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#16: AJ Allmendinger, Kaulig Racing, Action Industries Chevrolet
(Photo by Nigel Kinrade Photography)

The Underdog House: AJ Allmendinger Lays Down the Best Hand in Las Vegas

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Top Dog: AJ Allmendinger

I’ll admit it. I’m not notorious for being a card player in any shape or form. That comes with the exception of Rummy, where, for those who haven’t played, you try to discard your hand through the proper sets.

So, while my explanation of a game like Blackjack would be worse than FOX Sports analyst Chris Myers’ (for those who watched the NASCAR Cup Series pre-race), I can tell you that AJ Allmendinger was shouting “Rummy” at the table of underdogs when the checkered flag flew on the Pennzoil 400 on Sunday (March 16).

Allmendinger landed on the eight-ball in a positive way, scoring an eighth-place finish on a day when the field’s deck of cards was shuffled all day.

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Josh Berry Earns the Wood Brothers' 101st Win at Las Vegas

The 43-year-old started the race in 18th, floating around that spot in the first half of stage one with a tight-handling car. A caution with just over 40 laps to go in the stage struck right in the middle of green flag pit stops, rearranging much of the field to put Allmendinger in eighth. That was all the veteran needed to prove he was in it for the long haul, running some of the fastest lap times en route to a sixth-place stage finish.

Allmendinger looked poised to score more stage points in the second juncture, running inside the top 10 for the large majority of it. With under 20 laps remaining in the stage, Todd Gilliland spun into the wall to bring out a caution, leading to pit stops. Allmendinger was surpassed by drivers who took two tires, and eventually slipped to 16th by the end of the stage, which was attributed to slight damage on the diffuser.

The Los Gatos, Calif., native dodged another bullet on lap 195 when a restart miscue up front led to a multi-car crash, including Allmendinger spinning Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Following the crash, Allmendinger elected to stay out under the yellow, boosting him into the top 10 once again. And even with the underbody damage, the Kaulig Racing driver diffused any worries by holding serve to score his first top 10 of the season.

The result was Allmendinger’s second-best career result at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and going back to his part-time stint in 2024, he has scored a top 10 in three of his last seven starts.

It’s a promising sign for the veteran, as Kaulig has struggled to get off to strong early starts in the past. After a strong part-time schedule with the team in 2022, Allmendinger took some time to get the wind in his sails during a full-time 2023 campaign. With a second crack at a full slate in 2025, early top 10s are building blocks to potentially sneaking a playoff spot in.

Notable Underdog Runs

Coming off a tumultuous week at Phoenix Raceway, Spire Motorsports continued checking off milestones at Las Vegas, with Michael McDowell earning the team its first pole award. But just like Phoenix, the race didn’t treat McDowell or teammate Carson Hocevar too kindly. Justin Haley proved to be the exception, recording a solid 14th-place run in a rebound from a big hit at Phoenix.

Haley’s race didn’t come without its gremlins, as the team lacked radio communication in the opening stage, a tough setback to fight through. That likely assisted some handling issues that mired the No. 7 outside the top 20 through the first two frames. However, a trial by fire in the final stage may have been just what was needed to awake Haley, as he masterfully avoided the lap 195 chaos.

The close call appeared to fuel Haley’s run to the end, as he scored his best finish of the season through five races.

McDowell’s day was more disappointing, more so considering where he started than where he finished. While the veteran certainly carried higher aspirations for the race, he concluded the event in 16th.

It quickly became clear that the No. 71 was set up for qualifying, as McDowell complained of “losing the nose” shortly after falling back in dirty air. That resulted in him plummeting outside the top 30 by the end of stage two.

Strategy was the name of the game for McDowell in the final stage. He stayed out to open the stage, saving both tires and fuel to the max. After taking fuel shortly into the stage, McDowell stayed out following the lap 195 crash, stretching it all the way to lap 243 when the final caution flew.

That ultimately set him up to close the deal in 16th. With four finishes of 16th or better in the first five races, McDowell currently sits 14th in the standings, a solid start for Spire’s newest addition.

