Kaulig Racing Post-Race Report | Bristol Dirt
Food City Dirt Race
Justin Haley, No. 31 Tide Camaro ZL1
- Justin Haley qualified 25th for the Food City Dirt Race after finishing sixth in his respective heat race.
- Haley and the No. 31 Tide Camaro fired off strong with his only complaint being stuck in traffic. As the run went on, Haley told crew chief, Eddie Purdue, many other cars looked free on entry, but he liked where he was at. Haley finished stage one ninth, earning a stage point.
- In stage two, Haley told the No. 31 team the car was good and he just needed to get into his rhythm. Haley went on to finish stage two ninth, earning another stage point.
- At the stage break, Haley told the team he was committed to the bottom, and the No. 31 Tide Camaro was still pretty decent, he just needed more left rear drive.
- In stage three, Haley told the team he was struggling with rear grip. Haley battled for track position, on the final restarts and finished sixth in the Food City Dirt Race, his best result of the 2023 season thus far.
“We didn’t have a great day yesterday in the heat race, we really struggled, so to come out here and move forward as soon as the green flag dropped was a good day for us. Going into stage two, we knew we had a top-10 car and this sixth place finish is what our team needed. It’s tough to compete at this level, but we’re working hard and trying every week. – Justin Haley
AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Tide Camaro ZL1
- AJ Allmendinger qualified 29th for the Food City Dirt Race after finishing seventh in his respective heat race.
- Allmendinger reported to crew chief, Matt Swiderski, it was difficult to determine how the balance of his No. 16 Tide Camaro was, as he was struggling pinned on the bottom in traffic.
- Working with spotter, Frank Deiny, Allmendinger tried different lanes to learn the track and try to find speed.
- Throughout stage one, the No. 16 Tide Camaro struggled with handling and lacked grip in the corners, ultimately finishing the stage 22nd.
- In stage two, Allmendinger moved up to 20th before he had a tire go down lap 99. The No. 16 restarted two laps down and finished stage two 35th, the only car two laps down.
- Allmendinger got back on the lead lap after taking the wave around on lap 176 and was the free pass on lap 202.
- Allmendinger climbed through the field, avoiding several spins, to finish 16th in his NASCAR dirt debut at the Food City Dirt Race.
“I’m happy with the end result today. We were definitely making progress, struggled in the middle of the race. Fortunately, we were able to get back on the lead lap and make some gains there. I felt like I figured it out a little bit there at the end, wish I could have figured that out earlier. Overall, it was a good comeback from where we were being two laps down. I’m proud of the team and we just need to keep trying to do better.” – AJ Allmendinger
Jonathan Davenport, No. 13 Nutrien Ag Solutions Camaro ZL1
- Jonathan Davenport qualified 21st for his NCS debut in the Food City Dirt race after finishing fourth in his respective heat race.
- Under the first caution, Davenport said his No. 13 Nutrien Ag Solutions Camaro turned really well when he was in the gas, and he could get the car to do what he wanted when he was able to run his line. Davenport told the No. 13 team he was slightly loose in as he was learning his lift point and breaking in the first stage.
- The No. 13 Camaro continued to free up throughout the opening stage and Davenport felt he was better running the top as he was still learning the car. Davenport finished stage one 23rd.
- Davenport spun on lap 82 from 23rd, telling the team he “wanted to take more than the car wanted.” As the track became more slick, Davenport relayed handling information to the team saying, “it’s probably just how I’m driving, I’m just trying to learn.” The No. 13 Camaro finished stage two 30th.
- Davenport’s day came to a finish on lap 175 when the No. 13 Nutrien Ag Solutions Camaro made right front contact with the No. 5 car that had spun into the top lane. The team could not repair the damage; Davenport finished 36th in this NCS debut at the Food City Dirt Race.
“I enjoyed the opportunity and I had an awesome time! Hate to end it on a bad note. I know we didn’t run as good as we wanted to, but main focus was I really wanted to finish the whole 250 laps and put on a good showing for Nutrien Ag Solutions and Kaulig Racing. I appreciate everyone’s hard work and thank you for this opportunity.” – Jonathan Davenport
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.
