Kaulig Racing Race Recap | NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship
AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 16 Celsius Chevrolet Camaro
- AJ Allmendinger qualified ninth but had to start from the back due to an unapproved adjustment for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway.
- In the opening stage, Allmendinger drove up to 18th by lap 20. He maintained that position throughout Stage 1, reporting his No. 16 Celsius Chevy lacked grip. Allmendinger came to pit road under the stage break for four tires, fuel and air pressure and track bar adjustments. The team gained six spots on pit road to restart for the second stage in 12th place.
- Allmendinger maintained position in 12th place, reporting that the changes didn’t help the handling of the No. 16 Celsius Camaro. When the caution came out on lap 63, the No. 16 stayed out to restart in 12th on lap 75. Quickly after, the yellow flag reappeared, and crew chief Alex Yontz made a strategy call to keep Allmendinger on track and not flip the stage on pit road. Allmendinger restarted in third place on lap 82 and went on to finish the stage in seventh.
- Allmendinger came to pit road under the stage break for four tires, fuel and packer and wedge adjustments. He restarted in 19th place on lap 101 and took over 11th place on the first lap green. By lap 128, Allmendinger had driven up to sixth place. The team came to pit road for a scheduled green-flag pit stop on lap 148 and had cycled back up to eighth when the caution came out on lap 155. The team stayed out to restart in seventh place on lap 163. By lap 169, Allmendinger had fallen to 10th place. Allmendinger was scored in 12th place when the caution came out on lap 198. Allmendinger came to pit road under caution to put on his last set of fresh tires. The race went into overtime; Allmendinger restarted in 11th place and the caution came back out. Allmendinger restarted in 10th place for the second overtime attempt and went on to finish in ninth, scoring third in driver points.
“First off, congrats to Justin [Allgaier], Dale Jr and everyone on the No. 7 crew. Justin [Allgaier] has been working at it for a while so that’s really cool that he got it. I wish we could have been in the fight, but can’t thank Alex Yontz and my whole 16 group enough for fighting. We were off from the start, we were loose the whole race and just weren’t sure what else to do to make it faster. Just disappointing we were never really in the fight, but it definitely wasn’t lack of effort.” – AJ Allmendinger
SHANE van GISBERGEN
No. 97 WeatherTech Chevrolet Camaro
- Shane van Gisbergen qualified 17th for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway.
- Van Gisbergen quickly worked his way up to 13th during the first two laps of the race. He reported major brake vibration shortly afterwards, as he battled to maintain position. The No. 97 WeatherTech Chevrolet was lacking rear grip through the long green flag run, and Van Gisbergen battled to hang on as he took the green-and-white checkered flag in 24th.
- The No. 97 team came to pit road at the stage break for a chassis adjustment, four fresh tires and fuel. Van Gisbergen started the second stage in 27th after being issued a pit road speeding penalty. He reported that the brake adjustment worked, but that the WeatherTech Chevrolet still didn’t have rear grip. The caution came out on lap 63, and the No. 97 team opted to come to pit road for adjustments and fuel. Van Gisbergen restarted in 25th before another caution came out on the restart. Van Gisbergen fired off in 10th for the short run to the stage’s end, taking the green-white-checkered in 25th.
- The No. 97 team came to pit road at the stage break for a chassis adjustment, fresh tires and fuel. Van Gisbergen started the final stage of the event in 27th. He quickly made his way up to 15th and then re-entered the top 10 on lap 125. The No. 97 WeatherTech Chevrolet battled in the top 10 before coming to pit road for adjustments, fresh tires and fuel with 53 laps remaining. Van Gisbergen rejoined the field in 19th and quickly climbed his way to 10th in five laps. A caution flew with 46 laps remaining in the race, and the No. 97 team opted to stay out. Van Gisbergen restarted in eighth on lap 163. He battled to stay in the top 10 but dropped down the field to 13th as he reported the car was tight. With three laps remaining, a caution flew, and the No. 97 team opted to come to pit road for fresh tires. The caution sent the race into overtime, and Van Gisbergen restarted in 12th. After two overtime attempts, Van Gisbergen ultimately took the checkered flag in 12th.
“That was a crazy race. Couldn’t get my WeatherTech Chevy comfortable at the beginning, was super loose and then tight towards the end, but the team and I battled through and came out with a pretty solid result. What a season with my No. 97 Kaulig Racing team! Thanks to everyone at Kaulig Racing and Chevrolet for sticking with me all season, learned a lot and had a blast!” – Shane van Gisbergen
DANIEL DYE
No. 10 Champion Container Chevrolet Camaro
- Daniel Dye qualified 13th for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway.
- Dye immediately picked off a pair of spots followed by a third. As the run went on, Dye commented that his Champion Container Camaro struggled with front turn, and he lost the spots he gained earlier on. He ran consistent lap times through the middle of Stage 1, and he took the green-and-white checkered flag in 11th.
- Dye started Stage 2 in 14th and would lose a few spots initially in his Camaro. A couple cautions slowed the race, and Dye restarted sixth with eight laps remaining in the stage. Dye would be relegated back after staying out and finished the stage in 19th. He asked for better fire off speed and pitted for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment at the stage break.
- The final stage went green, and Dye restarted from 21st. The No. 10 fired off strong, and Dye began carving his way through the field. The Champion Container Chevy settled into 10th and ran consistent lap times. Dye, quiet on the radio, would continue to climb and stay out during the long run, where he would inherit the lead during green flag stops. Shortly thereafter, Dye pitted for tires and fuel, but a caution soon after trapped him a lap down. The race would see another caution, giving Dye the free pass, followed by another caution that allowed Dye to pit. In the end, the Champion Container Chevy would take the checkered flag in 17th.
“We had a great Champion Container Chevy, and I can’t thank everyone at Kaulig Racing enough for their hard work. Once we got it dialed in, we had good speed and were able to drive it through the field. Not the finish we wanted, but a lot to look forward to as we look to 2025!” – Daniel Dye
JOSH WILLIAMS
No. 11 Seacrest Studios Chevrolet Camaro
- Josh Williams qualified 19th for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway.
- After reaching 17th at the end of lap one, Williams fell to 24th on lap 14 of the 45-lap first stage. He began finding extra speed in the No. 11 Alloy Employer Services Camaro as the stage continued, and he took the green-white-checkered in 20th.
- Williams pitted for tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment during the stage break. He restarted in 20th on lap 55 and quickly fell back to 23rd one lap later. On lap 63, the caution came out with Williams in 20th. He stayed out and restarted there on lap 75 before another spin brought the yellow flag back out on lap 78. Williams flipped the stage, pitting for tires and fuel under the caution period and restarting in 25th on lap 83. He finished the stage on 23rd.
- Williams fired off for the final stage in 14th on lap 101. He quickly lost spots, settling into 20th on lap 116. Williams reported that the No. 11 Alloy Employer Service Chevy lacked power on acceleration, saying that other drivers “just drive away” from him. Even so, he picked off two spots in three laps to take 18th on lap 131. During green flag pit stops, Williams’ Camaro required a battery change in addition to fresh tires and fuel, and Williams re-entered the race in 36th, six laps down. He eventually took the checkered flag in 33rd.
“We did a lot to try and manage our voltage issues tonight, but there was nothing more we could do to get the Alloy Employer Services Chevy moving forward. I’m appreciative of our No. 11 crew sticking with me all year.” – 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.
