AJ Allmendinger 2026 Report Card: A C- Before the Dodge Era
Welcome to the Happy Hour Racing 2026 Season Report Cards, where every full-time Cup Series driver gets a grade computed from all 36 races, not opinion. Next up: the number 16, and a driver who was a different racer on the road courses.
The Short Version
AJ Allmendinger's 2026 season came down to where the race was. On the four road and street courses he averaged a 9.3 finish, with a 5th in San Diego, a 7th at Watkins Glen and a 9th at COTA. On the 32 ovals he averaged 23.4. He finished 25th in points, and his computed season grade is a C-, 26th of 35 full-time drivers. Next year he moves to a new manufacturer, as Kaulig Racing becomes Dodge's factory Cup team.
Why the AJ Allmendinger 2026 Grade Is a C-
Every HHR report card grade comes from the same math. After every race, each driver gets a score out of 100 based on where they finished in the field, how many spots they gained or lost from the start, how many laps they led, and a penalty for not finishing. The season grade is the average of all 36 race scores, curved against the 35 drivers who ran the full year.
Allmendinger's season score ranked 26th of 35, which lands at C-. His 21.8 average finish ranked 26th, and he spent just 13.6% of his laps inside the top 15, 30th in the field. His average running position of 23.0 ranked 28th.
He was not a wild card, though. His finish spread ranked 9th, so his results stayed in a fairly tight band, mostly between 15th and 30th. That is the profile of a C- season: predictable, and predictably outside the top 15.
AJ Allmendinger by the Numbers
Here is where Allmendinger ranked among the 35 full-time drivers in 14 stats. The bar and the circle show his rank (1 is best). The number on the right is the actual stat.
His top ranks are in consistency: 9th in finish spread, 13th in positions gained (+0.5) and 16th in DNFs (4). He ran 139 fastest laps, 19th.
The finishing and speed sections are mostly in the high 20s. One top 5 ranked 25th. Four top 10s ranked 27th. Nine laps led ranked 28th. His average driver rating of 58.4 ranked 26th.
The Road Course Weekends
Allmendinger has long been one of the best road racers in NASCAR, and 2026 showed it again.
- COTA, March 1: started 7th, led a lap, finished 9th.
- Watkins Glen, May 10: started 12th, finished 7th.
- San Diego, June 21: started 15th, finished 5th, his only top 5 of the year and Kaulig's first of 2026.
- Sonoma, June 28: started 8th, finished 16th.
The San Diego street race on Naval Base Coronado was the high point. The same weekend, he said he planned to return to Kaulig in 2027. Through 18 races, his average finish was 19.3.
Two Straight 37ths, Then a Quiet Fall
July hurt. Allmendinger crashed out at Atlanta on July 12 and finished 37th. A week later at North Wilkesboro, he bounced off the outside wall on lap 173 while racing Joey Logano and damaged the right rear of the car. The team made repairs, but he went to the hauler on lap 204 and finished 37th again. The results list the cause as suspension, which was the damage from that hit.
He did not make the 16-driver Chase, and the second half never really turned. His average finish over the final 18 races was 24.3, and over the final 10 it was 22.7. His best result in that last stretch was a 15th at Las Vegas in October.
What 2027 Looks Like
Allmendinger stays in the No. 16 in 2027, but the car changes. On Nov. 6 at Homestead, Kaulig Racing named him and Ty Dillon as the drivers for Dodge's return to the Cup Series, the brand's first Cup program since 2012. Allmendinger started his Cup career in a Dodge in 2006. Trent Owens was his crew chief for all 36 races in 2026, and no 2027 crew chief announcement has been made. Track every move on our 2027 silly season tracker.
The 2027 Daytona 500 is Feb. 21. Start times and channels for every race are on our race TV guide, and every other driver's grade is on the 2026 report cards page.
The Bottom Line
On a road course, Allmendinger was a top-10 driver in 2026. Everywhere else, he was a 23rd-place driver, and the C- is the honest blend of the two. A brand new Dodge program is a fresh start, and the oval results are what will decide whether it works.
Gear Up for 2027
We do not have AJ Allmendinger gear in stock right now. These are the easiest ways to keep the hats and shirts coming through the offseason.
- NASCAR Fan Cap Subscription
- Winner's Circle Shirt Subscription
- Pit Stop Surprise Subscription
- The newest NASCAR gear
Sources: NASCAR official race results and loop data for all 36 2026 points races; San Diego via Jayski and NASCAR.com; North Wilkesboro via LastCar.info; Dodge and Kaulig via NASCAR.com, RACER, Jayski and AP.
