Kaulig Racing Post-Race Report | Circuit of the Americas (COTA)

AJ Allmendinger, No. 10 Celsius Chevrolet

• AJ Allmendinger qualified on the pole for the Pit Boss 250 Presented by USA Today.
• Allmendinger dominated the first stage in the No. 10 Celsius Chevrolet leading all 14 laps until the stage break. This was Allmendinger’s 12^th NXS road course stage win, making him the series-leader for road course stage wins.
• Allmendinger restarted on the 11^th row in stage two and sustained right side damage when the field went five-wide going into turn one on the start. The No. 10 Celsius Chevy did not have a tire rub after this contact, so the team stayed out during the caution and restarted in 25^th on lap 22. Charging through the field quickly, Allmendinger came back from over nine seconds back to finish sixth in stage two.
• Restarting on the third row for the third stage, Allmendinger made his way to the front and battled with the No. 17 for the lead.
• He went on to earn Kaulig Racing’s first NXS win of the 2023 season in the Pit Boss 250 Presented by USA Today.

“William Byron is one of the best ones in the sport right now, seeing all Cup races he’s winning. I knew it was going to be tough, I was just trying to fight to get back up to the front there. I’m so proud of everyone at Kaulig Racing. The Celsius Chevy was really hooked up, and with all the damage we had, it didn’t hurt the car. I spent a lot of years not winning anything, so I’m going to celebrate every one of them like it’s my last one. You never know. As much pressure as I put on myself, I’m always going to try to live up to it. The pit crew was awesome, and I’m so proud of everyone on this team.”

– AJ Allmendinger

Daniel Hemric, No. 11 Chevy Accessories Chevrolet

• Daniel Hemric qualified 11th for the Pit Boss 250 Presented by USA Today. 
• In the opening stage, Hemric had contact early on with the No. 20 car. With minimal damage on the right side, he was able to rebound and finish 13th in stage one.
• After pitting under caution, Hemric gained 12 spots on a restart on lap 22 in the second stage, and went on to finish stage two in 16th.
• In the final stage, Hemric maintained his track position and recorded his career best finish at COTA, coming home sixth.
• Hemric was one of four drivers who qualified for Dash 4 Cash taking place at Richmond next weekend.

“What a battle this weekend was. I put us behind by not getting up to speed quick enough and didn’t do a great job putting together a lap in qualifying. Looking back, had I qualified better I could have been a little ahead of the carnage at the beginning of the race. I have a lot to clean up, but I had a really fast Kaulig Racing Chevy Accessories Camaro. I look forward to going to Richmond and being a part of the Dash 4 Cash.”

– Daniel Hemric

Chandler Smith, No. 16 Quick Tie Chevrolet

• Chandler Smith qualified 27th for the Pit Boss 250 Presented by USA Today but would start at the rear due to an unapproved adjustment prior to the start of the race.
• Smith battled through contact with multiple cars and dealt with minor damage during the first two stages.
• Spotter Freddie Kraft noted that Smith’s biggest area to work on going forward from stage one was to drive through the esses in a straighter line.
• At the end of the second stage, Smith restarted in 18th and was told to save his tires instead of racing for stage points to save his car for the end.
• He finished 12th in his NXS road course debut after adjusting his driving style all 46 laps.

“Our team dealt with a lot throughout the race today. We made contact with a few other cars just trying to learn the track. It was a hard day’s work, and I really appreciate my crew chief, Bruce (Schlicker), guiding me all day while making adjustments to better my understanding of the track. Honestly, 12th is not a bad result, but it’s time to get back in the top five next week at Richmond.”

– Chandler Smith

EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Nutrien Ag Solutions Farmsmart Camaro ZL1

• AJ Allmendinger qualified seventh for his 400^th NCS start in the EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix.
• Allmendinger quickly moved through the field to finish third in stage one.
• With the pit strategy, Allmendinger finished 13th in the second stage.
• In the final stage, Allmendinger made it as high as second in the No. 16 Nutrien Ag Solutions FARMSMART Camaro. Two laps short on fuel, the team pitted under caution and restarted on the seventh row. On the restart, Allmendinger got a push from behind resulting in damage that ultimately ended his day with eight laps to go. He was scored 34th.

“Obviously the finish was not what we wanted but I’m really proud of the effort from the start of the weekend. To go from Friday where we were not good at all to being better Saturday. Not sure if our car was race winning, but thought we had a top three, top four call all day. Really disappointed to get caught up in the wreck and not really score any points but trying to take the positives out of it. We know that we can struggle early and find speed in the race car. We definitely had speed the whole race and ran up front. We’ve got to clean up some other stuff, but other than that, just taking the positives to get ready for the next road course and build on that.”

– AJ Allmendinger