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  • Chastain to reach 350 starts across NASCAR at Darlington

    Chastain to reach 350 starts across NASCAR at Darlington

    A significant milestone is in the making for Ross Chastain, a full-time NASCAR Xfinity Series competitor for Kaulig Racing and part-time competitor in the NASCAR Cup and Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series. By the time Chastain completes this weekend’s Xfinity and Cup doubleheader events at Darlington Raceway, he will achieve 350 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series (Truck, Xfinity and Cup Series).

    A native of Alva, Florida, who grew up as a watermelon farmer for his family’s farm and started racing after watching his father hobby racing, Chastain started his career by winning in late models and Fastruck Series races. His first start within NASCAR’s three major division series occurred at Lucas Oil Raceway in July 2011, where he drove the No. 66 Chevrolet Silverado for Turn One Racing in the NASCAR Truck Series. Starting 15th, Chastain finished 10th in his series debut. He went on to compete in four additional Truck races with Turn One Racing.

    In 2012, Chastain was named a full-time competitor of the No. 08 Toyota Tundra for SS-Green Light Racing as he entered the Truck Series as a Rookie-of-the-Year contender. Throughout the 22-race season, Chastain achieved four top-10 results, a career-best third-place run at Bristol Motor Speedway in August and he concluded the season in 17th place in the final standings. He made one start in the No. 07 Chevrolet Silverado for SS-Green Light Racing at Phoenix, where he finished 33rd.

    The following season, Chastain competed in 14 Truck races with Brad Keselowski Racing and in the No. 19 Ford F-150 led by Chad Kendrick. His first start with the team was at Daytona International Speedway in February, where he finished 14th. He went on to finish 20th at Martinsville Speedway in April and ninth at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. He achieved his first top-five result of the season at Pocono Raceway in August. Two races later at Iowa Speedway, Chastain was dominant as he started on pole position and led a race-high 116 of 212 laps, only to be overtaken by James Buescher on a late restart and settle in a career-best second place. He went on to finish third at Talladega Superspeedway in October and second at Phoenix in November following a late battle with eventual winner Erik Jones. He finished in eighth place in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway and capped off his 14-race stint at BKR with four top-five results, seven top-10 results and his first two career poles.

    In 2014, Chastain competed in his first seven NASCAR Xfinity Series races along with three Truck Series races. He competed between Viva Motorsports, Hattori Racing Enterprises and TriStar Motorsports in the Xfinity circuit, with his best result being 10th place at Kentucky Speedway in September. He competed between RBR Enterprises and Win-Tron Racing in the Truck Series, with his best result being 11th place at Homestead in November.

    For the 2015 season, Chastain was named a full-time competitor for JD Motorsports in the Xfinity Series. Making 31 starts in JDM’s No. 4 Chevrolet Camaro and two in JDM’s No. 01 Chevrolet Camaro, Chastain achieved four top-10 results and a career-best result of ninth place at Daytona in February. He concluded the season in 15th place in the final standings.

    Between 2016 and 2017, Chastain continued to drive for JD Motorsports and the No. 4 Chevrolet on a full-time basis in the Xfinity Series. Following the 2016 season, he surpassed 100 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series. He finished 15th in the final standings in 2016 and 16th in 2017. Between June and July 2017, Chastain achieved back-to-back top-10 results, which included a career-best fourth-place result at Iowa Speedway. He also made a total of eight starts in the Truck Series with Bolen Motorsports, where his best result was seventh place at Martinsville Speedway in April. In addition, he made his first two NASCAR Cup Series career starts in both Dover International Speedway races while driving for Premium Motorsports. He finished 20th in his debut at the Monster Mile in June and 38th in his second start in October.

    The 2018 season was an eventful season for Chastain, who made 34 starts in the Cup Series, 33 starts in the Xfinity Series and seven starts in the Truck Series. In the Truck circuit, he made a total of seven starts between Beaver Motorsports, Premium Motorsports and Niece Motorsports. His best result was seventh place at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in September. In the Cup circuit, he competed in 34 of 36 races with Premium Motorsports. His best results were an 18th-place result at Texas Motor Speedway in April and a 20th-place result at Las Vegas in September.

    For the first 23 Xfinity Series of the season, Chastain recorded one top-five result and six top-10 results, all while during his fourth season with JD Motorsports. Then, in September, Chastain made his first of three starts in the No. 42 DC Solar Chevrolet Camaro for Chip Ganassi Racing led by crew chief Mike Shiplett at Darlington Raceway. During the main event, Chastain started on pole position for the first time in his career, led a race-high 90 laps and won the first two stages. His strong run, however, was spoiled following a late on-track incident with Kevin Harvick as Chastain ended his race in 25th place. Competing the following race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for JD Motorsports, Chastain returned to the No. 42 team at Las Vegas in September seeking redemption. During the main event, Chastain dominated again as he won the first two stages and led a race-high 180 laps. This time, Chastain sealed the deal after beating Justin Allgaier to achieve his first career win across NASCAR’s three major division series. His first Xfinity career win, which occurred in his 132nd series start and also occurred in the regular-season finale at Vegas, was enough for the Floridian to secure a spot in the 2018 Xfinity Playoffs as he introduced his celebratory trademark by smashing a watermelon.

    During his first run in the Xfinity Playoffs, Chastain went on to finish in second place at Richmond in September, which also marked his final start with Chip Ganassi Racing. Returning to JD Motorsports, he finished 12th at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval and 13th at Dover. When the dust settled, Chastain was beaten by Matt Tifft for the final transfer spot to the Round of 8 by three points. He went on to conclude the season in a career-best 10th place in the final standings as he also achieved a career-high three top-five results, eight top-10 results and 272 laps led. Following the 2018 season, he surpassed 200 career starts across NASCAR.

    In November 2018, it was announced that Chastain would compete in the No. 42 DC Solar Chevrolet Camaro for Chip Ganassi Racing on a full-time basis for the 2019 Xfinity Series season. The announcement came a month after Chastain revealed plans to compete in the Cup Series for Premium Motorsports. However, the team ceased operations in January when DC Solar was raided by the FBI. Fortunately, Chastain was picked up by Niece Motorsports to compete in the Truck Series on a part-time basis led by crew chief Phil Gould and by JD Motorsports for 30 Xfinity races. In addition, he signed a three-race deal to pilot the No. 10 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet Camaro for Kaulig Racing.

    Competing in all three series’ openers at Daytona International Speedway, Chastain finished third in the Truck Series with Niece Motorsports, 13th in the Xfinity Series with Kaulig Racing after winning the second stage and 10th in his first Daytona 500 start with Premium Motorsports. Through the beginning of June, Chastain competed in the first 12 Xfinity races and recorded a best result of seventh place at Las Vegas in March. He also competed in the first eight Truck races with Niece Motorsports, achieving top-10 results in all of his starts and collecting his first Truck career win at Kansas Speedway in May following a late pass on Stewart Friesen. To cap off his eventful start to this season, he competed in the first 14 Cup races with Premium Motorsports.

    On June 4, Chastain declared himself a full-time Truck Series competitor to contend for points and the series title with Niece Motorsports. In order to achieve his goal of making the Playoffs, he would have to win again throughout the regular-season stretch and be scored inside the top 20 in the standings. After finishing in 10th place at Texas Motor Speedway following his announcement, Chastain achieved his second victory of the season at Iowa Speedway following a dominating performance. Following the race, however, Chastain was disqualified due to his truck failing post-race technical inspection and NASCAR awarded the win to runner-up finisher Brett Moffitt. Chastain’s disqualification from winning was a first in NASCAR since Emanuel Zervakis was disqualified from winning at North Carolina’s Wilson Speedway in April 1960 due to an oversized fuel tank.

