No. 16 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet
Start: 15th
Stage 1 Finish: 5th
Stage 2 Finish: 5th
Finish: 3rd
Christian Eckes fired off strong in the No. 16 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevy, gaining six spots in two laps, before the first caution flag came out. Radioing that he was happy with the handling of the car, Eckes continued fighting through the top 10 and finished the opening stage in fifth place. Crew chief Alex Yontz made the call to pit during the stage break for tires and fuel, and Eckes started Stage 2 from 14th place, as some were on different strategies. Having worked his way back up to eighth place when a caution came out on lap 41, Eckes reported that the No. 16 Chevy was “pretty damn good,” and stayed out to restart sixth with five laps remaining in the second stage. He gained one spot, once again finishing the stage in fifth place. With a plan in place, Eckes stayed out during the second stage break, being told that it was crucial to maintain track position on the first laps after fire-off on older tires. Continuing with that plan, he made his scheduled green flag pit stop on lap 68 for tires and fuel. The caution flag came out just two laps later, as Eckes was the last car on the lead lap, while teammate Daniel Dye was the lucky dog. The No. 16 team’s race continued according to plan, as the field pitted under caution, and Eckes restarted third with 25 laps remaining. When the caution flag came back out four laps later, Eckes had slid back to sixth, reporting that the No. 16 Chevy was sideways that run. He stayed out to restart in the same position with 17 laps remaining. Another caution led to an exceptional restart for Eckes, who went from fifth to second place with 12 laps remaining. Following another late-race restart, Eckes battled with the No. 2 car, ultimately crossing the line in third place, his best-career finish and second-consecutive top five.
“I’m really proud of this Kaulig Racing team that went to work after we struggled a bit in practice and qualifying. Our No. 16 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevy was really fast in the race, and we were able to contend for a win. It feels good to run where we are supposed to run and continue building in the right direction. Hopefully we keep this momentum going, as we try to make a playoff push.” – Christian Eckes
No. 11 Alloy Employer Services Chevrolet
Start: 26th
Stage 1 Finish: 17th
Stage 2 Finish: 23rd
Finish: 15th
Josh Williams was running in 27th when the caution came out on lap three, and immediately upon the restart, another yellow appeared. He restarted in 26th on lap 14 and methodically picked up positions on pace and through several lead runners flipping pit strategy. After finishing Stage 1 in 17th, Williams pitted under caution for tires and fuel, firing back off in 22nd for Stage 2 on lap 32. One lap after the restart, Williams avoided a multi-car pileup. While pacing, he expressed concern about how free the No. 11 Chevy was when firing off, but the team decided to keep the car off of pit road for the time being. The green flag reappeared on lap 38 with Williams restarting on the outside line in 24th. In what was becoming a trend before the midway point of the 250-mile race, the caution came out just a few laps after the restart, setting up a five-lap shootout to the green-white-checkered flag. Williams restarted in 13th after staying out with the goal of mitigating any potential lost ground before stopping under the stage-break caution. He finished Stage 2 in 23rd and pitted for tires, fuel, and right-rear adjustments. He took the green in 23rd place on lap 57, and after losing three spots initially, he settled into 24th until green-flag stops began around lap 68. During the pit cycle, a spin brought out the caution, and Williams stopped for the final scheduled time under caution for tires, fuel, and right-rear adjustments, and he restarted with 25 laps to go in 21st. A spin brought the yellow flag out with 21 laps to go; Williams took the green again with 17 laps to go in 18th. Avoiding another two wrecks, Williams leaped into 16th after the 10th caution of the day. In a six-lap run to the checkered, Williams brought the No. 11 Alloy Employer Services Chevy home in 15th.
“We stayed in it all day. The car kept firing off real loose, more than we wanted it to, but we kept fighting. Appreciate the No. 11 crew, appreciate Alloy Employer Services for being behind me. Definitely got a solid finish from that.” – Josh Williams
No. 10 Champion Container Chevrolet
Start: 18th
Stage 1 Finish: 16th
Stage 2 Finish: 36th
Finish: 31st
Daniel Dye spun, bringing out the caution on lap three, but he kept the No. 10 Champion Container Chevy damage-free. He pitted for fresh tires and fuel and restarted from 36th, before gaining 20 spots to finish the opening stage in 16th place. Dye started the second stage from 21st place but was collected in a wreck that gave him significant damage on lap 32. He pitted multiple times to address a right-front fender rub, losing two laps in the process. Dye went on to finish the second stage in 36th place, receiving the free pass and getting one lap back. After pitting for tires and fuel, Dye started the final stage from 36th, the only car one lap down. A timely caution on lap 70 saw Dye sitting in the free-pass position once again, putting him back on the lead lap in 33rd with 25 laps remaining. Dye nursed the damaged No. 10 car to a 31st-place finish.
“I’m disappointed with how today went for this No. 10 Champion Container team. I felt like we had some speed in practice and qualifying. Unfortunately we got some damage early and lost a couple laps working on it. We kept at it and got the free pass a couple times, but by that point much of the speed was knocked out of the car. We did what we could given how the race started, and I’m proud of the fight from this team.” – Daniel Dye
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 27 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. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.
