Over the last few months, AJ Allmendinger's future in NASCAR has looked uncertain. With his contract expiring at the end of the season and no new teams linked with him, Allmendinger's story seemed to have hit a dead end. But the Dinger put all those doubts to rest.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Allmendinger said during the San Diego race weekend, mentioning that he will return for the 2027 season. “Like, I laugh when I see that. I mean, according to Chris [Rice, team CEO], I’ve got a contract till like 2032, so I’m not going anywhere.

"So I do kind of laugh about, like, ‘Oh, next year?’ I’m like, that’s not on my mind because I’m here for life in one way or another.”

AJ Allmendinger is currently under contract with Kaulig Racing and is in charge of the No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. He is one of the two full-time Cup Series drivers for Matt Kaulig's team.

“I think it’s always whether I’m doing a good enough job and I’m further moving us and our race team [forward],” Allmendinger told Frontstretch on X.

“That’s what goes back to that frustration part of it. That’s why I’m always like, I need to be better to keep moving us forward. But that’s up to Matt [Kaulig, team owner] and Chris. But yeah, at the end of the day, we’re not going anywhere.”

AJ Allmendinger shares a close relationship with team owner Matt Kaulig and Chief Executive Officer Chris Rice. Besides being the dependable driver, the 44-year-old spearheaded his team on several occasions (Bank of America Roval 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval win in 2023), proving his worth to the team.

Allmendinger arrived at Kaulig Racing in 2021 after leaving JTG Daugherty Racing. Besides being one of their top Cup drivers, Allmendinger also handles Kaulig Racing's Truck Series duties.

With that said, AJ Allmendinger's future in NASCAR is set, at least for the 2027 season, or he says, "for life."

How is AJ Allmendinger performing in 2026?

AJ Allmendinger had a topsy-turvy start to the 2026 season. He is currently in 21st place in the Drivers' Standings with 301 points, with two top 10s after 16 races.

The No. 16 driver has an average starting and finishing position of around 20. Allmendinger's best performance came at Watkins Glen, when he finished in seventh place after starting from 12th.

A ninth-place finish at COTA also helped him, showcasing his strong hold in road course races.

Meanwhile, Allmendinger's Kaulig Racing teammate, Ty Dillon, is in 31st place in the Standings, with 195 points to his name.

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Sabyasachi Biswas

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason