In 2015, AJ Allmendinger was on the rise. Fresh off a 2014 NASCAR Cup Series win at Watkins Glen, the road course ace had high hopes with JTG Daugherty Racing. But his optimism quickly hit a wall,  or rather, the garage. Three straight weeks of mechanical failures wrecked his early season. At Phoenix, an overheating Earnhardt Childress Racing (ECR) engine forced him to start at the back. He still salvaged 17th.

The following week at Auto Club, a plug wire failure dropped him to 34th. Then came Martinsville, smoke filled his cockpit, oil leaked, and the car died by Lap 177. Allmendinger said at the time, “Motor issues of some sort, I’m not sure what the exact problem is with the motor. I noticed some smoke… then it was smoking so bad they black-flagged me.” He wasn’t alone. Austin Dillon, Childress’ grandson, also fell victim to ECR woes that day.

“We just have to do a better job of going through our procedures at ECR,” Dillon said. Back then, AJ still had patience. Fast-forward to 2025, and history is repeating itself. Allmendinger, now with Kaulig Racing, is again fighting mechanical failures. But this time, he’s not holding back. After another ECR engine went up in smoke in Kansas, AJ unloaded over the radio. And what he said lit up the NASCAR world.