from the drop of the green flag in Sunday's Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway.

During NASCAR Cup Series practice on Saturday afternoon, Allmendinger's No. 16 Chevrolet was sent to the garage area by NASCAR officials. On Saturday evening, it was reported by officials that Allmendinger's team made an adjustment to the splitter on the No. 16 car following pre-qualifying technical inspection.

#NASCAR … AJ Allmendinger’s car was sent back to the garage by series officials from the grid and sits here as practice goes on at Nashville pic.twitter.com/15EweSH91g
— Dustin Long (@dustinlong) May 31, 2025

The penalty carries a loss of starting position for Allmendinger, who will now have to start at the rear of the field, and a stop-and-go pit road penalty after he takes the green flag. In addition, car chief Jaron Antley was ejected from the speedway and had his NASCAR hard card confiscated.

NASCAR says Allmendinger team made an adjustment to the splitter after prequalifying tech today. They will start at rear of the field, lost pit selection and must do a stop-and-go after taking green flag. Car chief Jaron Antley has been ejected and had his hard card confiscated.
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) June 1, 2025

The penalty is a major blow to Allmendinger, who, despite the hang-up in practice, ran 24 laps and was 11th-fastest on the speed charts. He originally qualified 17th, but will now start at the back of the pack.

Allmendinger won the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Nashville in 2023 and has finishes of 19th, 10th and 11th in his three Cup Series starts at the facility. If he can find a way to stay on the lead lap, he could be in contention for a solid finish.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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