The transition this season from the playoff chamionship format to the Chase for the Cup presented a new challenge for NASCAR Cup Series teams. Drivers who once targeted wins at their wheelhouse tracks are no longer guaranteed a top-16 points finish by doing so. Road course aces in particular are among the most affected, with their discipline being perhaps the furthest distanced from the rest of NASCAR racing.
One driver whose path to the Chase looks substantially different is AJ Allmendinger. All three of Allmendinger’s Cup Series wins have come on road courses, as have nine of his 22 career top-fives. With an extensive open wheel background, Allmendinger’s oval performance has always been a bit less electric his road racing prowess. It should only follow that Allmendinger would prefer a format where he could hone in on road courses to ease some pressure to hone his oval game. In comments given Saturday, Allmendinger indicated it’s of little importance to him.
“It’s still the same, and I think you guys are still probably thinking about it more,” the 44-year-old said with a laugh during an EchoPark Speedway media session. “My buddies were texting me when it came out, about the new playoff format. I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’ That’s how much I pay attention to it. Doesn’t matter to me.”
Some of that indifference may be a result of the playoffs not actually helping Allmendinger as much as one would think. Having been a full-time Cup Series driver for seven of the 12 playoff seasons, Allmendinger made the cut in only one of them. That came in 2014, when he won at Watkins Glen International and finished 13th in the final standings. One of Allmendinger’s other two wins came when he was declared for O’Reilly Auto Parts Series points, and the other came after he already missed the Cup playoffs.
“At the end of the day, my job is to go out there and try to get the best finish possible,” Allmendinger continued. “If we have a chance to win, we’re going to do the things we have to do to try to win that race, and if not you’re still just trying to finish in the best spot possible, right? 19th is better than 20th and so on.”
Two races into the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season, AJ Allmendinger is 18th in the points standings. He’s currently one point behind the final spot in the Chase for the Cup.