    Chastain rebounded the following race with vengeance after scoring a late win at Gateway’s World Wide Technology Raceway and collecting a $50,000 for winning a Triple Truck Challenge race. This time, Chastain’s win at Gateway was ruled official. After finishing seventh at Chicagoland Speedway and fourth at Kentucky Speedway the following two races, Chastain made himself Playoff eligible after moving into the top 20 in the standings. The following race, he achieved his third victory of his career/season at Pocono Raceway and he entered the postseason as a title favorite. During the Playoffs, Chastain achieved three top-five results and five top-10 results as he made the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway. During the finale, however, he finished fourth at Homestead and fell short of his first NASCAR championship to Matt Crafton. Despite the final outcome, he logged in a successful season in the Truck circuit, where he recorded three wins, a pole, 10 top-five results, 19 top-10 results, an average result of 8.6 and 591 laps led before concluding the season in a career-best second place. In the end, he was named the 2019 Truck Most Popular Driver.

    Chastain’s on-track success in 2019 did not only come from the Truck Series. At Daytona in July, while piloting Kaulig Racing’s No. 16 Ellsworth Advisors Chevrolet Camaro, Chastain led a 1-2-3 finish for the team across the line as he achieved his first victory at Daytona, second of his Xfinity career and the first NASCAR win for Kaulig Racing. Despite teammate A.J. Allmendinger being disqualified from third place for failing post-race technical inspection, Chastain’s victory and teammate Justin Haley’s runner-up result were deemed official by NASCAR. He made a total of seven additional Xfinity starts since June, where he also finished in second place at Texas in November behind Christopher Bell while driving for Kaulig. Overall, he capped off the 2019 Xfinity season with a win, a pole, two top-five results and eight top-10 results between JD Motorsports and Kaulig Racing.

    On the Cup side, Chastain made 35 starts in the No. 15 Chevrolet for Premium Motorsports. His best results were a 10th-place result at the Daytona 500 in February and a 12th-place result at Talladega Superspeedway in October.

    In total, Chastain made 77 starts across NASCAR’s three major division series in 2019. Early into the season, he broke Kyle Busch’s record in competing in the most consecutive races across all three series to start a season. Following the 2019 season, he surpassed 300 career starts across NASCAR.

    Three months after winning at Daytona, Chastain was named a full-time competitor of the No. 10 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet Camaro for Kaulig Racing led by crew chief Bruce Schlicker for the 2020 Xfinity Series season. Prior to the 2020 season, he also planned to compete in select Truck Series races with Niece Motorsports and in the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE sponsored by AdventHealth in the Cup Series for the Daytona 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. His No. 77 ride was under a partnership between Spire Motorsports and Chip Ganassi Racing.

    Chastain started the 2020 season by finishing in eighth place in the Truck opener at Daytona with Niece Motorsports. For the Xfinity opener, however, he initially failed to qualify for the event, along with teammate A.J. Allmendinger, due to mechanical issues. Nonetheless, he was able to compete when veteran Jeff Green relinquished his seat at RSS Racing. Chastain went on to finish 22nd in the Xfinity opener. For the Daytona 500, he made a late charge to the front until he was involved in a multi-car accident and settled in 25th place.

    Through September 2, Chastain has made eight starts in the Truck Series with Niece Motorsports and has recorded one top-five result and five top-10 results. He has also made seven Cup starts between Spire Motorsports and Roush Fenway Racing, where he served as an interim competitor for the injured Ryan Newman. His best results in the series include a 16th-place run at Daytona in August and a pair of 17th-place results at Auto Club Speedway in March and at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July.

    Through the first 22 Xfinity Series races of this season and as a full-time competitor, Chastain has recorded one stage win, two Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonuses, nine top-five results and 19 top-10 results. He is currently in third place in the Xfinity regular-season standings and is 420 points above the top-12 cutline to make the Playoffs and with four regular-season races remaining. Thus far, his average result is 8.8.

    While Chastain is set to compete in this weekend’s Xfinity and Cup races at Darlington, he will also be sporting a special white, red, blue and gold paint scheme to his No. 77 Spire Motorsports/Dirty Mo Media Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE on the Cup side while paying tribute to the late NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt and his 1976 Hy-Gain Chevy.

    Catch Chastain’s milestone start on Sunday, September 6, at Darlington Raceway for the Cook Out Southern 500, which will occur at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Haley notches a thrilling win at Daytona

    Haley notches a thrilling win at Daytona

    At the start of the final lap of the Wawa 250 Powered by Coca-Cola at Daytona International Speedway, all three Kaulig Racing competitors led by A.J. Allmendinger and followed by Ross Chastain and Justin Haley were running at the front with an opportunity to win. When the checkered flag flew, two Kaulig competitors made contact and wrecked while the third competitor, Haley, escaped the carnage on the final lap to win at Daytona.

    The victory was Haley’s second of his Xfinity Series career, second of this season after winning his first Xfinity career race at Talladega Superspeedway in June and the fifth NASCAR win overall for Kaulig Racing.

    The starting lineup was based on three statistical categories: current owner points standings, the results from a previous Xfinity race and the fastest lap from a previous Xfinity race. With that, Chase Briscoe, coming off his victory at Dover International Speedway in part of a doubleheader weekend, started on pole position and was joined on the front row with Ross Chastain. 

    Rookie Riley Herbst was the only competitor to drop to the rear of the field due to an improperly mounted ballast discovered from his No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota Supra during the pre-race technical inspection, resulting in his car chief being ejected. In addition, he was assessed a pass-through penalty at the start of the race. Ryan Sieg, Josh Williams and Tim Viens retained their starting spots, but they all lost a pit stall selection for next weekend’s series race at Darlington Raceway due to multiple pre-race technical failures.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Briscoe received a push from Austin Cindric at the start to jump to an early lead. The top-eight competitors led by Briscoe ran in a single-file lane following by a bevy of competitors racing in double lanes for one lap around the superspeedway venue as Briscoe led the first lap.

    The following lap, with Briscoe still leading, Cindric settled in second followed by Kaulig Racing’s Ross Chastain and Justin Haley while Joe Gibbs Racing’s Brandon Jones and Harrison Burton were running inside the top six. Anthony Alfredo was in seventh place ahead of Brandon Brown, Alex Labbe and Brett Moffitt while JR Motorsports’ four-car lineup led by Noah Gragson and including Justin Allgaier, Daniel Hemric and Michael Annett were running inside the top 16.

    By the fifth lap, Briscoe was still leading Cindric, Chastain and a bevy of cars racing in a single-file lane followed by a scattered pack racing in two lanes. Trailing the lead pack by more than 34 seconds was Herbst following his opening lap penalty.

    Shortly after, the first caution of the race flew when rookie Joe Graf Jr. spun across the tri-oval/frontstretch, made contact with the outside wall and damaged his car following contact with Jeffrey Earnhardt as Caesar Bacarella also sustained damage. Following his incident, Graf was limping his No. 08 Bucked Up Chevrolet Camaro back to pit road when the right-rear tire on his car shredded and left a multitude of debris scattered across Turn 2. The shredded right-rear tire and the damage to the right side of Graf’s car also left his car beyond repairable to continue.

    Following the incident, NASCAR declared the caution involving Graf, Earnhardt and Bacarella as the competition caution originally planned on the 10th lap. Under caution, few like Moffitt, Earnhardt, A.J. Allmendinger, Chad Finchum, Ryan Sieg and Herbst pitted while the rest led by Briscoe remained on track.

    When the race restarted under green on Lap 11, Briscoe jumped ahead on the outside lane and moved in front of Cindric’s No. 22 Odyssey Battery Ford Mustang on the inside lane to retain the lead through Turn 1. Entering Turn 2, however, Haley made a charge on the outside lane and started to battle with Cindric for the runner-up spot. 

    A lap later, just as Haley started to mount a challenge on Briscoe and Cindric for the lead, a rough start became worse for Bacarella as he wrecked on the backstretch and sustained heavy damage to the front nose of his No. 90 Alpha Prime/Maxim Chevrolet, thus brining out the second caution of the race. In addition, John Jackson was slowly limping back to pit road.

    Under caution, some like teammates Gragson, Hemric, Allgaier and Annett along with Moffitt, Allmendinger and Sieg pitted while the rest led by Briscoe remained on the track.

