People are excited over NASCAR’s silly season, but it seems this season might be better dubbed as “Penalty Season” with all the drama unfolding off the track. Lately, NASCAR has turned up the heat on enforcing its rulebook, and the result has been a flurry of penalties that have teams and fans buzzing.
From equipment violations to unapproved adjustments, the sanctioning body is cracking down hard, making sure everyone plays by the rules. It’s a shift that’s got the whole NASCAR garage on edge, wondering who’s going to get caught next in this wave of strict oversight. Chase Briscoe and JGR were the first ones to walk on a tight rope after being penalized 100 points after the Daytona 500. Then there was Chris Buescher, who saw his playoffs hopes slipping after the Kansas race weekend.
In both these cases, the respective teams appealed and were able to successfully argue their case, resulting in some sort of relief. But the situation is looking grim for A. J. Allmendinger and Kaulig Racing at Nashville Superspeedway as they were caught red-handed trying to bend the rules.
The scene at Nashville Superspeedway was straight out of a NASCAR drama. Officials had their eyes on AJ Allmendinger’s No. 16 Kaulig Racing car while it was on pit road, suspecting the team had made unapproved adjustments. Sure enough, after pulling the car into inspection, NASCAR confirmed their suspicions: the team had indeed tampered with the car, which wasn’t within the limits of the rulebook.
Jeff Gluck shared an update about the situation with a post on X. “From NASCAR: Officials suspected AJ Allmendinger’s team made unapproved adjustments to the car on pit road. NASCAR pulled it from pit road and found indeed the team had done that. The team was then required to fix it. They will be allowed to qualify, but more penalties could be issued later.”
From NASCAR: Officials suspected AJ Allmendinger’s team made unapproved adjustments to the car on pit road. NASCAR pulled it from pit road and found indeed the team had done that. The team was then required to fix it. They will be allowed to qualify, but more penalties could be…
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) May 31, 2025
The team was ordered to fix the issue on the spot, and while they were allowed to qualify, the cloud of potential further penalties loomed large. NASCAR noted that additional consequences could be announced later, leaving the team on edge as they prepared for the race. For fans who’ve been cheering on AJ Allmendinger through every twist and turn of his career, this latest incident at Nashville feels like a punch to the gut. He had an engine failure at Kansas Speedway, which saw him take a nosedive in terms of points standings. Any potential points penalty that follows could be detrimental to his playoff hopes.
A comeback amid controversy for Allmendinger
Even with the Nashville penalty hanging over him like a dark cloud, there’s a ray of sunshine for AJ Allmendinger and Kaulig Racing that’s got fans feeling hopeful. Just recently, Kaulig Racing shared some big news that’s being called a sensational comeback for the NASCAR veteran—they’ve confirmed Allmendinger will be back with the team full-time in the Cup Series for the 2026 season.
It’s a moment that feels like the pieces of a puzzle coming together, especially after Allmendinger’s journey through the ups and downs of racing. Right now, in 2025, he’s sitting 18th in the Cup standings, just 13 points away from making the playoffs, and his steady hand has lifted Kaulig Racing’s game to new heights. Team president Chris Rice didn’t hold back, saying with a firm “100 percent” that Allmendinger is their guy for the No. 16 car next year.
With four road course races lined up on the schedule, there’s a huge potential that one of them could see Allemdinger take Kaulig Racing back to victory lane. Despite the back-to-back DNFs at Kansas and Texas and the radio rant aimed at ECR engines, the veteran driver bounced back with a P4 finish at the Coca-Cola 600. Kaulig is hoping for a repeat of 2021 and 2023 when Allemdinger won at the Indy road course and Charlotte Roval. And given their current program and the races lined up next, he is an ideal candidate for them to continue at least until 2026.
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