AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 16 Campers Inn RV Chevrolet Camaro
- AJ Allmendinger qualified sixth for the Focused Health 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
- Allmendinger started at the rear of the field after making an adjustment for a power steering issue following qualifying. The first caution came on lap 23; Allmendinger was running 23rd. He reported the balance of his Chevy was good and asked for an adjustment for more rear security. The No. 16 Campers Inn RV Chevy came to pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments. Allmendinger went on to finish the opening stage in 14th place.
- Under the stage break, the No. 16 stayed out and restarted from the first position. Allmendinger maintained position for the duration of the second stage, winning it under yellow. After reporting the rear of the car was stable, Allmendinger came to pit road during the stage break for tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment.
- On lap 88, the No. 16 restarted on the bottom lane. The bottom lane didn’t have momentum on the initial start, and Allmendinger fell back to 10th place. By lap 99, when the caution came out, Allmendinger was running fifth. When the caution waved again on lap 110, Allmendinger reported he was free. On lap 116, the No. 16 restarted in seventh place and took sixth place on the first lap green. On lap 132, Allmendinger took a shot for the lead, but without help on the bottom lane, he fell back to seventh. Allmendinger reported his No. 16 Chevy was sideways. By lap 136, Allmendinger was in 16th place. On lap 146, the caution came out and the red flag was displayed for track clean up. When the race resumed, Allmendinger came to pit road for adjustments and restarted in 12th place on lap 151. Allmendinger battled until the end and went on to finish in third place.
“Our Campers Inn RV Chevy was really fast. I got really free that third stage there. That was unexpected; our car had been really good. When that yellow came out, we were able to put on tires and make some adjustments; Alex Yontz and the guys did a great job there. We got to fifth with two to go and I thought if they stay in line, I was far enough back that I was going to go for the lunge for the win there. Great to get a top-five finish today. At the end of the day, we want to get to victory lane, but I’m proud of the race team. We’re making the cars faster, getting closer to making the playoffs and hopefully we’ll be ready to go when we get there.” – AJ Allmendinger
JOSH WILLIAMS
No. 11 Alloy Employer Services Chevrolet Camaro
- Josh Williams qualified 13th for the Focused Health 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
- Williams coasted just outside the top 10 for the first 12 laps of Stage 1 before a caution came out on lap 13. He restarted from 14th on lap 17 and immediately jumped into the top 10 as the pack went single file. Williams dropped back to 14th after being taken two wide as the stage’s end neared, but he remained at the tail of the lead group of cars. Gaining one more position before the green-white-checkered, Williams ended Stage 1 in 13th.
- Williams pitted for fuel, tires and a slight air pressure adjustment during the first stage break, but he was caught speeding on pit road. He rolled off from the rear of the field for Stage 2 on lap 48 and began slowly moving back up through the field. On lap 79, a wreck brought out the caution that ended the second stage. Williams finished it in 19th.
- After stopping in the pits for tires and fuel, Williams fired off for the final stage in 14th on lap 87 and entered the top 10 entering turn four. As the pack began shuffling, Williams found himself on the outside line battling to move forward. By the time the yellow flag was waved on lap 99, Williams had moved into 11th. He restarted from seventh with 59 laps to go, fell one spot, and then the caution once again was displayed, this time on lap 110. Williams took the green on lap 116 and hooked up with teammate AJ Allmendinger. As the intensity picked up, Williams dropped outside the top 10, and with 17 laps to go, a massive wreck brought out the yellow flag. Williams avoided it and leapt into fifth for the lap-151 restart. He tired making the bottom line work late but couldn’t find any pushers. Williams survived until the checkered flag, taking eighth place.
“We had a good racecar, and I’m happy with our finish. I think we had a lot more in us, but we just didn’t have any help at the end to get it done.” – Josh Williams
SHANE van GISBERGEN
No. 97 Quad Lock Chevrolet Camaro
- Shane van Gisbergen qualified 12th for the Focused Health 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
- Van Gisbergen quickly drove his way into the top 10 by lap two. With a caution on lap 13, the team opted to stay out to maintain track position. As the stage progressed, Van Gisbergen fought to maintain position while battling a tight-handling racecar and worn tires. The No. 97 Quad Lock Chevy Camaro took the green-white-checkered flag in 16th.
- The No. 97 Quad Lock team pitted during the first stage break and started the second stage in 17th. Ten laps into the stage, Van Gisbergen drove to 10th and continued racing in the top 10 throughout. On lap 79, a caution came out, and the No. 97 team opted to pit for fresh tires and fuel. Van Gisbergen finished the stage under caution in ninth.
- The No. 97 Quad Lock team started the final stage in ninth. Van Gisbergen quickly raced into the top five on lap 90 of the event and raced there for five laps. With 65 laps left, Van Gisbergen made contact with the wall, forcing him to pit quickly under caution for fresh right-side tires only. The No. 97 team opted to pit again under the same caution for repairs, fresh left-side tires and fuel. Van Gisbergen restarted the stage in 32nd with 59 laps remaining in the race. With 40 laps remaining, the No. 97 had a tire issue, forcing Van Gisbergen to pit under green. Van Gisbergen continued to battle a damaged car for the remainder of the race, ultimately taking the checkered flag in 27th.
- “That was a tough one, not the way we wanted our day to go. I ran up front most of the race, but got into the wall there towards the end and caused some right side damage. Gutted for my No. 97 Quad Lock team because we had a really good car today, but going to continue to learn and get better. Looking forward to another shot at it tomorrow in the Cup car.” – Shane van Gisbergen
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.