    The race restarted under green on Lap 17, and Briscoe jumped ahead and moved in front of Cindric with the lead again. In Turn 1, Burton mounted a challenge on the outside lane as he and Briscoe battled dead even for the lead. When the field returned to the tri-oval, Briscoe and his No. 98 Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang were ahead by a nose over Burton and his No. 20 Dex Imaging Toyota Supra with the entire pack running close behind the leaders.

    Two laps later, on Lap 20, Briscoe, who has led every lap thus far, was still ahead with the lead and in front of Cindric, Haley, Chastain, Alfredo and Brown. Not long after, Gragson, fresh off a one-year contract extension with JR Motorsports, started to move into the top five on the outside lane with his three teammates (Allgaier, Hemric and Annett) tucked behind. 

    On Lap 23, Haley emerged with the lead followed by teammate Chastain and Alfredo while Briscoe fell back to fourth place alongside Brown. 

    While the battling for the lead continued to intensify, the caution returned a lap later for an accident in Turn 1 involving Earnhardt, teammate B.J. McLeod and Kody Vanderwal, who came to rest below the Turn 1 infield grass with the hood raised above his No. 52 The Swag Spot Chevrolet. 

    Under caution, some like Alfredo, Labbe, rookie Jesse Little, Myatt Snider, Josh Williams, Timmy Hill, Sieg and Allmendinger pitted while the rest led by teammates Haley and Chastain remained on track.

    For the conclusion of the first stage, the field restarted under green for a one-lap shootout. At the start, Haley and his No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet Camaro jumped ahead and moved in front of teammate Chastain on the inside lane while retaining the lead. In addition, he pulled away in Turn 1 before Cindric and Chastain came charging along with the pack through Turns 2 and 3. Despite the run, Haley was able to fend off the field to win the first stage on Lap 30 and for his third stage victory of the season. Chastain settled in second place followed by Cindric, Brown and Briscoe while Herbst, Gragson, Allgaier, Jones and Hemric were scored in the top 10.

    Under the stage break, the majority of the leaders pitted and Chastain emerged with the lead ahead of Briscoe and Haley. Following the pit stops, however, a number of competitors led by Hill, Labbe, Allmendinger, Williams, Moffitt, Sieg and Snider remained on track to occupy the top-seven positions.

    The second stage started on Lap 34 with Hill leading as Allmendinger quickly made his way to second place. Back in seventh place in Turn 2 while also gaining a draft back to the front was Chastain with teammate Haley and Cindric also making their move back to the front. With the competitors running close to one another in a pack, Allmendinger made his way into the lead followed by teammates Chastain and Haley on Lap 36.

    On Lap 40, with Allmendinger continuing to lead teammates Chastain and Haley followed by Cindric, the caution flew when contact from Briscoe and Jones, who was turning across the nose of Briscoe’s No. 98 Ford in Turn 3, resulted in Jones being spinning sideways as a multi-car erupted in Turn 4. The accident involved all four competitors from JR Motorsports (Gragson, Hemric, Allgaier and Annett) along with Moffitt, Labbe, Brown, Alfredo, Snider, Colby Howard and Tommy Joe Martins. 

    When the race restarted on Lap 45, Allmendinger retained the lead on the inside lane followed by Cindric and Chastain. Shortly after, the caution returned for a multi-car wreck in Turn 3 when Allgaier, who was trying to continue after being involved in the first multi-car wreck, spun after cutting a tire and triggered another multi-car wreck that involved Labbe, Joey Gase, Snider, Brown and Jeremy Clements. Following the wreck, the race was red-flagged for more than 11 minutes while the safety workers cleaned up the carnage area in Turn 3.

    When the race resumed under cautious pace and under green near the 50th lap, Allmendinger and Cindric battled for the lead through Turns 1 and 2. By then, Brown retired in the garage. Allmendinger, nonetheless, was able to retain the lead with his teammates Chastain and Haley tucked right behind. Meanwhile, Cindric dropped out of the top five after receiving no drafting help on the outside lane. 

    At the halfway mark, Lap 50, Allmendinger and his No. 16 Ellsworth Advisors Chevrolet Camaro were still leading teammates Chastain and Haley followed by Herbst and Burton. A few laps later, the caution returned due to debris on the backstretch. Under caution, some like Chastain, Allmendinger, Haley and Hemric pitted while others led by teammates Herbst and Burton remained on track.

    With five laps remaining in the second stage, Herbst moved in front of teammate Burton to emerge with the lead. Behind, Cindric, Allmendinger and Chastain wasted no time carving their way back to the front. The following lap, Gray Gaulding and his No. 07 Walk-Ons.com Chevrolet Camaro owned by Bobby Dotter started to challenge Herbst for the lead with Allmendinger behind.

    With three laps remaining in the stage, Gaulding emerged with the lead while Allmendinger started to challenge Herbst for second place on the outside lane. On the final lap of the stage, with his Kaulig Racing teammates tucked behind him, Allmendinger was able to pass Gaulding on the backstretch and hold on to win the stage for his second stage victory of the season and the fourth of his career. Teammate Chastain muscled his way to second place followed by teammate Haley, Gaulding and Annett. Herbst, Burton, Briscoe, Cindric and Sieg settled in the top 10. By then, 25 competitors were running on the lead lap. In addition, names like Justin Allgaier, Noah Gragson, Brett Moffitt and Brandon Brown were out of the race.

    Under the stage break, some like teammates Allmendinger, Chastain, Haley and Sieg remained on track while the rest led by Gaulding, Cindric and Briscoe pitted.

    With less than 40 laps remaining, the final stage commenced under green and Allmendinger moved in front of teammates Chastain and Haley to retain the lead. While Allmendinger and Chastain managed to clear the field, Haley was locked in a battle for third place with Sieg. Not long after, Sieg was black-flagged due to having a rear bumper cover loose on his No. 39 CMRroofing.com Chevrolet. 

    Remaining on track for three laps, Sieg made the turn to pit road to have the bumper cover addressed. At the same time, Hemric was also black-flagged to have a rear bumper replaced and addressed on his No. 8 Poppy Bank Chevrolet. Following his stop, however, Hemric was assessed a drive-through penalty on pit road for having too many crew members over the wall during his service.

    With 30 laps remaining and with the laps continuing to wind down, Allmendinger and his No. 16 Ellsworth Advisors Chevrolet Camaro continued to lead a 10-car breakaway running in a single-file lane. Teammates Chastain and Haley were in second and third followed by Briscoe, Josh Williams and Cindric. Annett, the lone JR Motorsports competitors in the top 10, was in seventh followed by Herbst, Burton and Gaulding.

    Five laps later, Allmendinger was still ahead of a 10-car breakaway followed by teammates Chastain and Haley while rookie Jesse Little, running in 11th place and leading the next wave of cars, was trailing by nine seconds. Another five laps later, with 20 laps remaining, Allmendinger continued to lead teammates Chastain and Haley, though all three Kaulig Racing Chevrolets were in question about having enough fuel to complete the race to its distance compared to their challengers behind them.

    Under 15 laps remaining, the top-10 competitors led by Allmendinger were separated by nearly four seconds while the 11th-place car led by Little was trailing by 20 seconds. Five laps later and with 10 laps remaining, the following competitors of Cindric, Briscoe, Annett and Herbst overtook Haley for position while Allmendinger and Chastain continued to lead. By then, 16 competitors were running on the lead lap and the top-nine competitors were ahead of 10th-place Williams by nearly 10 seconds.

    With five laps remaining and the top-nine competitors at the front still settling in a single-file line, nose to nose and bumper to bumper, Allmendinger was leading teammate Chastain while Cindric and Briscoe were behind.

    With two laps remaining, entering Turn 1, Chastain and Briscoe attempted to pull beneath Allmendinger for the lead, but Allmendinger kept his car ahead of the pack after blocking the run. Chastain and his No. 10 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet Camaro remained in second while Briscoe fell back to seventh. 

    When the final lap of the race started, Allmendinger was still leading and blocking Chastain, Cindric and Haley. Entering Turn 3, Chastain gained a run through Turn 2 and he attempted to make a move beneath Allmendinger for the lead and the win. Chastain ended up giving his teammate a bump in the turn that turned Allmendinger sideways as he spun with a multi-car wreck erupting that collected Chastain, Annett and Cindric. 

