Food City Dirt Race

Justin Haley, No. 31 Tide Camaro ZL1

• Justin Haley qualified 25th for the Food City Dirt Race after finishing sixth in his respective heat race.
• Haley and the No. 31 Tide Camaro fired off strong with his only complaint being stuck in traffic. As the run went on, Haley told crew chief, Eddie Purdue, many other cars looked free on entry, but he liked where he was at. Haley finished stage one ninth, earning a stage point. 
• In stage two, Haley told the No. 31 team the car was good and he just needed to get into his rhythm. Haley went on to finish stage two ninth, earning another stage point.
• At the stage break, Haley told the team he was committed to the bottom, and the No. 31 Tide Camaro was still pretty decent, he just needed more left rear drive.
• In stage three, Haley told the team he was struggling with rear grip. Haley battled for track position, on the final restarts and finished sixth in the Food City Dirt Race, his best result of the 2023 season thus far.

"We didn't have a great day yesterday in the heat race, we really struggled, so to come out here and move forward as soon as the green flag dropped was a good day for us. Going into stage two, we knew we had a top-10 car and this sixth place finish is what our team needed. It's tough to compete at this level, but we're working hard and trying every week.

- Justin Haley

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Tide Camaro ZL1

• AJ Allmendinger qualified 29th for the Food City Dirt Race after finishing seventh in his respective heat race.
• Allmendinger reported to crew chief, Matt Swiderski, it was difficult to determine how the balance of his No. 16 Tide Camaro was, as he was struggling pinned on the bottom in traffic.
• Working with spotter, Frank Deiny, Allmendinger tried different lanes to learn the track and try to find speed.
• Throughout stage one, the No. 16 Tide Camaro struggled with handling and lacked grip in the corners, ultimately finishing the stage 22^nd.
• In stage two, Allmendinger moved up to 20^th before he had a tire go down lap 99. The No. 16 restarted two laps down and finished stage two 35^th, the only car two laps down.
• Allmendinger got back on the lead lap after taking the wave around on lap 176 and was the free pass on lap 202.
• Allmendinger climbed through the field, avoiding several spins, to finish 16^th in his NASCAR dirt debut at the Food City Dirt Race.

“I'm happy with the end result today. We were definitely making progress, struggled in the middle of the race. Fortunately, we were able to get back on the lead lap and make some gains there. I felt like I figured it out a little bit there at the end, wish I could have figured that out earlier. Overall, it was a good comeback from where we were being two laps down. I'm proud of the team and we just need to keep trying to do better.”

- AJ Allmendinger