Every race should end like last Sunday’s Verizon 200 at the Brickyard did.
And I don’t mean with one driver spinning another out (intentionally or not is a debate for another day).
I mean, with someone celebrating the way that AJ Allmendinger did. No matter who you were rooting for, if you love NASCAR on any level, you had to enjoy the response to Allmendinger’s win, his second in the Cup series and the first for Kaulig Racing in Cup.
Sadly, all too often, we see certain drivers – and you know who they are – go to Victory Lane like it’s their birthright and act like they should have won by more. Seeing people – drivers, crew, owners – celebrate like no matter where they win, it’s on par with winning a championship or the Daytona 500 makes you remember why you love watching racing in the first place. It’s the dedication, the passion and the sheer joy of victory.
NASCAR may have dubbed 2021 the best season ever, even before the first lap at Daytona. While there are a few stumbles along the way (torrential downpours on some of NASCAR’s biggest additions to the schedule – including the Bristol Dirt Race weekend and Circuit of the Americas), there have also been those moments that have provided an opportunity for fans to remember why they became fans. Michael McDowell at the Daytona 500. Kurt Busch at Atlanta. And now, AJ Allmendinger at Indianapolis.
As they celebrated their victories, you could see these races weren’t just dates on the calendar. They meant something to them. For McDowell, it was his first career win in the biggest race of the year. For Busch, it was the final race at Atlanta before the repave.
And for AJ Allmendinger, it was a win at Indianapolis and a chance to give Kaulig Racing their first win in the Cup Series.
This is not the first time we’ve seen a grand celebratory scene from Allmendinger. Think back to his first Cup win at Watkins Glen in 2014 or, more recently last year’s Atlanta Xfinity win, his first on an oval course. This is a guy who recognizes just how special and important every win can be.
It’s not hard to cheer for Kaulig Racing. In existence since just 2016, this is a team that seems to be one team, not a collection of several separate teams under one banner. A great example of that was Justin Hailey’s win at Talladega last year. Hailey celebrated for sure, but Allmendinger and then-Kaulig driver Ross Chastain celebrated together. A win for one was a win for all!
In 1998, as Dale Earnhardt celebrated his win in the Daytona 500, he remembered to give a shout-out to a crew member whose daughter had been born that morning, he celebrated with long-time car owner and friend Richard Childress and didn’t say “I won it!”, he said “We won it! We won it! We won it!” He understood, as the truly great competitors understand to this day, that to win at NASCAR’s highest level, it takes a team effort.
And so, on Sunday afternoon, AJ Allmendinger and Kaulig Racing celebrated a huge win, at a historic venue, for a driver that had to overcome personal adversity to make it back to NASCAR and for a team that hasn’t even begun to compete full-time in the Cup Series. It was a good day for NASCAR and a good day to be a NASCAR fan.
johnmilner.ca 