    In the midst of the wreck, Haley dodged the carnage involving his teammates and came out on top as he was able to cruise across the finish line to grab a thrilling victory at Daytona.

    The victory was Haley’s second at Daytona after he won his first NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona last July in a rain-shortened race while driving for Spire Motorsports. Including his three NASCAR Truck Series career victories in 2018, Haley has won six races across NASCAR’s three major division series. In addition, Haley’s last three victories across NASCAR have occurred on superspeedway venues.

    “An amazing effort by Kaulig Racing,” Haley said on the frontstretch on NBCSN. “Obviously, I hate that A.J. and Ross got together there. As you guys at home can see, [team owner] Matt Kaulig, [team president] Chris Rice, we built a team and a family. We all work as one. Extremely proud of this LeafFilter Gutter Protection crew. [I] Can’t believe it. Two superspeedway wins in a row. Gotta say something for [spotter] Kevin Hamlin on the booth, too. Just a little lucky there. We got shoved out and I was a little frustrated, but that’s why you never give up. These things are so unpredictable. An incredible effort today. We swept everything [stages and race win]. Extremely proud of everyone.”

    Haley’s victory at Daytona was also redemption from the Xfinity Series race at Daytona in July 2018, where Haley, driving for GMS Racing, made a bold three-wide pass for the win on Kyle Larson and Elliott Sadler entering the tri-oval for the win. While he was able to clear both competitors and streak across the finish line in first place, he completed his pass with his left-side tires crossing beneath the double yellow line zone. As a result, Haley was disqualified and demoted back to the last car on the lead lap while Larson was awarded the win.

    “[I] Parked it right here on the double yellow line [area] where I went down too low about two years ago in a Xfinity race,” Haley added. “A little humor there.”

    Behind Haley, Gray Gaulding tied his career-best result of second place in his 43rd series start followed by Briscoe, Herbst and Burton. Chastain, Annett and Cindric limped across the line in sixth, seventh and eighth while Williams and Little finished in the top 10. Allmendinger, who was unable to limp his car back to the finish line, ended his race in 15th place.

    Following the race, Allmendinger made the mandatory post-race trip to the infield care center. Both Kaulig Racing teammates, at the end, expressed no ill will towards one another with Chastain defending his move and attempt to win to lock himself into the Xfinity Playoffs.

    “Hopefully, we get some good ratings on that one,” Chastain said on pit road on NBCSN. “Terrible to run into your teammate like that. It must be my fault, though. It’s unfortunate, we did everything right all night. Man, we just got to win. This No. 10 car, Nutrien Ag Solutions. [I] Did everything right to be the best teammate I could. I haven’t always been. Last lap, I don’t back down and I’m gonna go for it. If I wasn’t there, if I watch the replay, but he got turned, so it wasn’t completely into the bumper. I hate it, man! It’s not gonna help me moving forward. It doesn’t matter how many races each of us run. We’re supposed to go for the win. Team rules the last 10 laps, and we all stayed committed. I hated that Justin got shoved out there with 10 or five [laps] to go. Coming to the checkered, what am I supposed to do? Just finish second? Not this guy.”

    “It’s the way it is,” Allmendinger added in the infield care center on NBCSN. “We’re proud of everybody at Kaulig Racing for building really fast Chevys. [I] Wanted to do everything I could to get that Ellsworth Advisors Chevy in Victory Lane. I try to take care of my teammates, but it is what it is. It’s for the win. Ross is going for the championship and going for a win there. I saw him get low and I thought he’d, maybe, take care of me a little bit, considering I was there. He’s going for the win. It is what it is. It’s just disappointing. We were gonna have another 1-2-3 Kaulig finish at Daytona. It’s part of life, it’s racing. More importantly, congrats to my little bro, Justin Haley, and at least getting a Kaulig Racing Chevy in Victory Lane. That’s the most important thing. We’re bringing more trophies home for Matt Kaulig and that’s all that matters. He’s going for the win. I get it.”

    There were nine lead changes for seven different leaders. The race featured eight cautions for 28 laps.

    With his top-10 result, Cindric continues to lead the regular-season series standings by 58 points over Briscoe.

    Results.

    1. Justin Haley, nine laps led, Stage 1 winner

    2. Gray Gaulding, two laps led

    3. Chase Briscoe, 22 laps led

    4. Riley Herbst, four laps led

    5. Harrison Burton

    6. Ross Chastain, one lap led

    7. Michael Annett

    8. Austin Cindric

    9. Josh Williams

    10. Jesse Little

    11. Vinnie Miller

    12. Colby Howard

    13. Brandon Jones

    14. Tommy Joe Martins

    15. A.J. Allmendinger – OUT, Accident, 58 laps led, Stage 2 winner

    16. Matt Mills, one lap down

    17. Mike Harmon, one lap down

    18. Tim Viens, one lap down

    19. Myatt Snider, one lap down

    20. Jeremy Clements, two laps down

    21. Anthony Alfredo, two laps down

    22. Timmy Hill, three laps down, four laps led

    23. Ryan Sieg, four laps down

    24. Daniel Hemric, eight laps down

    25. Chad Finchum – OUT, Engine

    26. Brandon Brown – OUT, Dvp

    27. Brett Moffitt – OUT, Accident

    28. Joey Gase – OUT, Dvp

    29. Justin Allgaier – OUT, Accident

    30. Alex Labbe – OUT, Accident

    31. Noah Gragson – OUT, Accident

    32. B.J. McLeod – OUT, Accident

    33. Jeffrey Earnhardt – OUT, Accident

    34. Kody Vanderwal – OUT, Accident

    35. John Jackson – OUT, Handling

    36. Caesar Bacarella – OUT, Accident

    37. Joe Graf Jr. – OUT, Accident.

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series will run its next scheduled race at Darlington Raceway on September 5 at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBC. 

  • Kaulig Racing to surpass 200 combined NASCAR Xfinity starts at Daytona

    Kaulig Racing to surpass 200 combined NASCAR Xfinity starts at Daytona

    For Kaulig Racing, Daytona International Speedway has and will always remain a special place for the team with many significant meanings. The team made its Cup and Xfinity Series debuts at Daytona, the team recorded three stage victories last season at Daytona and the team achieved its first top-10 result at Daytona. In addition, the 2.5-mile superspeedway venue in Daytona Beach, Florida, has always been a competitive place for the team in having their cars running towards the front. Above all, Daytona will always be known as the track where the team achieved its first career win and trophy in NASCAR last July. Now, at the same track where the team achieved its first of four current victories, Kaulig Racing is set to surpass a significant milestone start in their fifth season of NASCAR racing. When the team’s three-car lineup takes the green flag in this weekend’s race at Daytona under the lights, Kaulig Racing will surpass 200 starts in NASCAR.

    Prior to the 2016 season, Matt Kaulig, owner of LeafFilter Gutter Protection, decided to field a single-car team in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Kaulig Racing, while forming an alliance with Richard Childress Racing. In addition, Matt Kaulig hired Blake Koch as driver of the team’s No. 11 Chevrolet Camaro sponsored by LeafFilter Gutter Protection while veteran Chris Rice also joined the team to serve as general manager and crew chief. In Kaulig’s first NASCAR race at Daytona International Speedway in February, Koch achieved a ninth-place result after starting ninth. He finished no higher than 12th the following six races before he finished eighth at Richmond Raceway in April. Throughout the regular season, Koch earned 15 top-15 results and was one of 12 Xfinity competitors to make the inaugural Xfinity Playoffs. After finishing 11th, 14th and 12th through the first round of the Playoffs (three races), Koch was one of eight competitors to advance to the second round. He achieved results of ninth, 14th and eighth in the second round, but he failed to advance to the Championship Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway by a narrow margin. He proceeded to finish 20th in the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway and he capped off Kaulig Racing’s first season in NASCAR competition with five top-10 results and in a successful seventh place in the final standings.

