Kaulig Racing’s Ty Dillon finished a season-best 12th and teammate AJ Allmendinger 35th (accident) in Sunday’s rain-delayed 400-mile NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway. The finishes don’t tell the full story of how fast both Kaulig Racing cars were on the 1.33-mile concrete oval.

Race Recap

Dillon’s race included overcoming losing two laps in the second stage to run as high as 11th in the final stage, dodging several accidents during the race. He started a final five-lap shootout in 15th and raced to 12th.

Allmendinger led seven laps and won the first stage, marking his first stage win since 2024, the second of his career, and the first for Kaulig Racing on an oval. He was running third on lap 173 in the second stage when mechanical issues sent the No. 16 hard into the wall, ending his race.

Beyond the Flag

Both Kaulig Racing cars showed early speed in the first stage, with Allmendinger taking the lead on lap 75 when he stayed on track while most of the field pitted. When the race restarted, Allmendinger — on old tires — battled Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson before winning the stage. Dillon climbed from 30th to 24th in the opening stage.

Beyond the Flag

Allmendinger continued to run strongly in the second stage, advancing to third midway through before the accident. A caution in the middle of the pit cycle dropped Dillon two laps behind the leaders, but a wave-around and another caution allowed him to return to the lead lap and finish the stage 28th.

NASCAR.com

Rain delayed Sunday night’s race by one hour and forced the cancellation of Saturday’s qualifying. NASCAR set the starting field according to the rule book.

Beyond the Flag

The NASCAR Cup Series returns to action Sunday, June 7, at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. The race will air on Prime, the NASCAR Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90) at 3 p.m. EDT.

Beyond the Flag

Driver Quotes

Ty Dillon

“I’m really proud of that finish. That was our best finish of the year and it wasn’t without its challenges being two laps down at one point. We knew the car had the potential all day. It was just getting it in the right spot, and the closer we got to the front, it just got better and better. So, I’m just proud of our effort, man. We’re digging. We’re fighters. We don’t give up no matter what comes our way, and I feel like our team is building. So, we’re learning, improving, and now it is onto the next one with a little bit of momentum.”

AJ Allmendinger

“A few drivers had brake rotor issues earlier in the race, but I had no warning signs of it. The pedals never went soft and I didn’t feel like I was over-using the brakes, so it was a shock when it happened. It looked like we were going to finish maybe third to fifth in Stage 2. (Michael) McDowell was a little quicker that stage, but I think fifth was going to be the worst we were going to finish there. That was going to be two really good stages. At that point, if you can finish in the top-20, that would have been a big points day. It’s just disappointing, but it’s nobody’s fault. Obviously, we’ve seen that’s been an issue here. I don’t know if it’s lower downforce or carrying more speed with more horsepower down the straightaway and you’re using more brake. I’ve never felt like this is a heavy braking racetrack, in general, so I’m not really sure.”

Kaulig Racing PR