August 15, 2021 | By Lee Spencer

Shock and Awe: Allmendinger wins at the Brickyard

Taking advantage of newer tires during a second overtime restart following two red-flag periods, AJ Allmendinger scored the first NASCAR Cup Series victory for Kaulig Racing in Sunday’s Verizon 200 at the Brickyard.

The victory was Allmendinger’s second in the Cup Series, the first coming at Watkins Glen in 2014. It was a serendipitous harbinger for Kaulig’s full-time foray into NASCAR’s top division in 2022.

Allmendinger took the lead after Chase Briscoe spun race leader Denny Hamlin on the first of two laps in the second overtime.

Dinger celebrated first with donuts on the front stretch followed with a hug from team owner Matt Kaulig.

“It was survival of the fittest,” said Allmendinger, who made his fourth Cup start for Kaulig in a part-time role. “We probably had an eighth or tenth-place car and sped on pit road. So we were probably going to finish 12th to 15th. And then those restarts were just insane. It’s great when you have a car owner (Kaulig) who says, ‘Just go get me trophies.’ He doesn’t care if that thing’s torn up.”

Ryan Blaney finished second. Kyle Larson, coming off of his momentous Knoxville Nationals win, finished third. Chase Elliott, Matt DiBenedetto, Kurt Busch, Erik Jones, Justin Haley, Austin and Ryan Newman rounded out the top 10.

The race offered little action during the first 35 laps. Larson led the most laps but Tyler Reddick, who entered the weekend on the Playoff bubble, did his best to maximize points by winning the first two stages. The leaders pitted on Lap 38 with 44 laps to go. The third segment began on Lap 40 but before completing a full segment, a debris caution for sheet metal under the Turn 6 curbing stalled the race with Larson in the lead.

The field completed 31 laps before the fourth yellow flew—again for debris in Turn 6—and Matt DiBenedetto already in the pits. Larson, who had the lead, pitted with Chase Elliott, William Bryon, Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch in tow. Elliott’s car fell off the jack on the right side and he dropped from second to 16th.

Meanwhile, Hamlin remained on the track along with Kurt Busch, DiBenedetto cycled up to third followed by Briscoe, Larson, Byron, Truex, Joey Logano, Cole Custer and Christopher Bell.

When the race returned to green on Lap 77, Kurt Busch was pushed off the track in Turn 1 and dropped to sixth. Truex was tripped by the Turn 6 curbing, stalled, and was spun off the track by Bell. A battle ensued between Hamlin and Briscoe, but before the field could complete the next lap, Byron launched the No. 24 Chevrolet off of the Turn 6 curbing. Joey Logano and Kyle Busch slid to avoid the melee but the No. 22 Ford ended up deep in the tire barrier.

NASCAR red-flagged the race on Lap 81. After 19 minutes to repair the track and remove cars collected in the nine-car wreck, drivers completed seven laps under yellow while clean up continued. The race restarted on Lap 89—in overtime—with Hamlin and Larson on the front row. Larson was pushed deep into the first corner by Kurt Busch then doored off of the track by DiBenedetto. He dropped to seventh.

Once again, as the field came through Turn 6, Michael McDowell went airborne off of the rumble strip and off the track to trigger the sixth and final caution—and ultimately the second red flag. After an additional four-minute clean-up, the remaining 24 cars lined up for a two-lap shootout.

Briscoe was pushed off of the track in Turns  2 and 3 and did not reenter properly. Before he took his penalty, Briscoe knocked Hamlin off the track in hopes of taking the lead but consequently handed over the point—and the win—to Allmendinger.

“Thank you everybody for coming out,” Allmendinger said. “Let’s go!”

Hamlin, who finished 23rd and took a major hit in the points in his quest for the regular-season champion, discussed his displeasure with Briscoe after the race.

“He went right into the back of me. ,” Hamlin said. "You can't race that way. I'm not furious over him, but it sucks. He obviously turned our day upside-down."

Larson holds a 22-point lead over Hamlin.