    Koch remained as driver of the No. 11 LeafFilter/Kaulig Racing Chevrolet for the 2017 Xfinity Series season. He started the season with a 15th-place result in the season opener at Daytona followed by a 40th-place result at Atlanta due to being involved in an early accident. From Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March through Richmond in April, he went on to earn five top-15 results. At Talladega Superspeedway in May, Koch earned his first career pole and the first for Kaulig Racing. He ended his race in 31st place, however, after being involved in a multi-car wreck prior to the start of the final stage. From Charlotte Motor Speedway in May through Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July, Koch finished no higher than 13th before he achieved an eighth-place result the following race at Iowa Speedway. For the final seven races of the regular season, he earned six top-15 results and made his second consecutive appearance in the Xfinity Playoffs as a title contender. Throughout the regular season, he also achieved two stage wins (Daytona in July and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in August). Compared to last season, however, Koch was eliminated from title contention following the first round (three races), where he finished 17th, 19th and 25th. He was able to achieve a sixth-place result in the penultimate event of the season at Phoenix in November before he finished 16th at the finale at Homestead. Overall, he concluded the season with five top-10 results and an 11th-place result in the final standings.

    In 2018, following the departure of Koch, Ryan Truex, who had also departed from Hattori Racing Enterprises following the 2017 NASCAR Truck Series season, was named as a full-time driver of the No. 11 Bar Harbor/Sea Watch International/Phantom Fireworks/LeafFilter Chevrolet led by Chris Rice. Truex started the season on a high note by finishing in seventh place in the season opener at Daytona and after having a late shot in winning the race. He went on to achieve seven consecutive top-15 results through Richmond Raceway in April and was ranked in seventh place in the regular-season standings. After finishing 38th the following race at Talladega due to being involved in an early accident, Truex and the No. 11 Chevrolet team finished in the top 15 from Dover International Speedway in May through Iowa Speedway in July. At the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in August, Truex recorded the first top-five result for Kaulig Racing after finishing fifth. At Indianapolis Motor Speedway in September, Kaulig fielded a newly formed second operation, the No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro, driven by the 2018 Daytona 500 Austin Dillon. Starting 32nd, Dillon finished eighth. Following Las Vegas Motor Speedway in September, Truex had earned three more top-15 results and he qualified for the Xfinity Playoffs based on points. During the first round (three races) of the Playoffs, however, Truex earned finishes of 11th, 16th and 10th, and was one of four competitors who was eliminated from title contention. Following the finale at Homestead, where Truex capped off the season with a 15th-place result, 11 top-10 results in total and a 12th-place result in the final standings, Kaulig Racing achieved 100 starts in NASCAR (all coming in the Xfinity Series).

    For the 2019 Xfinity Series season, Kaulig Racing parted ways with Truex and brought along Winamac, Indiana’s Justin Haley as a full-time driver of the No. 11 LeafFilter Chevrolet Camaro led by veteran crew chief Nick Harrison. In addition, Kaulig fielded the No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro on a part-time basis and the ride was shared between Ross Chastain, Austin Dillon, Elliott Sadler and A.J. Allmendinger. In addition, Nutrien Ag Solutions joined the team as a key partner alongside LeafFilter. During the season opener at Daytona, Haley and Chastain each won a stage before they finished 17th and 13th respectively. For the first 15 Xfinity races of the season, Haley recorded 11 top-10 results with a best finish of fifth place at Charlotte in May. In addition, Austin Dillon drove the No. 10 Chevrolet in three races while earning a best result of fourth place at Las Vegas in March. Chastain made two additional starts in the No. 10 car, earning a best result of eighth place at Chicagoland Speedway in June, and Sadler competed at Richmond, his home track, in April, where he finished 12th.

    For the next scheduled race at Daytona in July, Kaulig Racing fielded three cars, with Haley in the No. 11 LeafFilter Chevrolet, Allmendinger making his first of select starts in the No. 10 Cornerstone Produce Group Chevrolet and Chastain in the team’s newly formed No. 16 Ellsworth Advisors Chevrolet. Throughout the race, all three Kaulig cars were dominant as Chastain won the first stage while Allmendinger won the second. On the final lap, with Chastain and Haley running first and second approaching the finish line, Allmendinger made his way up to third place and all three Kaulig teammates streaked across the line to record the first NASCAR career win for the team as Chastain achieved his second series win at the World Center of Racing. The victory at Daytona came in Kaulig Racing’s 115th career race fielding race cars with a simple objective: win and deliver trophies for the team. Though Allmendinger was disqualified and stripped from his stage points and third-place result due to failing post-race technical inspection, the first- and second-place results for Chastain and Haley remained in effect.

    Following the victory, however, tragedy hit the team two races later. A day after the Xfinity event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July, Nick Harrison, Haley’s crew chief, died at age 37 due to suffering from multiple health issues. For the remainder of the season, new crew chiefs that included Alex Yontz, Lennie Chandler and Byron Daley filled in atop Kaulig Racing’s pit boxes and to lead its competitors on the track with Chris Rice also assisting the team’s efforts.

    For the remainder of the 2019 Xfinity season, Haley recorded eight additional top-10 results as he made the Playoffs before being eliminated following the first round and concluding the season in 12th place in the final standings. Allmendinger made four additional starts with Kaulig Racing, all coming in road course events in the No. 10 Chevrolet, where he recorded the second career win for the team and his first series victory since 2013 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval in October. Chastain made two additional starts in Kaulig Racing’s No. 10 car towards the conclusion of the season, where he finished 10th at Kansas in October and second at Texas in November. Austin Dillon made an additional start at Indianapolis in September, where he finished 34th due to fuel pump issues. Finally, Sadler made his second start of the season along with his 855th and final NASCAR career start at Las Vegas in September, where he finished 10th.

    For this season, 2020, Kaulig Racing fielded two full-time operations and one part-time operation in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Chastain was named as full-time competitor of the No. 10 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet Camaro led by crew chief Bruce Schlicker, Haley remained as a full-time competitor of the No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet Camaro led by crew chief Alex Yontz and Allmendinger was named a part-time competitor of the No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro sponsored by Ellsworth Advisors. In addition, Kaulig fielded the No. 16 Fraternal Order of Eagles Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE driven by Haley and led by Billy Scott throughout Daytona Speedweeks in an effort of making this year’s 62nd running of the Daytona 500.

    During the qualifying session on February 9 that determined the front row for the 500 and starting lineups for the Bluegreen Vacations Duel events on February 13, Haley was one of the two fastest non-chartered competitors along with veteran Brendan Gaughan to be guaranteed a starting spot for the Daytona 500 based on qualifying speed as he accomplished Matt Kaulig’s dream of competing in the Daytona 500 in the Cup Series. Starting in 33rd place in the 500, Haley rallied from being involved in a late incident to finish in 13th place.

    In the Xfinity Series, Kaulig Racing started off the year 2020 on a low note as Haley was the lone Kaulig competitor to compete in the season opener at Daytona, where he finished sixth. Chastain and Allmendinger, however, had mechanical issues to their respective Chevrolet Camaros and both recorded the slowest lap times that prevented them in making the 40-car field. Chastain was able to compete at Daytona in RSS Racing’s No. 38 Chevrolet Camaro when veteran Jeff Green relinquished his seat to allow Chastain to gain early points towards his full-time slate this season. Allmendinger, however, was unable to make the field in time for the race. Despite the slow start, Haley and Chastain went on to record top-10 results in the following four series races.

    Through the first seven races of the 2020 season, Haley and Chastain each achieved a total of five top-10 results. Allmendinger made his first series start at Bristol in June, where he rallied from a spin to finish 10th. At Atlanta Motor Speedway in June, with Kaulig Racing fielding three cars, Allmendinger won in the No. 16 Chevrolet after leading the final 37 laps and holding off Noah Gragson. The victory was Allmendinger’s fourth of his Xfinity Series career, first on an oval-shaped track and the third career win for Kaulig Racing. Two races later at Homestead, Allmendinger claimed the Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonus following a fourth-place run. The following race at Talladega, Haley received a draft from teammates Chastain and Allmendinger on the final lap to pass Jeb Burton and achieve his first Xfinity career victory in his 47th series start. To August 2020, Haley is one of 33 competitors to achieve a win across NASCAR’s three major division series as he also recorded the first win for sponsor LeafFilter. While Kaulig Racing achieved its second victory of the season and fourth overall, the team was also victorious as Chastain, who finished in second place, claimed the Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonus. Chastain would go on to win his second Dash 4 Cash bonus of the season at Pocono Raceway the following week after finishing second again.

