Kaulig Racing Post-Race Report | Dover Motor Speedway
May 1, 2023
Würth 400
AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Nutrien Ag Solutions Camaro ZL1
Per the rulebook, AJ Allmendinger started 29th in the Würth 400, after qualifying was canceled due to inclement weather.
Allmendinger moved through the back of the field quickly and made it up 21st before the competition caution on lap 20. He was happy with the balance in the No. 16 Nutrien Ag Solutions Camaro. Allmendinger continued to ride inside the top-20, making his way up to 17th before another caution on lap 81. He told crew chief, Matt Swiderski, he was starting to loose rear grip, but otherwise he was still happy with the balance. As laps started winding down in stage one, Allmendinger finished the opening stage 18th and told the team his car was very free and it was hard to hang on.
Allmendinger restarted stage two on lap 130 15th and fell to 19th by lap 151 telling the team the No. 16 Camaro was starting to get out of the racetrack. Allmendinger lacked grip, started to free up and wasn’t able to make moves on the track like he needed to. As green flag pit stops started to cycle through, Allmendinger moved up to second before coming down pit road on lap 198 to service his loose race car. Allmendinger told the team his balance was a little better after that stop and he went on to finish stage two 19th.
Allmendinger restarted stage three 20th and battled a tight No. 16 Camaro for the duration of the stage. Lacking lateral grip and struggling with handling in traffic, Allmendinger maintained around 20th position for the stage. Under the final caution, the No. 16 team took the wave around to finish 18th one lap down.
“We fired off pretty good today; I was happy with the balance. We were a little tight on exit of the corners in traffic, but that’s to be expected. As the track changed, we started to lose rear grip and by the end of the first stage we were so loose I was hardly hanging on. We made some adjustments and tried to adapt with the track. By the end, we fired off better each run but lost rear grip so quick. We still have some work to do, but I felt like today was a step in the right direction.”
Per the rulebook, Justin Haley started 25th in the Würth 400, after qualifying was canceled due to inclement weather.
At the start of the race, Haley moved up five spots in five laps and made it as far as 16th before the competition caution came out on lap 21. As the stage progressed, Haley’s No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1 began running free. The team made small air pressure adjustments throughout each pit stop, but Haley kept losing grip as the rubber built up on track. Haley dropped back to finish 24th in the opening stage.
The No. 31 team made a wedge adjustment to help the handling of Haley’s car during the first stage break. The team’s strategy was to split the second stage, and they did just that, as Haley made one pit stop during the stage. By the end of the stage, Haley’s No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro still lacked grip. He finished the second stage in 26th place before making a pit stop for rear-wedge adjustments.
Haley continued to fight a free-handling car throughout the final stage of the race but improved on the long, green-flag run. He made his final pit stop with 70 laps left in the race. As the final caution flag fell with 13 laps remaining, Haley began running top-10 speeds, but was already four laps down. He was able to take the wave around, giving him one lap back. He went on to finish the race 23rd.
“We showed a lot of promise early on in our No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1. We fired off so well and had a ton of speed. Unfortunately, as the track built up rubber and I got in dirty air, we just couldn’t find the grip we needed. The first five laps on tires we would be so good, but then we would lose grip and get super free. By the end of the race i felt like we had improved and learned so much — we just couldn’t get the track position back. We will keep focusing to get back where we need to be starting next week in Kansas.”
Per the rulebook, Daniel Hemric started 16th in the A-Game 200, after qualifying was canceled due to inclement weather.
In the opening stage, Hemric’ s No. 11 Cirkul Chevrolet fired off tight, which continued for the majority of the race. On the first pit stop, the team made multiple adjustments to help the handling of the No. 11 Chevy. Hemric reported that the adjustments helped a bit and went on to finish ninth in stage one.
Hemric started the second stage still fighting a tight-handling race car, as the No.11 crew continued to make adjustments each pit stop. He finished stage two in 11th place.
In the final stage, Hemric stayed in the top 10, continuing to improve on lap times and gaining track position with the help of fast pit stops. He went on to finish in 10th place.
“It was a good fight for everybody on the No. 11 Cirkul team today. We know we have struggled a little bit in these last couple outings at Dover. We swung for the fence with a different package and just didn’t quite key in on a couple pieces that we needed to make the overall speed. I feel like we still maximized our day for what we had and got a top-10.”
– Daniel Hemric
Chandler Smith, No. 16 Quick Tie Products Chevrolet
Per the rulebook, Chandler Smith started 10th in the A-Game 200, after qualifying was canceled due to inclement weather.
Smith’s No. 16 Quick Tie Products Chevrolet fired off tight all throughout the corner, and the No. 16 team made adjustments throughout the caution-filled first stage to loosen the car. Smith finished 10th in the opening stage.
After running at a high of fifth place in the second stage, Smith began to settle into the race with a car seemingly built for long runs. He finished sixth in the second stage.
The last stage featured an extended green-flag run that lasted just under half of the full race length. On the final restart, Smith got loose off of turn four and almost smacked the outside wall but kept the car clean, however, multiple cars took advantage and passed him for position, forcing Smith off rhythm.
Smith stayed out to extend a green-flag run in the waning laps, hoping for a caution to make up ground, the remainder of the race stayed green. Smith went on to finish 13th.
“It wasn’t exactly our day at Dover, but I felt like our No. 16 Kaulig Racing Quick Tie Products team did everything possible to keep us out in front. I had a huge moment exiting turn four at one point and almost hit the wall, but other than that, it wasn’t the most heart-pounding run. I think it will be nice to regroup with the weekend off and figure out how we can get results from races like the one today.”
– Chandler Smith
Derek Kraus, No. 10 LeafHome Water Solutions Chevrolet
Per the rulebook, Derek Kraus started 13th in the A-Game 200, after qualifying was canceled due to inclement weather.
Kraus told crew chief, Alex Yontz, under the first caution on lap six that his No. 10 LeafHome Water Solutions Chevy was tight rolling the center, and he wasn’t able to get it pointed right coming out of the corner. By lap 20, Kraus said he was starting to get loose on entry. The team brought him down pit road for a wedge adjustment and Kraus went on to finish stage one in 15th place.
Kraus worked through stage two with spotter, Frank Deiny, on getting back into the throttle in the corners so competition could not gain on him. The No. 10 Chevy finished stage two in 16th place and made a big adjustment to free up the car during the stage break.
In stage three, Kraus found his rhythm and worked with Frank (Deiny) to disrupt the air on other cars to pass them and work his way up the field. As green-flag pit stops cycled through, Kraus was up to sixth place before coming down pit road on lap 172. Kraus served a pass through penalty for speeding on pit road and went on to finish 20th.
“Today we kinda struggled from the beginning. We were really tight to fire off. Alex (Yontz) and the crew worked hard to make adjustments on the car throughout the race and we were okay at the end. I made a mistake there with speeding on pit road and that cost us a top-15 finish. Overall, I had a lot of fun these last four races and I can’t thank Kaulig Racing, Matt Kaulig and Chris Rice enough for this opportunity. ”
