Kaulig Racing revealed its crew chief lineup and the hiring of a technical director for the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season.
Veteran crew chief Trent Owens will be paired with veteran driver AJ Allmendinger and the No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry while Andrew Dickeson will be working atop the pit box of the No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry that will be piloted by Ty Dillon. For the technical director position, Mike Cook will assume the position after recently being a lead engineer for Stewart-Haas Racing.
The news comes as Kaulig Racing, which strives to be competitive in NASCAR’s premier series in 2025, is coming off its third consecutive season in fielding two full-time cars in the Cup Series division. Throughout the 36-race schedule in 2024, Kaulig’s two entries (Nos. 16 and 31 Chevrolets) recorded a combined 11 top-10 results and 108 laps led. In addition, Daniel Hemric, who drove Kaulig’s No. 31 entry that is renumbered to 10 in 2025, finished in 29th place in the 2024 driver’s standings while Kaulig’s No. 16 entry that was split between Allmendinger, Dillon, Derek Kraus, Shane van Gisbergen and Josh Williams ended up in 28th place in the owner’s standings.
“I think this is the most impressive competition leadership group we have ever had,” Chris Rice, president of Kaulig Racing, said in a released statement. “We have such a great core team with all the men and women of Kaulig Racing, and bringing in smart people with fresh eyes will really help us compete on the track.”
Owens’ move to Kaulig’s No. 16 team reunites him with Allmendinger, both of whom worked together for nine Cup races in 2018 at JTG-Daugherty Racing. This past season, Owens was the crew chief for Hemric and the No. 31 Chevrolet team. In addition, Allmendinger scaled back down to a full-time Xfinity Series competition after competing on a full-time Cup basis in 2023, where he won at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course. During the 2024 season, Allmendinger notched a victory at Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the Playoff’s Round of 8 opener, transferred to the Championship 4 round and settled in third place in the final driver’s standings.
Dickeson’s move as a crew chief for Kaulig’s No. 10 team and Ty Dillon marks a new beginning for the Australian native, who recently spent a bulk of his career as an engineer for Richard Childress Racing. In addition, the 2025 season marks Dillon’s return to full-time Cup racing since 2023 after he spent this past season competing in all but the remaining five Craftsman Truck Series events for Rackley W.A.R., where he notched two top-10 results.
The new position with a new organization generates a new and exciting adventure for Cook, who first joined Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014 to work as an engineer and had remained at the organization until it ceased operations at the 2024 season’s conclusion. During Cook’s role at Stewart-Haas Racing, he went to Victory Lane in the 2017 Daytona 500 with former Cup Series champion Kurt Busch.
“After a decade of learning and honing my craft, I am really excited to contribute to the continuing growth of Kaulig Racing,” Cook said. “Nothing in racing happens overnight, but I know I have the tools and the support I need to bring immediate impact. Andrew [Dickeson] has the demeanor and stability that I think will give Ty [Dillon] the best opportunity he has ever had at the Cup level. AJ [Allmendinger] and Trent [Owens] are just in sync and have a great working relationship. Both drivers are hungry and dedicated, so I know that team is going to be strong and impress some people in 2025.”
Kaulig Racing’s 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season is set to commence with the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on February 2 that will commence at 8 p.m. ET on FOX. This event will be followed by the 67th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway that will air at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX.