    Through 21 Xfinity races this season, following a Dover doubleheader, Haley has achieved a win along with six top-five results and 13 top-10 results as he is also guaranteed a spot in this year’s Xfinity Playoffs based off of his victory at Talladega. Though he has no victories recorded thus far, Chastain has achieved nine top-five results and 18 top-10 results as he is ranked in fourth place in the regular-season standings and is 388 points above the top-12 cutline to make the Playoffs. Allmendinger has made seven starts this season and has achieved one victory at Atlanta, five top-five results and seven top-10 results. He is scheduled to make two more Xfinity starts this season.

    All three competitors are scheduled to compete in the upcoming Xfinity Series race at Daytona and surpass start No. 200 for a team that is in its early stages towards success in NASCAR.

    Catch Kaulig Racing’s milestone start at Daytona on Friday, August 28, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Kaulig Racing’s Chastain and Haley battle for top-10 results at Kansas

    Kaulig Racing’s Chastain and Haley battle for top-10 results at Kansas

    It was another strong performance in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for Kaulig Racing’s Ross Chastain and Justin Haley as they traveled to the midwest and competed at Kansas Speedway. Throughout the race and through two overtime restarts, both Kaulig teammates battled one another competitively with Chastain scoring a top-five result while Haley settled in sixth.

    Chastain, who sported another new look to his No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro while featuring Dyna-Gro Seed as a primary sponsor, started seventh based on a random draw while Haley started 12th.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Chastain showed that he had a car to contend for the win as he muscled his way into the top five. He was able to work his way up as high as third while trailing the top-two cars by two seconds. Haley, meanwhile, was back in 13th as he was fighting tight conditions to his No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet Camaro. Through the first 20 laps of the race and when the field reached the competition caution, Chastain was still scored in third while Haley gained a few spots to move up to 10th.

    Remaining on track under the competition caution, both Kaulig Racing competitors restarted in the top 10 when the racing resumed. During a 15-lap dash to the conclusion of the first stage, Chastain was able to move up to the runner-up spot, where he finished at the conclusion of the first stage on Lap 40 as he collected more valuable stage points towards the Xfinity Series Playoffs. Haley was also able to remain in the top 10 as he was scored in sixth while collecting a stage point for himself.

    Following pit stops under the stage break, where both Chastain and Haley noted tight conditions to their respective Chevrolets, they restarted inside the top 10 when the second stage commenced. At the start, Chastain, restarting on the bottom lane, jumped to an early lead. He led for two corners until he was overtaken in Turn 3 and placed in a three-wide battle for the runner-up spot the ensuing lap. By Lap 50, Chastain was back in fourth while Haley was in sixth. A few laps later, both Kaulig Chevrolets battled one another for the fifth spot with Haley prevailing and moving into the top five for the first time of the day. At Lap 65, both gained a spot to move up to fourth and fifth. For the final 15 laps of the second stage, Chastain worked his way back up to fourth while Haley settled in fifth as both garnered more stage points towards the postseason.

    Under the stage break, Chastain and Haley pitted for fresh tires, fuel, air pressure and a chassis adjustment for their respective Camaros. For the stage of the final stage, both battled one another again for position as Haley moved up to fifth while Chastain fell back to sixth. With the racing progressing and passing the 100-lap mark, Haley, who raced as high as fourth, was scored in sixth while Chastain fell back to seventh. Both met one another on track as they battled for position with Chastain passing Haley for sixth place. Six laps later, Chastain was back in the top five and working his way back towards the front while Haley lost another spot and was in eighth.

    With 45 laps remaining, Chastain moved up to third while Haley fell back to ninth. Five laps later, pit stops under green occurred with Haley pitting and Chastain stopping for service a lap later after leading a lap. When the pit stops under green cycled through with approximately 20 laps remaining, Chastain was back in third place while Haley was in 10th.

    Down to the final 10 laps, both Kaulig Racing competitors appeared to have top-10 results wrapped up. With four laps remaining, everything changed when a single-car wreck in Turn 3 drew a late caution and jumbled up the field for a late shootout to the checkers. Under caution, both pitted and Chastain was lined up in fourth place while Haley was in ninth for the first overtime restart. During the first overtime attempt, Chastain made a bid for the lead when the caution quickly returned for another single-car incident in Turn 1. For the second overtime attempt, Chastain restarted in third again and Haley restarted in 10th. At the start, Chastain made another bid for the lead on the bottom lane until he slid up entering Turn 2 and fell back to fifth while battling Haley and other competitors for position across the start/finish line for the start of the final lap. Entering Turn 2, Chastain narrowly avoided colliding into a car making contact with the outside wall as he battled dead even with Haley for position. At the finish line, with Brandon Jones winning the race at Kansas, Chastain was able to edge Haley by a nose to finish fifth as both Kaulig Racing competitors finished in the top 10 for the 11th time this season.

    With his seventh top-five result and his 15th top-10 result of this season, Chastain continues to be scored in fourth place in the regular-season standings, trailing points leader Austin Cindric by 60 points while being 320 points above the top-12 cutline in making the Playoffs. Haley earned his 12th top-10 result of this season as he is already guaranteed a spot in the Xfinity Series Playoffs by virtue of his win at Talladega Superspeedway in June.

    With the NASCAR Xfinity Series entering its first off week since May, Kaulig Racing will return as a three-car operation for the next scheduled race at Road America on August 8, with A.J. Allmendinger set to make his sixth series start of 2020 and race alongside Chastain and Haley. The race at Road America will air at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Kaulig Racing records a pair of top-10 results at Texas

    Kaulig Racing records a pair of top-10 results at Texas

    Coming off strong back-to-back races at Kentucky Speedway, Kaulig Racing rolled into Texas Motor Speedway looking to extend their performances and momentum throughout the regular season and towards the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs. When the checkered flag flew on Saturday’s My Bariatric Solutions 300, Justin Haley rallied from early handling issues to finish ninth while Ross Chastain, who ran upfront at the start of the final stage, made a late charge to finish in 10th.

    Based on a random draw, Chastain, who sported a new white and purple paint scheme while featuring Titan XC on his No. 10 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet Camaro, started eighth while Haley started 11th.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, both Kaulig Racing competitors raced within the top 10 and 15. Following an early caution for an incident in Turn 4, the ensuing restart was where things nearly got dicey as Chastain made minimal contact with Jeb Burton entering Turn 3, a contact that nearly turned Burton sideways. Nonetheless, both competitors were able to proceed with no damage. Following the contact, Chastain fell back to ninth while Haley moved up to seventh.

    By Lap 15, Chastain worked his way back up to eighth while Haley fell back to 11th as he was reporting steering grip issues to his No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet Camaro. Two laps later, a single-car wreck on the backstretch drew a competition caution, where both Kaulig competitors remained on track and retained their track positions.

    Following the first 30 laps, Chastain was scored in seventh while Haley was back in 12th. Once the first stage concluded on Lap 45, Chastain settled in ninth as he collected a handful of points towards his quest in making the Playoffs. Haley, however, had fallen back to 16th while continuing to deal with steering issues towards the left front of his car. Under the stage break, both pitted along with the field as Chastain exited ninth while Haley was back in 19th.

    For the start of the second stage, Chastain was able to carve his way up to sixth. Not long after, he made a bold three-wide move on the backstretch against his fellow Xfinity Series contenders to move into fourth as he made his first appearance in the top five. Just past the 60-lap mark, the caution waved due to debris. With Chastain in fourth, Haley pitted from 15th place for adjustments and to have his No. 11 Chevrolet loosened up.

    The race proceeded with 18 laps remaining in the second stage. Shortly after the restart, Chastain received a bump from Chase Briscoe entering Turn 4, which caused Chastain to slip as he made contact with the outside wall and lost his momentum. Following the contact, Chastain fell from fourth to 18th. A few laps later, the caution fell due to another single-car wreck. Under caution, Chastain made a pit stop for fresh tires and to have the damage repaired. Haley, who was in 14th, also pitted for more adjustments to his car.

