AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 16 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet Camaro
- AJ Allmendinger qualified 11th for the BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
- In the opening stage, Allmendinger remained quiet on the radio until the first caution came out on lap 30. The No. 16 was running in 10th place and reported he needed more rear grip. Crew chief, Alex Yontz, called Allmendinger to pit road for four tires, fuel and air pressure and track bar adjustments. Allmendinger restarted in 10th on lap 37 and was able to drive up to fifth on the first lap green. Allmendinger went on to finish the first stage in fifth place and reported under the stage break that his No. 16 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevy was wrecking loose.
- Allmendinger restarted the second stage in fifth place. On lap 54, the No. 16 hit the right side on the wall after the car snapped loose while running in 12th place. The team came to pit road under green for an unscheduled pit stop on lap 69 for a flat right rear tire. Allmendinger went a lap down but was the free pass when the caution came out on lap 71. The team came to pit road to repair damage from hitting the wall and put on four scuff tires. Allmendinger restarted in 33rd place on lap 80 and went on to finish the second stage in 24th place.
- Under the stage caution, Allmendinger reported the handling of his car was better running the top, but he was still loose. He brought the No. 16 to pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments to help with the handling. Allmendinger restarted in 20th on lap 98 and was in 19th place when the caution came out on lap 107. The team stayed out and Allmendinger restarted 16 on lap 114. On the first lap green, Allmendinger drove up to 11th place. By lap 141, Allmendinger reported he was super tight running in 17th. The No. 16 came to pit road for a scheduled green flag pit stop on lap 142 for tires, fuel and adjustments. When the caution came out on lap 170, Allmendinger was running 14th. The team came to pit road to free up the car after Allmendinger reported the car was tight. The No. 16 restarted in 11th on lap 182 and was running fifth when the caution came out on lap 185. The field restarted on lap 189 and Allmendinger went on to finished in fifth place in the BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
“That was a struggle. Everyone on our LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevy fought hard trying to make adjustments today. We’re searching trying to find something, but we haven’t hit on it. A lot of credit goes to my spotter, Coleman Pressley, for trying to keep me in it. I couldn’t run the fence, the car would move around a lot, and we didn’t have speed running the bottom. Late race restarts, anything can happen. Just tried to be aggressive and get everything we could at the end.” – AJ Allmendinger
JOSH WILLIAMS
No. 11 Alloy Employer Services Chevrolet Camaro
- Josh Williams qualified 36th for the BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
- Williams went one lap down running 37th on lap 29, and after the caution came out one lap later, he waved around to get back on the lead lap. He took the restart with nine laps left in stage one, finishing the opening stage in 31st.
- Williams brought the No. 11 Alloy Employer Services Chevy down pit road during the stage break for tires, fuel and a plethora of adjustments. He restarted 33rd on lap 52 and slowly began picking up positions, jumping into 25th when the yellow flag waved on lap 74. Half the field pitted for fresh tires, so crew chief, Kevin Walter, made the call to stay out. Restarting 12th, Williams dropped back to 21st, where he’d finish stage two.
- After a full-service stop, the No. 11 Chevy Camaro restarted in 19th on lap 98. The caution came out 11 laps later after Williams lost five positions. Leapfrogging his way up to 20th under caution due to others coming into the pits, Williams fell to 24th after the lap-113 restart. With 56 to go, he pitted for tires and fuel and cycled to 17th, one lap down. A wreck brought out the caution with 31 laps to go, and Williams took the wave around to get back on the lead lap. One lap after the restart, the yellow waved again, and Williams brought the No. 11 down pit road for the team’s last set of tires. Williams fired off for the restart in 17th with 18 laps to go and moved into 9th within two laps before another caution came out. He restarted eighth from the inside line with 12 laps to go, and after initially falling to 10th, he fought back to regain eighth, where he’d take the checkered flag for his best result of the season.
“I feel like we’ve found some speed lately and we got better as the day went on. We’re trending in the right direction and have some work to do, but it was a good start today.” – Josh Williams
SHANE van GISBERGEN
No. 97 Focused Health Chevrolet Camaro
- Shane van Gisbergen qualified 29th for the BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
- The first caution flag of the afternoon waved on lap 31 with Van Gisbergen scored in 26. Following a four tire stop, Van Gisbergen restarted in 26th with nine laps remaining in the stage. Following the restart, Van Gisbergen worked his way forward and ended stage one in 21st.
- The Focused Health team started stage two from the 17th position on lap 53. The third caution flag of the day waved on lap 74 with Van Gisbergen scored in 27th. Staying out, the Focused Health team restarted 14th on lap 80. Battling a tight Chevrolet for the remaining portion of the stage, Van Gisbergen ended stage two in 23rd on lap 90.
- Following a four tire stop at the end of stage two, Van Gisbergen restarted the final stage in 17th. Splitting the final stage in half, Van Gisbergen hit pit road on lap 142 from the 15th position for a green-flag stop. Following the stop, the Focused Health team cycled to 19th on lap 150. The caution flag would wave once again on lap 170 with Van Gisbergen scored in 13th. With one final set of sticker tires on pit road, SVG hit pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments. Following the stop, Van Gisbergen restarted in 12th on lap 176. Van Gisbergen suffered a flat right rear after he was forced into the wall by another competitor on lap 117 while running 13th. After hitting pit road for repairs, Van Gisbergen restarted at the tail end of the lead lap on lap 183. SVG crossed the finish in 15th on lap 200.
“Fun day today. I thought the 19 was going to save it but he lost it and we got into the fence. I got more and more comfortable as the day went on and I’m proud of the Focused Health team and the gains we made today.” – Shane van Gisbergen
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.
