Entering Bristol Motor Speedway, we had a few names in mind. The tricky 0.533 short track oval has been dominated most recently by Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin. Hence, all eyes were on the Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing drivers. However, both playoff contestants got off to slow starts for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race, with Larson and Hamlin fetching 5th and 6th starting spots. Meanwhile, a non-playoff contender, AJ Allmendinger, stole the limelight for Saturday night’s race.

The Kaulig Racing driver resumed his Cup Series duties in 2025 after two years and has put up impressive finishes. Having clinched 6 top tens and 2 top fives, AJ Allmendinger hoped to clinch his place in the playoffs. Although that did not happen, he is making up for it.

AJ Allmendinger dazzles after a long gap

The three-time Cup Series race winner is known for his road course racing genius. He fetched wins at Watkins Glen, Indianapolis, and Charlotte, with most of his 18 Xfinity Series victories also coming at road courses. However, it has been a while since AJ Allmendinger’s last sparkling moment at an oval course. Back in April 2012, Allmendinger took the pole for Penske Racing at Kansas Speedway by just 0.043 seconds. After that brief moment of glory, Allmendinger entered a deep 13-year-old slumber at oval tracks. That lasted, of course, until the recent qualifying race for Bristol.

As excitement built around the 16 playoff drivers, AJ Allmendinger lapped the half-mile oval in 15.117 seconds. It marked Allmendinger’s fifth career pole, and first in a decade – the last time he clinched a Cup pole was for Watkins Glen in 2015. In a post-qualifying interview, Allmendinger professed surprise: “I don’t know, I closed my eyes at a couple points. I’m not really sure. This Chevy was pretty good in practice, and this place is so tough to qualify. The first lap, she stuck, and I looked down at the dash like okay, that’s a pretty good lap. I know it’s just qualifying. We got 500 laps around this place but to get a pole at Bristol is pretty awesome.”

Now, AJ Allmendinger is eager to break his oval curse as well. The Kaulig Racing driver also hailed his No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet team. “Every old dog has his day. Hopefully, we can do that for 500 laps, but I’m super proud of all the men and women at Kaulig Racing. We’ve been building fast cars all year, and this Cup Series is tough — especially when you’re a small team trying to grow. Little victories like this — even though it’s qualifying — means a lot to us.”

Evidently, Kyle Larson and Co. have a new threat in their hands for Bristol. While they jostle with AJ Allmendinger’s new energy, another playoff contender jostles with his concerning gap.

Looking forward, no matter what

Remember mid-March this year? A Wood Brothers Racing driver dazzled fans with his first-ever Cup Series victory – Josh Berry. Despite this early-season glory, the No. 21 Ford driver’s pace diminished over the following races. Berry registered only three top ten finishes following his wins at Kansas, Daytona, and Richmond. Besides them, most of his results were outside the top 25 or top 30, as he collected 6 DNFs. Entering Bristol, he sits 45 points below the elimination cutline, the lowest among playoff drivers. Nevertheless, Berry looks forward to a good finish on Saturday.

That is because the WBR driver actually performed well, if not for unexpected mishaps. He started third in the Southern 500 but bottomed out in the first corner and crashed out of the race. In Gateway, Josh Berry was racing around the top-10 when a Chase Elliott’s admitted mistake caused a second consecutive crash. Hence, Berry has an optimistic mindset for Bristol: “Now, if we want to advance to the next round we need to win, but we could lead 400 laps Saturday night and blow an engine or have a flat tire and I don’t think any of us on Monday would be disappointed because we ran good. The biggest thing is we just need to run well and be in contention on Saturday night and see what happens from there.”

Evidently, the upcoming night race at the short track will be epic for some drivers. Let’s see if AJ Allmendinger or others can prevail over the sure-shot contenders.