    With 12 laps remaining in the second stage, both Kaulig Racing competitors restarted outside the top 20. When the racing under green proceeded, both wasted no time methodically working their way back towards the top 10. Ultimately, they could not keep pace with the leaders as Haley was scored in 14th while Chastain was in 16th when the second stage concluded. Under the stage break, Haley pitted while Chastain remained on track and moved into the runner-up spot, where he started alongside rookie Anthony Alfredo.

    When the final stage commenced under green, Chastain moved into the lead as he led three laps before he was overtaken. Three laps later, he was back in seventh, reporting tight conditions to his Camaro, while Haley moved up to ninth. Through another caution for another single-car incident and the ensuing restart, both Kaulig competitors remained on track inside the top 10. Less than 90 laps remaining, Haley overtook teammate Chastain for position when another caution for another incident flew, an incident that occurred just in front of both Haley and Chastain. Under caution, they pitted and Haley moved into third while Chastain fell back to 20th.

    With 78 laps remaining, the race restarted and Haley, who was in the top five for the first time all afternoon, was in fourth. As the race progressed, he fell back to 10th while Chastain was able to work his way back to ninth. Both were among 14 competitors running on the lead lap with less than 45 laps remaining. Then, pit stops under green commenced when Haley veered his No. 11 Chevrolet to pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. By the time his service was complete and he returned to the track, he was in 16th and a lap behind the leaders. Chastain, however, continued to run and stretch his fuel to its fullest.

    With 20 laps remaining, Chastain was in the runner-up spot and trailing Briscoe by more than 23 seconds, both of whom needing a final pit stop to complete the race. Five laps remaining, Chastain made his pit stop under green. When he returned, he was back in 12th while Haley raced his way back to eighth despite reporting tight conditions to his car.

    Both Kaulig competitors appeared to have top-15 results wrapped up when the caution flew with six laps remaining for a single-car incident in Turn 1. At the time of caution, Haley received the free pass to return on the lead lap after being posted the first car a lap down. Chastain, however, was still trapped a lap behind the leaders, but in position to gain a handful of positions for a top-10 result.

    With the race restarting into overtime, both Kaulig competitors proceeded to finish in the top 10. For the final two laps, Haley settled in ninth while Chastain, a lap behind, was able to pass Brandon Brown and Jeremy Clements to finish 10th when the checkered flag flew.

    Nearly an hour after the race was complete, where initial winner Kyle Busch was disqualified for failing post-race inspection and Austin Cindric was declared the official winner, both Kaulig competitors moved up a spot in the scoreboard. With that, Haley moved up to eighth while Chastain ended up in ninth.

    The Texas race marked the 10th time this season where both Chastain and Haley finished in the top 10. The top-10 result was Haley’s 11th of this year’s Xfinity Series season. With his 14th top-10 result of this season, ninth in a row, Chastain remains in fourth place in the regular-season standings and is 297 points above the top-12 cutline towards making the Playoffs.

    Chastain and Haley, along with their fellow Xfinity Series competitors, will return for the next Xfinity Series scheduled race at Kansas Speedway on July 25, which will air at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

  • Herbst, Chastain, Briscoe score top-five results in first Kentucky race

    Herbst, Chastain, Briscoe score top-five results in first Kentucky race

    It was a banner night for Austin Cindric, who was able to claim his first elusive NASCAR Xfinity Series win of the season in Thursday night’s Shady Rays 200 at Kentucky Speedway. It was also a banner night for rookie Riley Herbst, Ross Chastain and Chase Briscoe, all of whom emerged with strong top-five results following an eventful race as part of a series doubleheader week at the Bluegrass State.

    For Riley Herbst, who came into Kentucky following an up-and-down stretch in his rookie Xfinity season, he started in 23rd based on a random draw. After avoiding a wreck at the start of the race that eliminated his teammate Brandon Jones, Herbst was able to work his way to 12th by the competition caution on Lap 15. While his other teammate/rookie Harrison Burton ran towards the front, Herbst kept his No. 18 Monster Energy Toyota Supra towards the top 10 as he finished the first stage in 11th despite struggling with grip. Throughout the second stage, Herbst moved into the top five and was able to finish fifth and collect valuable stage points towards the Playoffs. For the majority of the final stage and the second half of the race, Herbst remained inside the top 10 while keeping his car intact. Following a series of late cautions and late restarts, including an overtime restart following teammate Burton’s spin, Herbst moved into the runner-up spot after Chase Briscoe got loose while battling Cindric for the lead and the win. Ultimately, a caution for a multi-car wreck on the final lap ended Herbst’s shot for a late charge as he crossed the line in the runner-up spot. The runner-up spot, however, tied Herbst’s career-best finish in the series and it marked his seventh top-10 result of the season and his first top-five result since he finished second at Auto Club Speedway in February. With the result, Herbst remained in 11th in the regular-season standings, but is 42 points above the top-12 cutline to the Playoffs.

    “We did a good job all day,” Herbst said. “We, probably, ran fourth all day, over-adjusted the car there at the end, got a little bit too tight, but all in all, we’ve had speed all year. We just haven’t been able to capitalize, probably mostly on my part in the final stages of these races, so once we start capitalizing, we’ll start getting good finishes like this. So, it was good.”

    For Ross Chastain, Thursday’s Xfinity race presented one of two opportunities for the Floridian to record his first series win of the season. Starting in the runner-up spot by virtue of a random draw, he avoided a two-car wreck at the start of the race and made a brief challenge for the lead on Noah Gragson on the outside lane, only to loose grip on the outside lane. By the competition caution, he was back in fifth and was able to record a fourth-place result in the first stage. Throughout the second stage, Chastain kept his No. 10 Chevy Accessories/Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Camaro inside the top five as he finished in fourth again. After running well inside the top 10 for the start of the final stage, Chastain was hit with a pit road speeding penalty following a pit stop and was sent to the rear of the field when the race restarted with less than 40 laps remaining. At the front, teammate Justin Haley assumed command after opting for a two-tire pit stop. Nearly ten laps later, Chastain was involved in an incident with Brett Moffitt in Turn 4, which drew another caution. Through two additional cautions and three restarts, including an overtime attempt, Chastain was able to rally to settle in third on the final lap when the caution flew. When the checkered flag was displayed, Chastain raced across the finish line in third, four spots ahead of teammate Haley. With his career-high 12th top-10 result, Chastain is fourth in the regular-season standings and is 252 points above the top-12 cutline.

    “The record book will show a good night, starting up front, fourth in both stages and a third-place finish,” Chastain said. “Me speeding on pit road to start the final stage is not how you win races in NASCAR and overdriving the entry to Turn 3 and taking out Brett [Moffitt] there. I hate that [for] the No. 02 group. I’ve raced with Brett quite a bit. We’ve had our fair share of run-ins and I hate that I gave him another reason not to like me. So, I’ll take some time to try and make that better. But, I just overdrove it and got loose and took him out. [I] Can’t thank everybody on Kaulig Racing, Chevy Accessories, everybody at Team Chevy for giving us this opportunity, [team owner] Matt Kaulig, Nutrien Ag Solutions. It, definitely, was tough. We fired off in the race and I thought we had like the wrong tires on the car. We were not very good and [crew chief] Bruce Schlicker kept telling me that he was gonna make it better, and he did. By the end, now, I think that we have a car to go race tomorrow for the win, race [Briscoe], [Cindric], [Allgaier], those guys, [Haley]. But, we didn’t have it to start tonight and we’re gonna make some small changes unlike Homestead and be better tomorrow night.”

