AJ Allmendinger Drives to Charlotte Roval Win

Team Chevy driver AJ Allmendinger turned in a masterful drive on the challenging Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval on Sunday while fending off numerous challengers to score his third career NASCAR Cup Series victory.

Allmendinger, a noted road course ace, qualified sixth for the Bank of America ROVAL 400 in his Kaulig Racing No. 16 Camaro ZL1. As strategy played out in the race on the 17-turn, 2.32-mile circuit, he steered into the lead for the first time on Lap 58.

Allmendinger went on to lead a race-high 46 laps, including the final 33, as he survived multiple late-race restarts in the final stage. He took the win by 0.666 seconds over hard-charging fellow Chevrolet driver William Byron in the event, which also served as the NASCAR Playoffs Round of 12 elimination race.

The win was Allmendinger’s first Cup triumph of the season and his first at Charlotte in NASCAR’s top series. However, he has won four times in the NASCAR Xfinity Series on the Roval layout, and has scored 14 road course victories overall in NASCAR’s national series.

“You don't know when you're going to do it again,” said an emotional Allmendinger, who is also a new dad, after the race. “I love all the men and women at Kaulig Racing so much … My mom and dad, all my family and friends – those people see how much anguish and how much I put it on my shoulders when we're struggling. It just means the world.”

With Allmendinger’s Sunday victory, seven different drivers from five Chevrolet teams have now won Cup races in 2023.

Allmendinger’s win was the series-leading 16th for Chevrolet this season, and its 849th all-time, extending the Bowtie Brand’s record as the winningest manufacturer in NASCAR’s premier series. The win was also Chevrolet's fourth in six races on the road course layout at Charlotte.

Team Chevy scored six of the top-10 finishing positions on Sunday, with Kyle Busch coming home third, Alex Bowman eighth, Chase Elliott ninth and Ross Chastain rounding out the top-10.

With the original playoff field now cut in half, Chevrolet drivers Byron and 2021 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson have advanced to the Round of 8 to keep their title hopes alive as the field continues to be pared down.

However, victories like Allmendinger’s illustrate the strength of the Bowtie across the board.

Keep watching The BLOCK for more on Chevrolet Performance and all motorsports disciplines.