AJ Allmendinger didn’t qualify for the NASCAR Playoffs this year, but his win on the Charlotte Roval on Sunday still meant a lot.
The Kaulig Racing driver was in tears during his victory lap after holding off points leader William Byron for the final 10 laps after a late race restart caused by a fire that broke out in Ricky Stenhouse Jr’s car.
It was the 41-year-old Allmendinger’s first win in the Cup Series since the Indianapolis Road Course race in 2021 and his third overall since winning at Watkins Glen in 2014.
“I hate crying right now, but, you just, it’s a frickin’ Cup race, man, you don’t know when it’s ever going to happen again,” Allmendinger said during his post-race interview on NBC.
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Kyle Busch was alongside Allmendinger for the final restart and needed a win to advance to the next round of the playoffs, but got loose and was passed by Byron and ended up finishing third, which elimitated him from championship contention.
Bubba Wallace, Ross Chastain and Brad Keselowski also failed to advance.
Byron and Ryan Blaney were already locked into the next round thanks to wins at Texas and Talladega, while Denny Hamlin picked up enough points in the first two stages at Charlotte to advance, despite not finishing the race due to damage to his car.
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Martin Truex Jr, Kyle Larson, Chris Buescher, Christopher Bell and Tyler Reddick will join them in the final round.
Allmendinger is signed with Kaulig Racing for next season, but it hasn’t been confirmed if he’ll be back in the Cup Series or dropping down to the Xfinity Series. He is currently in 21st position in the overall points standings.