AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 16 Cirkul Camaro ZL1
- AJ Allmendinger qualified 11th for the Toyota / Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.
- When the first caution came on lap three, Allmendinger was running 10th and reported his No. 16 Cirkul Chevy fired off well. After the restart, Allmendinger drove up to eighth place by lap 12, reporting he was starting to feel free laterally. The next caution came out on lap 17 and Allmendinger told crew chief, Travis Mack, his car was better in clear air compared to the cars in front of him. The team came to pit road under caution for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. Allmendinger restarted in 22nd with seven to go in the opening stage. The No. 16 went on to finish stage one in 15th place.
- During the stage break, the No. 16 Cirkul Chevy would not re-fire. After falling back to 31st, the team came to pit road for four tires and fuel. Allmendinger restarted in 27th on lap 31. On lap 35, Allmendinger avoided a large wreck in turn 11, gaining 10 spots. The No. 16 restarted in 11th on lap 39. As cars started to make green flag pit stops at the end of stage two, Allmendinger drove up to fifth before the stage end, earning six stage points.
- The No. 16 stayed out during the stage break and restarted in fifth place. Allmendinger continued to gain positions taking over third before the leaders in front of him came to pit road. Allmendinger took over the lead on lap 68 and maintained the lead until lap 71 when the team came to pit road for a scheduled green-flag pit stop. After exiting pit road, Allmendinger drove up to eighth by lap 77 and by lap 83, the No. 16 was scored in sixth place. After battling hard with the No. 8, Allmendinger reported from fifth place on lap 86 he had used up his rear tires. Allmendinger went on to finish in sixth.
“We had a really fast Cirkul Chevy. Travis [Mack] did a great job with strategy with everything that happened adversity wise. I thought overall we maximized our day. If everything fell right, we could have and a top-five finish, but we’re happy with the result.” – AJ Allmendinger
DANIEL HEMRIC
No. 31 Cirkul Camaro ZL1
- Daniel Hemric qualified 34th for the Toyota / Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.
- The first caution of the day came out after only three laps complete, and Hemric pitted to top off with fuel in the No. 31 Cirkul Camaro ZL1. Restarting 35th, Hemric gained two spots when the second caution fell on lap 17. Another caution fell after the restart, and Hemric found himself sitting in 27th, before restarting 25th with three laps to go in the stage. He went on to finish 29th in the opening stage.
- Hemric radioed that the No. 31 Chevy lacked grip overall, and crew chief, Trent Owens, made the call to pit for four tires and fuel during the first stage break. He started the second stage from 30th, before an early caution fell on lap 33. Hemric stayed out and avoided mayhem after the restart, before shaking out to 18th. The green flag came back out on lap 39. After avoiding another spin, Hemric restarted 18th with 13 to go in the stage. He went on to finish the second stage in 12th.
- Hemric stayed out during the stage break and worked his way up to 11th during the first few laps of the final stage. He made his final, scheduled pit stop on lap 69 for tires and fuel, before cycling out to 22nd place. Hemric spun out with 11 laps to go, forcing him to pit for tires, as the field stayed green. He went on to finish 28th.
“We had a good day going for us, until my tires went away there at the end and I spun with about 10 to go. It’s unfortunate to finish the day like this after such a solid run, but I’m proud of the No. 31 Cirkul team for finding a good bit of speed from where we started the weekend in practice.” – Daniel Hemric
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.
