No. 31 Poppy Bank Camaro ZL1
- Daniel Hemric qualified 30th for the Hollywood Casino 400 Presented by ESPN Bet at Kansas Speedway.
- The first caution of the day came out on the first lap, as Hemric had already made up four positions. The next caution fell on lap 20, and Hemric pitted for four tires, hoping the new set of tires would help the handling of the No. 31 South Point Chevy. He went on to finish the first stage in 17th place.
- After pitting for air-pressure adjustments to help with grip, Hemric started the second stage in 26th. When the first caution of the stage came out on lap 99, Hemric sat 23rd. He pitted for four tires and fuel, gaining one position on pit road. Running similar times to the second-place car, Hemric worked his way into the top 20 but suffered a broken toe link that sent him spinning, bringing out the next caution. Hemric pitted under caution, and the team replaced the broken toe link but lost two laps in the process. Hemric restarted 34th with 12 laps remaining in the second stage. A caution with eight to go allowed Hemric to take the free-pass position, giving him one lap back. As the field took the green with four to go in the stage, Hemric maintained the free-pass position once again and received another lap back at the stage end. He finished the second stage in 33rd on the lead lap.
- Hemric started the final stage in 31st and made it back into the top 25 by lap 201. As the final green-flag pit stops began, Hemric made it as high as 16th, before pitting on lap 210 for tires and fuel. When the next caution flag fell on lap 237, Hemric pitted for fuel, tires and a right-side air pressure adjustment. He restarted 23rd on lap 241, before the next caution came out just three laps later. Hemric restarted 15th with 20 laps remaining and went on to finish the race in 20th place.
“That was fun! Our No. 31 South Point Chevy showed a ton of speed today. After breaking a toe link and hitting the wall, the damage affected the maneuverability a bit, but I’m super proud of the No. 31 guys for staying focused and fighting to get back on the lead lap so we could compete in the final stage.”
– Daniel Hemric
No. 16 FitRx Camaro ZL1
- Ty Dillon qualified 32nd for the Hollywood Casino 400 Presented by ESPN Bet at Kansas Speedway.
- The first caution of the day came out on lap one, as the No. 16 was collected in the process. Dillon acquired left-rear quarter panel damage, along with some right-side damage. The team assessed the car under caution, and fell one lap down. Dillon restarted 36th when the second caution came out on lap 20. Dillon earned the free pass position, putting him back on the lead lap. Under caution, Dillon came down pit road, allowing the team to cut the left-rear quarter panel off and determine damage from the previous wreck. Adding fuel and a rear left tire, the No. 16 restarted 33rd, maintaining minimum speed. Dillon battled the remainder of the stage to maintain position, completing it in 31st and one lap down.
- During the stage break, Dillon reported the No. 16 was loose in and out of turns while struggling to hit the throttle. The team pitted for a rear-wedge adjustment, minor repairs to the right-front splitter, fuel and four tires. Dillon restarted 35th and one lap down. The fourth caution on lap 99 allowed the him to pit under caution for four tires and fuel. Dillon restarted 33rd, one lap down, and in position to fight for the lucky dog, which he received when the next caution flag fell on lap 145. He restarted 31st and on the lead lap. Five laps later, the caution flag flew once again, which allowed Dillon to pit for four scuff tires and fuel. Dillon restarted 30th, before the seventh caution of the day allowed the No. 16 to pit for four sticker tires and fuel. He restarted in 29th and finished the second stage in 25th.
- During the final stage break, the No.16 elected to stay out, restarting 15th. Dillon climbed as high as fourth, as the field made green flag pit stops. The No. 16 pitted on lap 219 for four tires and fuel, cycling back to 30th and one lap down. With 32 laps remaining, the next caution flag flew, allowing Dillon to take the wave around and get back on the lead lap. The No. 16 stayed out and restarted 29th. The caution flag waved once again on lap 244. The No.16 pitted for its final set of sticker tires and fuel, restarting 28th. Dillon closed out the race in 21st.
“Solid effort to rebound after an early-race caution and run the entire race with no rear quarter panel. Our FitRx Camaro had the speed, we just didn’t have a full car today. We had to rebuild the car and fight from a lap down, but I’m proud of the effort the team put in today. Definitely learned a few things we can take into next season and hit the ground running.”
– Ty Dillon
Kaulig Racing PR
