Kaulig Racing Weekly Advance | Circuit of the Americas (COTA)
EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix
Circuit of the Americas (COTA)
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Sunday, March 26 at 3:30 p.m. EST on FOX
- Kaulig Racing has made three starts at COTA in the NCS.
- The team’s best finish at COTA came in 2021, when AJ Allmendinger placed fifth in 2021 Echopark Texas Grand Prix
AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Nutrien Ag Solutions FARMSMART Camaro ZL1
- AJ Allmendinger has two NCS starts at COTA.
- Allmendinger led two laps in the 2022 EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix and was in contention for the win before last-lap contact while fighting for the lead resulted in a 33rd place finish.
“Obviously last year we had a really good shot to win the race. It’s a completely different year with a completely different package. Hopefully we’ll unload close to what we had last year and just build off of that as the weekend goes on. New way of racing without stages there, so you have to qualify well and try to run up front because there isn’t much you can do strategy wise. We know this is a weekend we can run up front, score good points and hopefully give ourselves the chance to win which is the ultimate goal.” – AJ Allmendinger on Circuit of the Americas
Justin Haley, No. 31 Celsius Camaro ZL1
- Justin Haley has made two starts at COTA, recording his best start of ninth last year with Kaulig Racing.
- Haley’s best finish at COTA is 15th.
“I’m looking forward to the first road course of the year. COTA was the first track that we made the final round of qualifying at last year. We showed a ton of speed in both qualifying and the race along with my teammate, AJ (Allmendinger). It’s one of those tracks I’ve enjoyed racing at in other series and have some confidence going into the weekend.” – Justin Haley on Circuit of the Americas
Pit Boss 250 presented by USA Today
Circuit of the Americas (COTA)
NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS)
Saturday, March 25 at 5:00 p.m. EST on FS1
- Kaulig Racing has made six starts at COTA in the NXS, earning one win, one runner-up finish, four top-10 finishes and 33 laps led.
AJ Allmendinger, No. 10 Celsius Chevrolet Camaro
- AJ Allmendinger has two NXS starts at COTA.
- With a win in the 2022 season and a runner up finish in 2021, Allmendinger has led 33 total laps and has an average finish of 1.5 at the 3.41 mile racetrack.
- COTA will be Allmendinger’s first NXS start of the 2023 season.
“I’m excited to get back in the Xfinity car at a track we won at last year. COTA is a racetrack I have enjoyed; hopefully we can go there and be good in the Xfinity car and give ourselves a chance to win. It’s a stacked field with who is entered for this race, so we have to be on our A-game, but feel like we’ll have a good chance.” – AJ Allmendinger on Circuit of the Americas
Daniel Hemric, No. 11 Chevy Accessories Chevrolet Camaro
- Daniel Hemric has made two starts at COTA in the NXS.
- So far in the 2023 NXS Season, Hemric has recorded one top five, three top-10 finishes and has an average start of 12.6 and average finish of 14 across five starts.
“Road-course racing time is here, and it’s such a vital part of putting a complete season together as a race team. With stage racing still in effect, but no stage breaks to go with it, there’s a lot more on the drivers and teams this week in my opinion from a preparation standpoint, as well as the additional strategy involved in trying to strategically approach the weekend. We are excited for the challenge.” – Daniel Hemric on Circuit of the Americas
Chandler Smith, No. 16 Quick Tie Chevrolet Camaro
- The Pit Boss 250 Presented by USA Today will be Chandler Smith’s first road course race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
- Smith made two starts at COTA in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS), with a best finish of fifth.
“I’ve really improved on road courses over the last few years, but it’s still a discipline I am trying to get better at. It helps having a teammate this weekend that’s one of the best road-course racers in NASCAR today in AJ (Allmendinger). I’ll definitely lean on him a good bit. We had a good run last year at COTA, but it’ll be a different experience being in the Xfinity car compared to a Truck. Hopefully we can rebound this week and get some of that positive momentum back.” – Chandler Smith on Circuit of the Americas
About Kaulig Racing™
Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started and has won back-to-back regular-season championships. Before becoming a full-time NCS team, Kaulig Racing made multiple starts in the 2021 NCS season and won in its seventh-ever start with AJ Allmendinger’s victory at “The Brickyard” for the Verizon 200 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The team expanded to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 with Justin Haley piloting the No. 31 Camaro ZL1, and an all-star lineup featured in the No. 16 Camaro ZL1. Haley will continue to drive the No. 31 full-time in 2023, alongside AJ Allmendinger, who will drive the No. 16 Camaro ZL1. The team will continue to field three, full-time NXS entries; the No. 10 Chevrolet driven by an all-star lineup that will be announced at a later date, the No. 11 Chevrolet driven by Daniel Hemric, and the No. 16 Chevrolet driven by Chandler Smith. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.
