BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Nine races into the 2025 Cup Series season, AJ Allmendinger and Kaulig Racing are in contention for a playoff spot after a steady streak of consistency.
Allmendinger crossed the finish line ninth overall at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday evening, marking his third top-10 finish in the last five races.
He also scored a stage point and posted the race's Xfinity Fastest Lap, which helped him add two more points to his season-long total. Allmendinger has now posted the Xfinity Fastest Lap two times this season.
The California native is 16th in the Cup Series standings, putting him right on the cutline. He has 198 points, putting him 19 points ahead of Josh Berry in 17th place. Although, Berry has a guaranteed spot with a race win.
"To have three top-10 finishes in the last five races is a big deal for us at Kaulig Racing," Allmendinger said, per Kaulig Racing. "More importantly, we were able to run inside the top 12 all day, which is really great momentum for our team.
"We were able to get another stage point, which shows we're consistently running with the front of the field. We will keep building on what we have, knocking out these top-10 finishes and go execute at the races we know we have a shot to win."
Allmendinger's season started with a mechanical issue. He finished 41st in the Daytona 500 due to an engine failure. He then finished 14th, 30th, and 22nd at Atlanta, Circuit of the Americas, and Phoenix.
The veteran driver began scoring better finishes when NASCAR headed to the traditional ovals. He crossed the line eighth at Las Vegas and seventh at Homestead. Allmendinger finished 23rd and 18th at Martinsville Darlington, but he offset these finishes with stage points.
Top-10 finishes were not the only reason why the Kaulig Racing driver moved from well out of contention to a playoff spot in recent weeks. He and the No. 16 team have also scored 30 stage points.
Allmendinger has more stage points after nine races than Kyle Busch in 15th (16), Chris Buescher in 12th (20), and Ross Chastain in 11th (19).
Compare this season's first nine races to 2023, the last time Allmendinger competed full-time in the Cup Series.
The veteran started the 2023 season with a sixth-place finish in the Daytona 500. He did not post another top-10 finish until crossing the line sixth overall at Sonoma on June 11. His best finishes between Daytona and Sonoma were 14th at Kansas, Charlotte, and Gateway.
Allmendinger's average finish in the first nine races of 2023 was 22.2. His average finish through the same stretch this season is 19.1.