“You don’t do that”: NASCAR insider speaks out against AJ Allmendinger’s ruthless takedown of ECR

In an intense race at Kansas Speedway, NASCAR Cup Series driver AJ Allmendinger had his fair share of struggles. After a mechanical failure, he got an early exit and expressed frustration over the team radio, calling out the engine manufacturer. Following the instance, NASCAR analysts Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi gave their take on Allmendinger's response.

The Kaulig Racing driver has had a tough time since the qualifying session. He qualified out of the top 30 drivers in P33 on the grid with a best time of 30.16 seconds and a top speed of 179.04 mph. Also, he was 0.77 seconds behind the pole sitter, Hendrick Motorsports ace Kyle Larson. After a slow start, the #16 Chevy Camaro ZL1 driver was the first to exit from the 267-lap race.

AJ Allmendinger only completed six laps at Kansas Speedway before his engine failed. Following the incident, he blasted Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines (ECR) over the team radio and expressed his frustration (via Skid on X):

"Hey ECR, you guys f***ing suck."

Following the incident, Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic gave their take on Allmendinger's rant on the "Teardown" podcast on YouTube.

“You know the playoff bubble; we just started talking about all these guys last week. Oh, AJ Allmendinger’s in the mix, boom. Gone,” said Gluck. [26:25 onwards]

“And how about his rant? That really, you don’t do that,” he added.

Agreeing with Gluck, Jordan Bianchi stated:

“Specifically calling out the engine department… that is, whew…”

After his third DNF this season, AJ Allmendinger ranks 25th in the Cup Series drivers' points table with 218 points to his name. He has only secured three top-10 finishes in 12 starts with an average finish of 22.5.

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NASCAR driver AJ Allmendinger on the different goals for the Xfinity and Cup Series

In April 2025, NASCAR Cup Series driver AJ Allmendinger revealed the difference between Kaulig Racing's expectations for the Xfinity and Cup Series. Allmendinger competed in both series for the team.

During the interview with Kaulig Racing, the #16 Chevy Camaro ZL1 driver said:

"In the Xfinity Series, we're expected to go win races and try to win the championship. In the Cup Series, you know, there are certain weekends that 15th, 20th place, that's a great weekend for us. I've enjoyed this year, just in the short amount of time that we've had so far, working with Ty Dillon on the Cup side of it. That's been a fun teammate to have."

AJ Allmendinger has secured three wins, 81 top-10 finishes, and four pole positions in 451 starts in his 18-year stint in the Cup Series. On the other hand, in the Xfinity Series, the 43-year-old amassed 18 wins, 86 top-10 finishes, and 11 pole positions in 131 starts in a decade.