DEREK KRAUS
No. 16 Project Wyoming Camaro ZL1
- Derek Kraus qualified 32nd for the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway.
- Kraus and the No. 16 Project Wyoming Camaro maintained the 32nd position for the majority of the opening stage, before pitting under green on lap 37 for tires and fuel. Kraus finished stage one 36th and a lap down.
- During the stage break, Crew Chief Travis Mack brought the No. 16 down pit road for an air pressure adjustment, four tires and fuel, as Kraus reported the car was free in turns three and four and tight in dirty air. Restarting 33rd, the first caution of the day came out on lap 122. Kraus took the wave around, putting the No. 16 back on the lead lap and in 29th. As the field went green, the caution came out on lap 130, allowing Kraus to come down pit road for a front-wedge adjustment, tires and fuel, running 25th. On lap 164 and under caution, Kraus reported his car was loose and slowly began to run free, before pitting for tires and fuel. As the green white checkered flew to wrap up stage two, Kraus finished 30th.
- During the second and final stage break, the No. 16 pitted for tires and fuel, coming down a second time for a tire issue. Kraus settled into the stage 33rd, moving as high as 15th under green-flag pit stops. Kraus pitted under green for tires and fuel just before the final caution. Taking the wave around, the No. 16 restarted 32nd and one lap down. Kraus would go on to finish 29th and one lap down.
“Long day today at Darlington. We tried a few different strategies that Travis [Mack] made, but unfortunately we fell a lap down and couldn’t make it back up there at the end. Overall I learned a lot and we will move on to the next one at Gateway.” – Derek Kraus
DANIEL HEMRIC
No. 31 Black’s Tire Camaro ZL1
- Daniel Hemric qualified 29th for the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway.
- Struggling in traffic firing off, Hemric dropped multiple spots at the start of the Goodyear 400. He radioed that he was free in the rear, before making his first green-flag pit stop on lap 37 for tires, fuel, an air pressure and a wedge adjustment. After the pit stops cycled through, Hemric worked his way back to 29th, passing the second place car on his way to un-lap himself. By lap 63, Hemric radioed he had no power steering and dropped back to 31st. He gained one spot before the stage end to finish 30th and one lap down.
- At the end of the first stage, Hemric brought the No. 31 Black’s Tire Chevy down pit road before it was open to look under the hood to address the power steering issue, but the team was unable to find the cause. Hemric pitted once again when pit road opened for tires and fuel, before restarting the second stage at the tail end. The first caution of the day fell on lap 122. Hemric took the wave around, which paid off, as a caution came out on the following restart. He pitted once again to check the power steering issue, before coming back down pit road for fresh tires. Hemric restarted 27th on lap 134. The next caution came out on lap 163, and Hemric pitted for more tires and fuel before restarting 28th on lap 169. He went on to finish the second stage in 28th on the lead lap.
- During the stage break, Hemric radioed that the previous air pressure adjustment helped, and he needed more of the same, as well as a wedge adjustment. He pitted for tires, fuel and adjustments before starting the final stage in 25th. When the final green-flag pit stops began to cycle, Hemric worked his way into the top 10. By lap 227, Hemric radioed that he needed to be freer, before he made his pit stop on lap 240. The next caution came out with 40 to go, and Hemric missed the free pass spot by one position. He took the wave around to put him back on the lead lap and restarted 27th with 33 laps to go. With three laps remaining, Hemric reported a broken throttle. He was forced to bring the No. 31 down pit road, relegating him to a 33rd-place finish.
“An unfortunate end to a hard-fought day. We struggled in dirty air from the start, and then we battled power steering issues for the majority of the race. Trent [Owens] made some great adjustments, and we were able to show some speed towards the end of the race. Unfortunately, the throttle broke coming to three laps to go. Not how we wanted today to go, I’m super proud of the fight in this No. 31 Black’s Tire team.” – Daniel Hemric
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 earned 23 NXS wins, made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started, and won two regular-season championships. In 2021, the team competed in select NCS events, before expanding to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 and adding a third, part-time entry during the 2023 season. Since its first NCS start in 2021, the team has earned two wins. Kaulig Racing is currently fielding two full-time entries in the NCS and continues to field three full-time NXS entries, with a part-time fourth entry at select events. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.
