No. 16 Western States Flooring Camaro ZL1
- Derek Kraus qualified 26th for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship to close out the 2024 season.
- The first caution of the day fell on the opening lap. Kraus and the No. 16 Western States Flooring Chevrolet stayed out to restart 29th from the top line. Kraus slowly lost several positions, dropping to 35th as he reported his car was running free into turns. He finished the first stage a lap down in 35th.
- During the stage break, Kraus reported he lacked grip and could not trust the car. The No. 16 pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments. Kraus restarted 35th and one lap down. As a caution-free stage two went on, Kraus pitted under green-flag conditions on lap 179 for four tires, fuel and adjustments. Kraus restarted in 36th and two laps down, reporting he was still tight. He remained silent on the radio and finished 34th, two laps down to the leaders.
- During the final stage break, Kraus noted he trended tighter on the long runs and couldn’t lean on the car. Kraus took the wave around with crew chief Andrew Dickeson opting to stay out. The No. 16 restarted 32nd. As the final stage ran green, the No. 16 pitted with 78 laps to go, taking four tires, fuel and adjustments, reentering the field 33rd and three laps down. The caution flag came out for the No. 71 on lap 249, allowing Kraus to take the wave around, restarting 31st and one lap down. As green flag runs continued, Kraus ended the race in 25th.
“Overall a great weekend here at Phoenix Raceway. I learned a lot, and had fun running all the laps. I can’t thank Matt Kaulig and Chris Rice enough for this opportunity, and we will see what 2025 brings.”
– Derek Kraus
No. 31 Cirkul Camaro ZL1
- Daniel Hemric qualified 22nd for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway.
- After an early caution on lap one, Hemric restarted 21st but began trending free laterally and on throttle. The remainder of the opening stage finished without incident, as Hemric fell down one lap to the leader. He finished the stage in 33rd and received the free pass position.
- During the first stage break, crew chief Trent Owens made the call to pit for four tires, fuel, an air pressure and a wedge adjustment on the No. 31 Cirkul Chevrolet. Hemric started the second stage from 33rd place. Hemric gained three positions on the initial start and made it as high as sixth place as green-flag pit stops began. He pitted under green on lap 134, receiving tires and fuel and went on to finish the second stage in 28th place, one lap down to the leader.
- During the second stage break, Hemric pitted for tires, fuel and and an air pressure adjustment to tighten up the No. 31 Chevy. He started the final stage from 28th place. A timely caution on lap 251 allowed Hemric to pit under caution from 21st place. After receiving tires and fuel, Hemric restarted 24th with 54 laps remaining. The race stayed green, and Hemric finished 23rd.
“We clawed all day and made the No. 31 Cirkul Chevrolet much better there the last few runs. Trent [Owens] made great adjustments, as always. I’m proud of the hard work everyone on this team has put in this season. Today was bittersweet, but I can’t thank Matt Kaulig, Chris Rice, and everyone at Kaulig Racing for these past few years.”
– Daniel Hemric
Kaulig Racing PR
