NASCAR: A.J. Allmendinger running full-time in 2021?

With an impressive part-time run at Kaulig Racing this year, a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series ride would be the logical next step for A.J. Allmendinger.

Kaulig Racing’s A.J. Allmendinger recorded his second win and sixth top five finish in 10 NASCAR Xfinity Series starts this year this past weekend at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.

With impressive numbers in recent years and teammate Ross Chastain moving up to the Cup Series next season with Chip Ganassi Racing, a full-time ride with Kaulig Racing would seem to be the logical next step for Allmendinger.

Sure, the best full-time Xfinity Series rides tend to be handed to the up-and-coming drivers, giving top Cup Series organizations an unofficial farm system.

But Justin Allgaier and Elliott Sadler have shown that Cup veterans can be valuable championship contenders on an Xfinity team.

For his part, Allmendinger is not sure what next season will look like, but knows that he’ll return to Matt Kaulig’s team in some capacity.

He told Frontstretch’s Mike Neff and Dustin Albino that “whether that’s more races than it is this year, I hope so. Running full-time, I’d be ok with that as well.”

Allmendinger has 11 top five finishes and 57 top 10 finishes in 371 Cup Series starts, with his lone win coming for JTG Daugherty Racing at Watkins Glen International in 2014. He has an average finish of 21.1 at the sport’s top level, with a best championship standings finish being 13th place in 2014 after his win gave him a playoff berth in the then-new 16-driver format.

Allmendinger did not necessarily have the best rides, but his lack of Cup success and his reputation as more of a road course driver means that his chances at a Cup ride aren’t the greatest right now.

So why not continue to shake heads in the Xfinity Series and contend for a championship there?

The 38-year-old Los Gatos, California native has run well in limited Xfinity Series opportunities over the past decade. In 2013, he grabbed wins in his only two starts, visiting victory lane at Road America and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for Team Penske. Five years later, he made a one-off appearance for GMS Racing and finished in second place at Watkins Glen.

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Allmendinger teamed up with Kaulig Racing to share driving duties behind the wheel of the #10 Chevrolet last season. He was disqualified in his first two starts, which he finished inside the top three, before finishing in third place at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, 24th at Road America and winning at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval.

He returned to Kaulig Racing this year. He failed to qualify for the opening race at Daytona International Speedway before returning to action following the shutdown.

He finished in 10th place on the short track of Bristol Motor Speedway before grabbing top five finishes in a pair of races at 1.5-mile tracks, as he secured his first oval win at Atlanta Motor Speedway and finished in fourth at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Allmendinger’s last seven starts have come on road courses and superspeedways. This season, he recorded one top 10 finish in three superspeedway races, as he was wrecked out twice. Meanwhile, he recorded one win, four top five finishes and an average finish of 2.75 in four road course races. Overall, he has a 7.20 average finish this year.

What makes this season even more impressive is the fact that Allmendinger is running for a third Kaulig Racing team that only runs when he does. The part-time nature of the team also means starting further back in the pack, due to NASCAR’s new format for determining starting lineups. His average starting position is 29.50, 22.30 positions lower than his average finish.

In a limited number of races this season, he has proven his ability to run well at a variety of tracks and under a variety of conditions, with his Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval win coming in an event that saw heavy rain at times and an unusually high number of wrecks on a track which was pooling with water.

Kaulig Racing have proven their ability to contend for a championship, and giving Allmendinger a full-time opportunity next season could prove to be beneficial for their title hopes. In a series dominated by up-and-comers, this NASCAR veteran would fit in well as a full-time driver next year.