Race Recap | Pennzoil 400 Presented by Jiffy Lube
DANIEL HEMRIC
No. 31 South Point Camaro ZL1
- Daniel Hemric qualified 34th for the Pennzoil 400 Presented by Jiffy Lube.
- The first caution of the day came out on lap 10, and Hemric pitted for tires, fuel and a right-rear adjustment on the No. 31 South Point Camaro ZL1. After restarting 31st on lap 16, the next caution came out on lap 26. Hemric radioed that the No. 31 Chevrolet fired off strong but would trend tight as he ran. Crew chief, Trent Owens, called Hemric in for tires and an adjustment under caution. After restarting 32nd, Hemric made up nine spots to finish 23rd in the first stage.
- During the first stage break, Hemric pitted for tires, fuel and an adjustment to help with right-rear lateral, before starting the second stage 24th. Hemric pitted on lap 120 but received a speeding penalty. He completed a pass-through and fell one lap down to the leaders. When the next caution fell on lap 157, Hemric was eligible for the wave around, placing him back on the lead lap. The field took the green flag with four laps remaining, as Hemric finished the second stage in 31st place.
- During the second stage break, Hemric pitted for tires, fuel and a right-side air pressure adjustment, before starting the final stage in 29th. The race remained green, and Hemric made a green-flag stop on lap 209 for four tires and fuel. Just after Hemric went down a lap, a caution came out on lap 235, giving him the free pass. He pitted for four tires under caution and restarted 24th with 26 laps remaining. Hemric cracked the top 20 for the first time on lap 243 and went on to finish the race in 19th place.
“We fired off decent in the race, but within a few laps, the No. 31 South Point Chevy just started getting tight. A speeding penalty set us back a bit, but fortunately we were able to get the lap back. We ran the best we had all day during those last couple of runs, and we were able to grab another top-20 finish.” – Daniel Hemric
DEREK KRAUS
No. 16 Western States Flooring Camaro ZL1
- Derek Kraus qualified 33rd for the Pennzoil 400 Presented by Jiffy Lube.
- The first caution fell on lap 10, and Kraus brought the No. 16 Chevrolet to pit road for four tires and fuel before restarting 30th on lap 15. The next caution came out shortly after on lap 26, and Crew Chief, Travis Mack, elected to bring the No. 16 Chevrolet down pit road for 4 tires and fuel, along with an air pressure adjustment, as Kraus reported his car was tight on exits. Kraus restarted 30th, before finishing 24th in the first stage.
- During the stage break, Kraus reported that he was comfortable with the handling of the No. 16 Chevrolet. He pitted for four tires and fuel before restarting in 24th. Kraus made his first green-flag pit stop on lap 120 for four tires and fuel and eventually went one lap down on lap 153. When the next caution came out on lap 157, Kraus sat in the lucky dog position, putting him back on the lead lap. He pitted under caution before restarting 26th with four laps remaining. He went on to finish the second stage in 26th.
- The No 16 started the third and final stage from 18th. As the field cycled through green-flag pit stops, Kraus led his first-career laps before following suit and pitting for four tires and fuel. He went on to finish 28th in his first NASCAR Cup Series race.
“Overall, we achieved what we wanted to, and that was to complete all 400 laps. We were pretty good all day; I just have to work on my restarts and make sure I capitalize on track position when I have it. I can’t thank Kaulig Racing and Western States Flooring enough for the opportunity. I’m looking forward to Phoenix next week!” – Derek Kraus
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 and added a third, part-time entry during the 2023 season. In 2024, the team will once again field two, full-time entries in the NCS and continue to field three, full-time NXS entries. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.