A trio of underdogs rounded out the top 20 between Stenhouse, Riley Herbst (a new addition to The Underdog House), and John Hunter Nemechek.

Stenhouse’s recovery came in addition to a stage point scored in stage two by finishing 10th in that instance. The result is also Stenhouse’s fourth top 20 of the new season.

Herbst had to battle back from both starting at the rear due to throttle body adjustments, as well as a speeding penalty to secure his top 20. A Las Vegas native, Herbst also was the highest-finishing driver from the 23XI Racing camp.

Adding to the list of odd challenges for the field, Nemechek also started from the rear due to a throttle body change. With the Backstreet Boys nameplate riding on his car, the race wasn’t exactly an “I Want It That Way” event for Nemechek, but he still captured his fourth top 20 of the season.

Stat To Chew On

While Legacy Motor Club is still young in its history after Richard Petty Motorsports merged with GMS Racing in 2022 (then branded Petty GMS Motorsports) before unfolding into the current team with seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson as the majority owner, Nemechek’s opening stretch is one of the team’s best in that span.

The 27-year-old is just the second driver in the team’s history to score four top 20s in the first five races. The other driver? None other than Ty Dillon, who rallied off four consecutive top 20s to begin his lone season with the team in 2022, which was then under the Chevrolet umbrella.

Another weird stat relates to McDowell’s pole. By leading the first lap, one of the five circuits he paced, McDowell extended the bizarre streak where the driver who led the opening lap at Las Vegas did not win the race. Position number one is not a lottery number to obtain in Vegas, apparently.

See also
NASCAR Standings After Las Vegas

Underdog Power Rankings

1. Nemechek (+2): This week’s rankings feature even more shakeup, starting right at the top. While there hasn’t been anything flashy about Nemechek’s season to this point, he has consistently logged strong results compared to the fiasco Legacy endured last season. Holding the last playoff spot on points, though it’s too early to size up the postseason, Nemechek will look to reach new heights at Homestead-Miami Speedway, a track where he has one top 20 in five starts.

2. Hocevar (-1): The speed was certainly there to keep Hocevar atop the dog yard, but luck was not his fortune in Las Vegas. Despite running in the top five at one point, several miscues on pit road, nose damage, and an unscheduled green flag stop derailed Hocevar’s day, handing him his second consecutive finish of 30th or worse. However, Hocevar could easily reclaim the top standing at Homestead-Miami, where he finished ninth in his debut last fall.

3. McDowell (NR): Don’t look now, but McDowell is slowly starting to gel at his new home with Spire. The team has had its growing pains, but McDowell still sits 14th in points with plenty of his best tracks out the front windshield. His consistency could continue in South Beach, where he has three top 15s in the past five races.

4. Gilliland (-2): The heir to McDowell’s old ride in the No. 34 for Front Row Motorsports, Gilliland had a hit-and-miss day in Vegas after hitting the wall in stage two. The fourth-year driver has had a somewhat slow start to the year, but don’t be surprised to see him turn it around over the next few weeks.

5. Stenhouse: Stage points and a fast car aided what could have been a frustrating result for Stenhouse after his spin. Instead, the concerns of the newly branded Hyak Motorsports are being eradicated by solid runs from Stenhouse as he heads to Homestead-Miami, a track that goes together with his style like peanut butter and jelly.

Honorable mentions (Zane Smith, Herbst, Dillon)

Small Team Scheme of the Week

In his return to his home track, Herbst carried the fan favorite colors of Sunny D, a scheme that surely can’t be missed.

The warm colors of orange, blue, and yellow flowed well under the Nevada sun, making for one of the best schemes of the year.

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Entering his fifth year with Frontstretch, Luken Glover is the author of The Underdog House, shedding light on the motivation and performance of NASCAR's dark horse teams as they strive to fight to the top. Additionally, Glover reports for the site at various events, and he contributes in the video editing department.

A 2023 graduate of the University of the Cumberlands, Glover is a middle school math and PE teacher, as well as a basketball coach. He is passionate about serving in his church, playing/coaching a wide variety of sports, and researching motorsports history.