“I love Ty, we’ll talk about it”: AJ Allmendinger not disappointed by contact with Ty Gibbs at COTA Xfinity race

AJ Allmendinger did not let frustration take over himself after a late clash with Ty Gibbs in the recent NASCAR Xfinity Series race at COTA.

Kaulig Racing veteran and Xfinity Series returnee AJ Allmendinger was looking poised to secure a strong finish in the recent Xfinity Series Focused Health 250 race at Circuit of the Americas. The 42-year-old driver of the #16 Chevrolet was battling it out with teammate and rookie Shane van Gisbergen for the first position with nine laps to go on the road course

However, Allmendinger's fortune turned on its head when a late oil leak with four laps to go brought on the second restart of the race. What ensued was yet another chaotic pile-up that engulfed multiple cars, including Allmendinger's Chevy.

Amidst the frantic scramble to salvage positions, Allmendinger found himself in contact with Ty Gibbs, who was fulfilling his part-time duties in the Xfinity Series. The Joe Gibbs Racing youngster had to settle for a 24th-place finish, whereas Allmendinger finished 10th.

Speaking to Frontstretch after the race, AJ Allmendinger said of Ty Gibbs:

"We got to talk about it. We were just racing. You’re racing for the win. Everybody’s on the edge and doing everything they can. I love Ty [Gibbs], and we’ll talk about it tomorrow.

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AJ Allmendinger on late caution and duel with Shane van Gisbergen

While Kaulig Racing looked set for a one-two finish in the latter stages of the race, the late drama relegated three-time Australian Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen to a 27th-place finish.

SVG crossed the line in second but was handed a 30-second penalty for short-cutting the final lap. Addressing the situation, Allmendinger expressed confidence in the team's performance despite the late drama. He said, via the aforementioned source:

"I thought SVG and I had the dominant cars. He was a little bit better on that last run there. I got too free, so we were probably going to come home one-two, and that was the way it was going to go.

Speaking of the late caution, he added:

"Once the caution comes out in these late races, especially these road courses, anything could happen. So, you expect the worst and hope for the best, and we got the worst of it."

With his top 10 finish, AJ Allmendinger finds himself sixth in the NASCAR Xfinity Series standings with 162 points to his name. Allmendinger will also compete in Sunday's Cup Series race, where he will pilot the No. 13 Chevrolet for Kaulig Racing and start the race from 14th position.