AJ Allmendinger punches ticket to Championship 4 with win at Las Vegas
AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 16 Modern Day Garage Chevrolet Camaro
- AJ Allmendinger qualified ninth for the Ambetter Health 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
- Within the first lap, Allmendinger had taken over seventh place. Under the race’s first caution, Allmendinger reported his No. 16 Modern Day Garage Chevy was free. The team stayed out during the yellow to restart in seventh place. On the first lap green, Allmendinger jumped to fifth place and continued gaining spots, taking over fourth on lap 13. From sixth place on lap 25, Allmendinger reported he lacked rear grip. When the caution came out 10 laps later, Allmendinger told crew chief Alex Yontz that the car was turning well but moving laterally. The No. 16 stayed out under the caution and went on to finish the opening stage in fourth.
- Allmendinger started the second stage in 14th and quickly took 11th on the first lap green. By lap 54, Allmendinger was scored in sixth, and 20 laps later, he took over second place. On lap 78, Allmendinger reported his Chevy was building tight. He went on to finish the second stage in second place. During the stage break, the No. 16 came to pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. The team gained a spot on pit road to restart the final stage from the lead.
- Just as the field took the green flag for the final stage, the caution came out as a car spun while crossing the start/finish line. When the field took the green again on lap 102, Allmendinger maintained the lead. On lap 130, he reported he was starting to build tight. The No. 16 pitted on lap 146 for a scheduled green flag stop, and by lap 152, Allmendinger had cycled back to the lead. The caution came out with 31 laps remaining, and the No. 16 came to pit road for four tires and fuel and restarted in first place with 25 laps to go. The final caution came with seven laps to go. Allmendinger restarted in first place for the green-white-checkered finish and went on to win the race and secure his spot in the Championship 4.
- “I absolutely love these guys and girls at Kaulig Racing. Been such up and down, but what I love about them is we stick together, we keep fighting. First of all, happy birthday Matt Kaulig! The boss’ birthday. I told you I was getting you a trophy! Let’s go man!” – AJ Allmendinger
DANIEL DYE
No. 10 Track Side Chevrolet Camaro
- Daniel Dye qualified 30th for the Ambetter Health 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
- Upon the start, Dye reported that the No. 10 Camaro felt very free. Despite the handling issues, Dye made early progress, moving up to 29th before the first caution came out. During the caution, he pitted for a track bar adjustment and fuel. Dye restarted in 34th and quickly passed eight cars, even though he continued to report that the car was still far too loose. During the second caution on lap 35, Dye was scored 12th. He finished Stage 1 in 21st. During the stage break, he returned to pit road for track bar and air pressure adjustments.
- During the second stage, Dye reported that the No. 10 Track Side Chevrolet remained neutral. He advanced four positions and completed the stage in 17th. During the stage break, Dye pitted for track bar and air pressure adjustments, fuel and tires.
- Dye restarted for Stage 3 from 17th. He picked up a pair of spots before settling back into 16th. He had worked his way up to 13th and pitted on lap 148 for minor adjustments to free up the car. During the race’s final caution, Dye pitted for tires and fuel and restarted from 17th. He powered his way up to 12th at the checkered flag.
“Today was a really good day. We started in the back, and I felt like I learned a lot. We got the car a little bit better and fought different conditions all day but ultimately got lucky with the last caution. I got to put tires on and raced to a decent finish. Just really excited and happy for the No. 16 team and AJ and excited that they get to go to Phoenix and race for a Championship.” – Daniel Dye
JOSH WILLIAMS
No. 11 Alloy Employer Services Chevrolet Camaro
- Josh Williams qualified 23rd for the Ambetter Health 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
- The first caution of the day fell on lap five, and Williams and the No. 11 Alloy Employer Services Chevrolet stayed out to restart 24th. By lap 21, Williams found himself in 21st as the No. 11 team focused on consistency and hitting its marks. The second caution of the day came out on lap 35, and Williams reported a slight vibration in his Camaro. The team pitted for four tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment, restarting 24th. Williams closed out Stage 1 in 15th.
- During the first stage break, Williams reported the vibration was still present. No. 11 crew chief Eddie Pardue told Williams to stay out under the break to gain track position, and Williams restarted in 10th. On older tires, he lost 13 positions as he settled into a caution-free stage. Williams finished the stage in 23rd.
- During the final stage break, Williams reported that the No. 11 had grown tighter as the race went on. The team pitted for four tires, fuel, and a track bar adjustment, and Williams started the final stage in 26th. After an opening-lap wreck brought out the caution, Williams fired back off in 23rd. During green-flag pit stops, Williams ran long, capturing second place before diving down pit road for four tires and fuel. He cycled back out into 24th, one lap down, before the race’s fourth caution came out with 31 laps to go. The No. 11 took the wave around, putting Williams back on the lead lap to restart in 21st. Following the race’s final caution, Williams pitted for four tires and fuel, and the No. 11 restarted in 19th. He took the checkered flag running in 15th.
“Really proud of Kaulig Racing’s collective efforts tonight. Our Alloy Employer Services Chevrolet had some decent speed, and we went out there and finished all our laps and had a respectable finish. Congrats to AJ on the win; that was incredible.” – Josh Williams
SHANE van GISBERGEN
No. 97 WeatherTech Chevrolet Camaro
- Shane van Gisbergen qualified 16th for the Ambetter Health 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
- On lap six, the first caution came out. The No. 97 team remained out with most of the field, and Van Gisbergen restarted the stage in 23rd. During Stage 1, Van Gisbergen reported that his car was extremely loose, and he battled to maintain position. On lap 32, the No. 97 WeatherTech Chevrolet lost power and was sent to the garage for repairs.
- After repairs, Van Gisbergen re-entered the field on lap 64 of the race, 33 laps down. Two laps later, the Chevrolet’s mechanical problems returned, and it was sent back to the garage for more repairs.
- The No. 97 re-entered the field at the stage break. On lap 135, the No. 97 WeatherTech Chevrolet lost power for good and ended Van Gisbergen’s race early. He finished 38th.
“Man, that really sucks! Proud of my Kaulig Racing team for continuing to work on the WeatherTeach car and get us back on track a few times. Had a decent qualifying effort, just disappointing our race had to end like that. Hoping for a better day tomorrow in the Cup car.” – 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.
