Allmendinger, Kaulig Racing Penalized for Unapproved Nashville Adjustments

AJ Allmendinger and his No. 16 Kaulig Racing team face significant penalties ahead of the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway due to unapproved adjustments made to the car's splitter after initial inspection. Despite qualifying 17th, Allmendinger will start at the rear of the field, lose pit stall selection, and must serve a stop-and-go penalty after the green flag. The car chief, Jaron Antley, has been ejected from the event and had his hard card confiscated, underscoring NASCAR's strict enforcement. These penalties come shortly after Allmendinger's strong fourth-place finish at Charlotte, which boosted his standings near the playoff cutline. The infraction forced the team to undo the illegal modifications and delayed practice participation, complicating their efforts at a track favorable to Allmendinger's style. While the situation is a setback, Allmendinger still has upcoming races on road courses that could help improve his playoff positioning.