A. J. Allmendinger

Anthony James Allmendinger, known as “the Dinger”, was born on December 16, 1981 in the United States. His motorsports career began unusually early: At just five years old, he was riding a BMX bike, and by eight years old, he had moved to Quarter-Midget ovals on the American West Coast. Shortly after, he found his way to kart racing, where he immediately won two Grand National titles with the International Kart Federation (IKF), proving his talent at an early age.

His path to junior series racing began in 2001 via the Formula Dodge National Championship, before Allmendinger claimed the Barber Dodge Pro Series title in 2002 and competed in parallel in New Zealand’s Formula Ford Championship. In 2003, he joined Team RuSPORT from Carl Russo and secured the Champ Car Atlantic Championship title with nine pole positions and seven victories. The success paved his way into the Champ Car World Series, where he was named Rookie of the Year in 2004 and finished third overall in 2006 with five season wins, before making the jump to NASCAR through an engagement with Red Bull.

Among the greatest successes of his career is the overall victory at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2012, which he achieved with Michael Shank’s team alongside Justin Wilson, John Pew, and Oswaldo Negri Jr. In the NASCAR Cup Series, Allmendinger has celebrated wins at Watkins Glen (2014), on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course (2021), and on the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval (2023). In the Xfinity Series, he was Regular Season Champion with Kaulig Racing in 2021 and 2022 and recorded 18 wins throughout his career there.

In the 2026 season, Allmendinger will compete as a full-time driver for Kaulig Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, piloting the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 with the number 16. Additionally, he will continue to compete part-time in the Craftsman Truck Series for Kaulig. After years as a full-time driver, team rookie, and occasional TV analyst, the veteran is now focusing fully on the cockpit and aims to replicate previous successes with his long-time team.