- AJ Allmendinger qualified 25th for the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.
- When the first caution came out on lap 12, Allmendinger was scored in 28th, reporting his No. 13 Strive Chevy was a little rough in the rear. Under caution, the team came to pit road for fuel only. Allmendinger came back to pit road prior to going green to top off with fuel. On lap 17, Allmendinger restarted in 36th and took 34th on the restart. Running the top lane, Allmendinger drove up to 25th by lap 25. Preparing for a wreck, the No. 13 dropped back and finished the opening stage in 26th.
- Under the stage break, Allmendinger came to pit road for four tires, fuel and an adjustment to help with rear security. Allmendinger restarted in 36th on lap 67 after pitting a second time to top off with fuel. By lap 75, Allmendinger was scored in 19th, the highest he had been so far in the race, while running the top lane. When the Fords came to pit road, Allmendinger received damage on the nose of the car and lost the draft. The team came to pit road on lap 110 for fuel only and went a lap down. The No. 13 team was the free pass on lap 121 when the caution came out, ending the stage. Allmendinger was scored in 36th.
- After pitting for four tires, fuel and an adjustment, Allmendinger restarted the final stage in 23rd. Running third back on the top lane, Allmendinger drove up to 13th by lap 132. He continued to climb, taking the lead on lap 135. Allmendinger maintained position in the top five, leading a total of 10 laps before pitting under green on lap 166 for right-side tires and fuel. On lap 184, the No. 13 was involved in a large wreck, bringing out the caution. He nursed the No. 13 to a 28th-place finish.
“We played it safe there to start off and got in a bad spot when cars started pit. After we caught a break, it was fun having the No. 13 Strive Chevy up front there for a while. Definitely disappointing end to our day getting caught up in that wreck, but I’m really proud of the effort out of this team and the showing we had today.”
– AJ Allmendinger
- Daniel Hemric qualified 10th for the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, his best qualifying effort of the 2024 season.
- Hemric fell out of the top 10 during the opening laps, unable to get help on the top lane. The first caution flag of the day came out on lap 12, and Hemric made a quick trip down pit road for fuel. The field went back to green on lap 16, and Hemric worked his way back into the top 10. As the pack ran four wide, Hemric led one lap on the top lane, before bailing out of the pack with eight to go in the stage. He went on to finish the opening stage in 32nd.
- During the stage break, Hemric ran out of fuel and received a push to pit road for tires and fuel. He came back down pit road to top off, before starting the second stage from 27th place. As the manufacturers pitted together, Hemric made a fuel-only stop on lap 99. As multiple cars wrecked coming to the stage flag, Hemric crossed the line in 11th place.
- During the second stage break, Hemric pitted for four tires and fuel, before starting the final stage from eighth place. As the stage remained green on lap 160, spotter, Frank Deiny, began helping Hemric get to the bottom lane to prepare for a green-flag pit stop. He made his final fuel-only stop on lap 166, alongside teammates (AJ) Allmendinger and (Shane) van Gisbergen. With five laps remaining, the “big one” ensued, collecting Hemric in the process. He was relegated to a 38th place finish.
“Unfortunate end to a really solid day. I’m proud of everyone on this No. 31 Cirkul Chevy team. We had a really fast qualifying effort to put us in the top 10 to start. Unfortunate that it turned out the way it did. I thought I had a hole and just ripped around the top, but the two slid back up. I hate that for the team, but I’m super proud of these guys. We have five more opportunities to do something special as a team.”
– Daniel Hemric
- Shane van Gisbergen qualified 17th for the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.
- On lap 12 of the race, the first caution came out, and the No. 16 opted to come to pit road for fresh tires and fuel. Van Gisbergen restarted the stage in 31st. After drafting with the pack for multiple laps, the No. 16 team opted to drop to the back of the field to open up their playbook for the rest of the stage. With 22 laps remaining, Van Gisbergen chose the top lane, entering the top 25, as he drafted with a four-wide pack. Van Gisbergen chose to drop to the back of the pack with six laps remaining in the stage, taking the stage flag in 28th.
- The No. 16 came to pit road during the stage break for adjustments, fuel and fresh tires. Van Gisbergen started the second stage from 21st and entered the top 20 seven laps later. Halfway through the stage, the No. 16 WeatherTech Chevrolet raced to the front of the pack and led the field for 10 laps. While in the lead, the No. 16 Team opted to come to pit road for fuel, re-entering the field in fourth with 20 laps remaining in the stage. Van Gisbergen battled in the top five for the duration and completed the second stage in the fourth position.
- The No. 16 team came to pit road at the stage break for fuel and four fresh tires. Van Gisbergen started the final stage in seventh place. He raced in the top five for 10 laps, before bailing to mid-pack. Van Gisbergen battled with the pack for multiple laps, before coming to pit road for fuel with 22 laps remaining in the race. The No. 16 Chevy re-entered the field in 35th and battled with his Kaulig Racing teammates to gain momentum in the top lane. A massive accident involving over the half of the field occurred with four laps remaining in the race, bringing out the red flag. The No. 16 sustained minimal damage and came to pit road for fresh tires. Van Gisbergen restarted the final stage in 12th. At the first attempt at overtime, Van Gisbergen took the checkered flag in 15th.
“That was a wild race! Had a lot of fun battling up front and leading some laps. Our WeatherTech Chevy Camaro showed a lot of speed and it was awesome to race in the pack and continue to learn every lap. Glad we missed the big wreck there at the end and were able to have a solid finish. Proud of my No. 16 Kaulig Racing team and looking forward to racing the Cup car at the Charlotte Roval.”
– Shane van Gisbergen
Kaulig Racing PR
