AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 16 Campers Inn RV Chevrolet Camaro
- AJ Allmendinger qualified third for the Drive for the Cure 250 at the Charlotte ROVAL.
- Allmendinger took the lead on lap four and maintained the lead for the duration of the stage. Allmendinger remained quiet on the radio and won the first stage by 6.3 seconds over second place. Allmendinger reported his No. 16 Campers Inn RV Chevy was a tick free. The team came to pit to road under the stage break for four tires and fuel.
- Allmendinger restarted the second stage in 17th place after several cars flipped the stage. Allmendinger gained positions quickly, and by lap 28, when the caution came out, he was in 10th place. On the restart on lap 30, Allmendinger took over ninth place and was scored in fifth when the caution came on lap 31. The team came to pit road under the caution for four tires and fuel and went on to finish the second stage in sixth place.
- The No. 16 restarted in third place for the final stage. On lap 48, Allmendinger took over second place but reported three laps later that he was loose. When the race’s next caution came out, Allmendinger was scored in third place. He came to pit road for four tires and fuel before restarting in 14th on lap 57. The No. 16, on four fresh tires, moved up to seventh on the restart and took third on lap 59. When the final yellow flag waved, Allmendinger was scored in third, where he restarted for overtime. Battling until the end, Allmendinger went on to finish in second place, advancing to The Round of 8.
“I wanted to win the race. I wanted to go for five in a row, but I didn’t want to take us out of the next round. The Campers Inn RV Chevy was really good that first stage. It just built too loose as the track kind of cooled off there, that was probably our hinderance of actually being faster than the No. 1. Sam did a good job; I feel bad for Parker [Kligerman], he deserved to win. I’m so proud of my group to start off at Kansas the way we did, to fight through Talladega and get to the next round; It’s a big deal.” – AJ Allmendinger
SHANE van GISBERGEN
No. 97 WeatherTech Chevrolet Camaro
- Shane van Gisbergen qualified on the pole for the Drive for the Cure 250 at the Charlotte ROVAL.
- He led the first three laps of the event before his teammate, AJ Allmendinger, took the lead on lap four in the front chicane. On lap eight, Van Gisbergen missed the back chicane and fell to sixth. He quickly made his way to second by lap 17. Van Gisbergen completed the first stage in second, earning nine stage points.
- Van Gisbergen reported the car lacked grip and felt weak at the conclusion of Stage 1. He pitted during the stage break for fuel, four fresh tires, and adjustments. Starting the second stage in 22nd, he quickly advanced to 12th by lap seven. A caution came out on lap 28, and Van Gisbergen restarted in 12th. He made gains up to ninth before another caution on lap 31. The field had just returned to speed when another caution followed quickly on lap 35. Taking advantage, the No. 97 WeatherTech team pitted for four tires and fuel, rejoining the race in 17th. Van Gisbergen swiftly moved into the top 10, reaching seventh with three laps remaining in the stage. The second stage ended under caution, with Van Gisbergen finishing seventh, earning four stage points.
- The No. 97 WeatherTech team started the final stage, 5th, with 24 laps remaining in the race. Van Gisbergen battled to catch the leader and reached second place with 15 laps remaining in the event before a caution flew. The No. 97 team opted to stay out, when the caution flew, giving Van Gisbergen the chance to restart the stage first with 11 laps to go in the race. Van Gisbergen lost the lead with 9 laps remaining, dropping back to fourth where he raced for the remainder of the race. A caution came out seconds before the white flag flew, giving the No. 97 another chance at a restart. Van Gisbergen restarted the official overtime, 4th, with two laps remaining. Van Gisbergen ultimately took the checkered flag, 3rd. Van Gisbergen and the No. 97 WeatherTech team would not advance into the Round of 8, finishing two points below the cut line.
“We had a good crack at it, but just gutted for the whole team. It was a bit of a rollercoaster all race and my WeatherTech Chevrolet was fast. Just wish last weekend would have gone better and we would have been in a better (playoff) spot heading into today. Proud of my Kaulig Racing team. We’ve had an amazing year, my first year in NASCAR and I’ve loved it. I’m happy but also not, I would have loved to keep advancing in the playoffs.” – Shane van Gisbergen
JOSH WILLIAMS
No. 11 Alloy Employer Services Chevrolet Camaro
- Josh Williams qualified 23rd for the Drive for the Cure 250 at the Charlotte ROVAL.
- Williams spent most of the first stage running on the cusp of the top 20. At the end of lap 15, Williams pitted for tires and fuel, flipping the stage and taking the green-white-checkered in 30th.
- He fired off for the second stage in 11th and immediately was embroiled in battles with cars that had fresher tires. The caution came out on lap 28 while Williams was in 19th. After restarting on lap 30, another caution came out, and Williams restarted in 17th on lap 33. He was involved in a multi-car wreck after the ensuing green-flag lap, ending his day prematurely. He finished in 36th.
“Just a bad day all around, we didn’t get a chance to see where we’d fall with the cautions or pit strategies. Looking forward to moving on to the next one.” – Josh Williams
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.
