In 2015, AJ Allmendinger was on the rise. Fresh off a 2014 NASCAR Cup Series win at Watkins Glen, the road course ace had high hopes with JTG Daugherty Racing. But his optimism quickly hit a wall,  or rather, the garage. Three straight weeks of mechanical failures wrecked his early season. At Phoenix, an overheating Earnhardt Childress Racing (ECR) engine forced him to start at the back. He still salvaged 17th.

The following week at Auto Club, a plug wire failure dropped him to 34th. Then came Martinsville, smoke filled his cockpit, oil leaked, and the car died by Lap 177. Allmendinger said at the time, “Motor issues of some sort, I’m not sure what the exact problem is with the motor. I noticed some smoke… then it was smoking so bad they black-flagged me.” He wasn’t alone. Austin Dillon, Childress’ grandson, also fell victim to ECR woes that day.

“We just have to do a better job of going through our procedures at ECR,” Dillon said. Back then, AJ still had patience. Fast-forward to 2025, and history is repeating itself. Allmendinger, now with Kaulig Racing, is again fighting mechanical failures. But this time, he’s not holding back. After another ECR engine went up in smoke in Kansas, AJ unloaded over the radio. And what he said lit up the NASCAR world.

AJ Allmendinger’s Kansas meltdown!

At Kansas Speedway during the AdventHealth 400, disaster struck early for AJ Allmendinger. On Lap 7, while exiting Turn 4, his No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet erupted in smoke. His engine gave up suddenly, trailing a thick cloud as he coasted helplessly. The caution flew. It was the first major interruption of the race, and it belonged to Allmendinger. “It won’t start,” he said, confirming what everyone watching suspected. “It’s done.”

But the biggest moment came not on the track, but over the radio. The usually composed Allmendinger lit up the comms with F-bombs for Richard Childress and co. “Hey ECR, you guys f—— suck!” he screamed. Crew chief Trent Owens asked, “You lose the engine?” Allmendinger shot back with pure sarcasm: “Yeah. Shockingly!” The tension didn’t stop there. More f-bombs followed. “I mean, what the f, you guys. F— you guys!” His rage could still be heard through the in-car audio, even after the radio cut out.

This wasn’t a one-off outburst. It was built on a pattern. Just one week earlier at Texas, Allmendinger was caught in a violent wreck triggered by Bubba Wallace and Joey Logano. AJ’s car got caught in the chaos and launched into the air after contact with Noah Gragson. He finished 36th. Now, at Kansas, another DNF. Two races. Two finishes outside the top 35. It’s the kind of run that crushes a mid-tier team’s playoff hopes.

This wasn’t a one-off outburst. It was built on a pattern. Just one week earlier at Texas, Allmendinger was caught in a violent wreck triggered by Bubba Wallace and Joey Logano. AJ’s car got caught in the chaos and launched into the air after contact with Noah Gragson. He finished 36th. Now, in Kansas, another DNF. Two races. Two finishes outside the top 35. It’s the kind of run that crushes a mid-tier team’s playoff hopes.

And that’s what made his reaction so raw. This Kansas engine failure wasn’t just a technical issue; it was a betrayal of progress. Kaulig Racing had been trending upward. But two DNFs in two weeks threaten to undo their momentum. Also, this is not the first engine related issue for the team. They had similar failure at Daytona which also ended in DNF for them. After from these three DNF’s Allmendinger has been performing well.

With three top 10s in 11 races and sitting 19th in points, he had been punching above Kaulig’s weight. Dale Jr. even said on his podcast, “Both cars have overachieved in my opinion… AJ’s been running great. They’ve overachieved.” His average finish before Texas was better than expected. But two DNFs in a row could sink all of that goodwill if the team doesn’t respond quickly. Allmendinger’s stats prove he’s still a valuable Cup driver.

He is one of the few drivers outside the big teams consistently putting up mid-pack and top-10 results. But two straight DNFs have dropped his average finish to 21.09 and chipped away at his playoff cushion. The outburst over the radio wasn’t just about one bad race. It was the boiling point of years of similar setbacks. Despite the frustrations, Allmendinger remains realistic. He’s not racing for Hendrick or Penske. He knows what mid-pack teams fight against. “In the Xfinity Series, we’re expected to win. In Cup, 15th to 20th is a great weekend sometimes,” he said recently.

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Allmendinger credits Ty Dillon for Kaulig’s alliance with Richard Childress

While AJ Allmendinger’s fury dominated headlines at Kansas, behind the scenes, he’s been vocal about who’s helped stabilize Kaulig Racing’s Cup effort. According to AJ, much of that credit goes to Ty Dillon. In recent interviews, Allmendinger made it clear: “Ty has brought a lot. He and Austin are brothers, and more than anything, that has tied our race teams together more. Which is what we’ve needed to do.”

He’s not just being polite. Dillon’s presence has played a direct role in strengthening the bridge between Kaulig and Richard Childress Racing. Kaulig Racing and RCR have shared a technical alliance for years, but this season that connection feels deeper. And Allmendinger believes that’s thanks in part to Dillon’s integration into the program. Dillon’s experience with RCR and Germain Racing has made him an ideal link between the two growing operations.

“It’s the additions both organizations have made, a few of the Stewart-Haas guys that came over to RCR, and Mike Cook from SHR to Kaulig,” AJ said. Those moves have helped blend talent and resources more effectively. AJ also acknowledged the infrastructure Kaulig now accesses due to its physical and technical proximity to Richard Childress Racing. Shared simulation data, engineering tools, and aerodynamic testing have helped Kaulig get faster.

“This isn’t where we want to stay long-term, but being above the playoff cutline in the Cup Series is a positive sign,” AJ admitted earlier in the season. That confidence comes not just from driver performance, but from deeper collaboration. Dillon, who’s now in his first full season with Kaulig since 2023, has played a vital role in reinforcing those internal channels.