At Nashville Superspeedway in Lebanon, Tennessee, AJ Allmendinger’s NASCAR team faced significant penalties after officials detected an unapproved alteration to the No. 16 Kaulig Racing car prior to Saturday’s practice session. This incident, qualifying as an AJ Allmendinger NASCAR team penalty violation, occurred just before the afternoon practice and qualifying events.
Details of the Illegal Modification and Consequences
During mandatory pre-race inspections, all cars were scrutinized before heading to practice and qualifying sessions. Allmendinger’s vehicle was on pit road when the team made an illegal tweak to the splitter. NASCAR officials ordered the car back to the garage, where the adjustment was confirmed as unauthorized. The team had to reverse the change and resubmit the car for inspection before rejoining the practice session. Despite re-entry, NASCAR held the team off the track for the initial 10 minutes of the 25-minute session.
Saturday night, NASCAR imposed further sanctions on Allmendinger and his team. He was mandated to start at the back of the field during Sunday’s race and to complete a stop-and-go penalty after the green flag. Additionally, the team forfeited its pit stall selection for the event, and car chief Jaron Antley was ejected for the remainder of the race weekend, with his hard card credential revoked.
Implications for Allmendinger’s Season and Upcoming Race
Allmendinger entered Nashville following a strong fourth-place finish at the Coca-Cola 600, which improved his standing by eight spots to 17th in the season rankings. Sunday’s race at Nashville marks the start of the second half of the regular NASCAR season, making these penalties especially impactful for Allmendinger’s championship aspirations.
“— Allmendinger will start at the rear of the field and must perform a stop-and-go penalty after taking the green flag in Sunday’s race.” —NASCAR officials
“— The team lost pit stall selection for Sunday’s race.” —NASCAR officials
“— Car chief Jaron Antley was ejected for the remainder of the weekend and his hard card credential also was confiscated.” —NASCAR officials
