No. 97 WeatherTech Chevrolet Camaro
- Shane van Gisbergen qualified 23rd for the Pennzoil 250.
- On lap one, a mid-pack wreck occurred, collecting multiple cars, but the No. 97 team was able to avoid the carnage, restarting the race in 11th. Van Gisbergen entered the top 10 on lap nine. The No. 97 team opted to pit under caution before the stage one break as Van Gisbergen reported to be battling a very loose race car. He returned to the field in 25th and ultimately ended stage one in 16th.
- Van Gisbergen was scored 16th to begin stage two. The No. 97 team maintained position throughout the stage, and Van Gisbergen raced his way into the top 10 towards the end of the run. The No. 97 team opted to pit for adjustments, new tires and fuel with three laps remaining while under caution, placing him in ninth on the restart. Van Gisbergen took the green-and-white checkered flag in seventh.
- The No. 97 team started the final stage in sixth place. After an early caution to start the stage, the No. 97 team opted to stay out and restarted from the fifth position, with 29 laps remaining in the race. Van Gisbergen battled hard to maintain position and raced in the top five for over 15 laps. A caution flew with 15 laps to go, and the No. 97 team opted to come to pit road for new tires and fuel. Van Gisbergen restarted the final stage 12th with 11 laps remaining. The New Zealand native quickly made his way up to fifth with nine laps remaining and took the checkered flag in fourth.
“Wow, what a race! We just continued to get better and better throughout the stages, and I got more confident through the race. We were running up front with good guys and got super good restarts, the whole race was amazing! Proud of my No. 97 Kaulig Racing Team. These guys works super hard, and it’s so special to race at a place like this and get a fourth-place finish.”
– Shane van Gisbergen
No. 10 Black Widow Trucks Chevrolet Camaro
- Daniel Dye qualified 22nd for the Pennzoil 250.
- Taking the green flag, Dye reported the No. 10 fired off strong. On lap one, a mid-field wreck collected several competitors. Avoiding the chaos, Dye was able to gain a few positions. As the race resumed, Dye experienced a tight condition through the run. The No. 10 team opted to stay out to the end of the stage for track position, completing the stage in the 17th position.
- Dye made strides in stage two by learning a better approach to passing traffic. He had maneuvered into the top 15 before a late-stage caution came out. He pitted but lost six positions due to jack issues. He returned to the field and relayed the No. 10 Black Widow Trucks Chevrolet was still a little too tight. He completed the stage in 19th.
- Starting stage three, Dye was stuck deep in the pack but held steady and progressed through the field in his No. 10 Black Widow Trucks Camaro. His persistence paid off, as he was able to gain positions as the stage neared end. Ultimately, he took the checkered flag while scoring an NXS career-best finish of seventh.
“Fun day of learning, and cool to get another top-ten run. Cool to race at such a historic racetrack and do well. Thanks to everyone at Kaulig Racing and our partners, including Black Widow Trucks, for all the support and hard work!”
– Daniel Dye
No. 16 Celsius Chevrolet Camaro
- AJ Allmendinger qualified eighth for the Pennzoil 250.
- Allmendinger was scored in seventh when the first caution came early on lap two. The No. 16 was hit in the door but suffered no additional damage. After the restart, Allmendinger reported his balance was okay but he lacked confidence in the rear of the car. When the caution waved on lap 18, Allmendinger was scored in seventh. The team stayed out to restart in second on lap 21. The No. 16 fell to third on the restart but regained second place on lap 27 and went on to finish the opening stage in second.
- During the stage break, the No. 16 came to pit road for four tires, fuel, and track bar and chassis adjustments. Allmendinger restarted in 12th place on lap 35, and by lap 51, he had taken over sixth place. When the caution came on lap 56, Allmendinger reported the only place he was struggling was with the rear on the entry of turn four. The No. 16 came to pit road for further work on the same adjustments made at the end of stage one. Allmendinger restarted in sixth place for a one-lap shootout to the stage end. The No. 16 finished stage two in fourth place.
- Allmendinger came to pit road during the stage break and restarted in second place on lap 65 after gaining two positions on pit road. When the caution came out on lap 68, the No. 16 stayed out and restarted in second place on the outside lane. On the first lap green, Allmendinger took the lead over the No. 98 and No. 00. Allmendinger led four laps before falling back to third place when the caution came out on lap 86. On lap 90, Allmendinger restarted in third place and quickly reported his No. 16 Chevy was now too tight. Allmendinger went on to finish in eighth place.
“Really solid day for our No. 16 team. Happy with the speed we had today. We didn’t have quite enough to win. We made a strategy call to try and win the race that didn’t work out.”
– AJ Allmendinger
No. 11 Alloy Employer Services Chevrolet Camaro
- Josh Williams qualified 19th for the Pennzoil 250.
- Williams avoided a first-lap incident and picked up 10 spots — as well as some grass on the No. 11’s grille — to restart from ninth on lap eight. He lost one spot before the caution came out on lap 18, and he stayed out during the yellow to restart from fourth with 10 laps to go in stage one. The No. 11 Alloy Employer Services Camaro dealt with mid-corner tightness as the run continued, and Williams finished stage one in 15th.
- Williams brought the No. 11 Chevy down pit road for tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. Having to restart at the end of the line due to an uncontrolled tire during the pit stop, Williams fired off for stage two from 34th on lap 34. He immediately began moving up through the field, running in 22nd on lap 41. The Chevy’s handling began loosening up, and Williams’ forward progress halted. A late-stage caution set up a one-lap shootout to the end of the middle stint, and during the yellow, Williams pitted for fuel, tires and another track bar adjustment. He restarted and finished stage two in 23rd.
- Williams took the green flag for the final stage in 22nd on lap 66 and took 19th before another wreck brought out the caution on lap 68. Williams re-fired from 21st on lap 72, but with 16 laps remaining, he was involved in a wreck that ended his day. Williams finished 36th.
“I had a whole speech prepared until I talked with [Anthony Alfredo] in there. Things happen… I figured he would stay up against the fence until everyone got past him, but if you cut a tire here, you just have zero control.”
– Josh Williams
Kaulig Racing PR