    If there was an Xfinity Series competitor who came into Kentucky seeking more momentum following recent victories at Pocono and Indianapolis, it was Chase Briscoe, who reunited with regular crew chief Richard Boswell following a four-race stretch with interim crew chief/veteran Greg Zipadelli. Starting seventh on a random draw, Briscoe worked his way to fifth by the competition caution, but brought his No. 98 Ford Performance Racing School/Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang to pit road for four fresh tires, fuel and a big chassis adjustment. Restarting near the end of the lead lap field, Briscoe made his way up to 16th when the first stage concluded. Under the stage’s break, Briscoe remained on track to inherit the lead. The following restart, however, Briscoe was overtaken by Noah Gragson for the lead, but he remained within a tight three-car battle for the lead that included Austin Cindric. When the second stage concluded, Briscoe settled in third. For the remainder of the final stage, Briscoe kept himself battling towards the front and challenging Cindric for the lead. Following a series of late restarts and cautions, including an overtime attempt, Briscoe was lined up on the front row and on the inside lane beneath Cindric. Entering Turn 1, however, Briscoe got loose and lost his momentum to Cindric as he was also overtaken by two more competitors. When the caution flew on the final lap and the race concluded, Briscoe was scored in fourth while Cindric emerged victorious. Though he came short in claiming his sixth series win of the season, he collected his eighth top-five result and continues to lead the regular-season standings by 16 points over Gragson.

    “Yeah, I just got loose,” Briscoe said. “The restart before that, I almost cleared Austin and then, he got back around me. There at the end, that last restart, I went down there and same thing. I thought I was gonna be able to clear him. I just got too loose and about wrecked the thing. I don’t know if I just made the right rear [tire] mad or what. I was just, literally, wrecking on both ends after that. So, I felt like this was our worst car of the year as far as balance and speed goes. We were still able to, at least, be in the hunt. We’ll go onto tomorrow. I felt like Kentucky and Texas are our two worst mile and a halfs, and those are the next two [scheduled races]. So, we’ll try to build on it, just try to learn a little bit and get better.”

    Herbst, Chastain and Briscoe along with their fellow NASCAR Xfinity Series competitors will return for the second series race of the week at Kentucky Speedway on July 10, which will air at 8 p.m. on FS1.

  • Kaulig Racing posts strong performances at Indianapolis

    Kaulig Racing posts strong performances at Indianapolis

    In the inaugural NASCAR Xfinity Series race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Grand Prix Circuit, Kaulig Racing came into the famed racetrack’s new road course layout with three opportunities to walk away with a trophy as A.J. Allmendinger returned to the team’s roster and competed alongside teammates Ross Chastain and Justin Haley. In the closing laps, Haley and Allmendinger were in striking distance of the win, only to end up in the top five while Chastain concluded his race in the top 10.

    Based on a random draw, Chastain started ninth and Haley started 11th while Allmendinger was back in 30th in the starting grid. When the green flag waved, Chastain and Haley settled in the top five while Allmendinger, who was the fastest in the first of two practice sessions on Friday, utilized his road-course skills to methodically work his way to the front. By the fifth lap, he was up to 16th. As the first stage progressed to its final laps, Chastain and Haley continued running within the top five while Allmendinger cracked the top 10. With three laps remaining in the first stage, Allmendinger was one of three competitors who pitted at the time the caution fell due to debris. Early disaster, however, struck when he was caught speeding on pit road and was sent to the rear of the field. With the first stage concluding under caution, Haley finished third and Chastain was in sixth while Allmendinger was scored back in 12th.

    Following pit stops for air pressure adjustments, Chastain and Haley were in the top 10 and Allmendinger was scored in 16th for the start of the second stage. Throughout the stage, Allmendinger worked his way back into the top 10 with Haley and Chastain still racing within the top 10 despite encountering handling issues. Following a late caution when Joe Gibbs Racing’s Brandon Jones’ car went up in smoke and flames, all three Kaulig cars pitted for adjustments to their respective Chevrolets. In a two-lap dash to conclude the stage, Haley was able to work his way to finish fourth while Allmendinger finished 11th, just missing the top-10 mark. Chastain fell back to 16th while Stewart-Haas Racing’s Chase Briscoe won the stage.

    When the final stage commenced with 20 laps remaining, Haley and Allmendinger were in the top six while Chastain was back in 14th. Five laps later, Allmendinger moved inside the top three as he started to engage in a battle for the lead with Briscoe and Team Penske’s Austin Cindric. The caution returned with approximately 10 laps remaining due to debris from Tommy Joe Martins, and all three Kaulig cars pitted. With the race restarting with seven laps remaining, the battle for the lead intensified as Allmendinger quickly worked his way to second behind Briscoe. Four laps later, Briscoe slipped in Turn 10 and Allmendinger emerged with the lead, though he was pressured by Cindric. Entering the frontstretch two laps later, Allmendinger was bumped and was placed in a three-wide battle with Cindric and Briscoe. In Turn 1, Allmendinger was passed and forced off the track by Briscoe through Turns 1 and 2 as he lost the lead and was left in a tight battle with Cindric for second. Following contact between Cindric and Allmendinger through Turns 5 and 6 and a slip in Turn 7 for Allmendinger, Haley and JR Motorsports’ Noah Gragson overtook both and left Allmendinger back in fourth. When the final lap started, Gragson slipped in Turn 1, which allowed Haley to move into second. Despite his late rally, Haley was unable to gain a final lap charge to Briscoe as he crossed the line in the runner-up spot. Behind, Allmendinger settled in fourth following his late battle with Cindric while Chastain came back to finish sixth.

    The results marked the fourth time in 2020 where three Kaulig Racing competitors finished in the top 10. For Haley, this marked his fifth top-five finish of this season, the ninth of his career and his best result on a road course and at his hometrack. For Allmendinger, this marked his third top-five result of this season, his fifth driving for Kaulig Racing and his career best at Indianapolis. For Chastain, his sixth-place result marked his 11th top-10 result of this season, sixth in the last six weeks and his career best at Indianapolis. The result left Chastain settled in third in the standings, trailing points leader and this year’s Indianapolis winner Briscoe by 55 points, while he continues to pursue his first victory of the season.

    Haley and Chastain will represent Kaulig Racing in the upcoming NASCAR Xfinity Series’ doubleheader races at Kentucky Speedway on July 9 and 10, both of which will air at 8 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Double win for Kaulig Racing at Talladega

    Double win for Kaulig Racing at Talladega

    Following a doubleheader weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Kaulig Racing came into Talladega Superspeedway with three opportunities to win the race and two opportunities to win the $100,000 bonus from the Dash 4 Cash program. When the checkered flag flew, the team accomplished both achievements as Justin Haley scored his first NASCAR Xfinity Series career win at one of the world’s fastest superspeedway venues while Ross Chastain claimed the bonus with a runner-up finish.

    Based on a random draw, Haley drew the pole position while Chastain started ninth. Teammate AJ Allmendinger, fresh off his Dash 4 Cash win last weekend at Homestead, started at the rear of the field due to his No. 16 Ellsworth Advisors Chevrolet Camaro failing pre-race inspection three times.

    When the green flag waved and the race started, Haley and Chastain battled and remained at the front of the pack while Allmendinger was settling outside the top 20 and behind the lead pack while preserving his car to the end as a pre-cautionary approach for any potential incident to occur early in the race. This was how the trio ran through the competition caution on the 10th lap and when the first stage concluded on Lap 25, which was won by Haley.  

    Throughout the second stage, it was only Chastain who remained towards the front and battled for the lead as Haley, who started towards the front, was shuffled out of the draft, placed in a three-wide battle with the pack and drifted outside the top 10. Allmendinger, who was penalized for having too many crew members over his pit stall under the first stage’s break, continued running within the top 30 and behind the pack. When the stage concluded, Chastain settled in fifth while Haley worked his way back to sixth after spending the final two laps of the stage going three wide on the outside lane to gain momentum and positions to the start/finish line. Allmendinger finished 25th.

    When the final stage started with less than 60 laps remaining, Chastain and Haley restarted third and fifth, but were shuffled back to eighth and 19th nearly 20 laps later as the racing towards the front started to intensify. Allmendinger continued to settle within the top 20 and behind the lead pack. With 37 laps remaining, all three Kaulig Racing competitors made a green-flag pit stop, but caught a break when the caution flew for a four-car wreck. Under caution, the trio remained on track to restart inside the top five. When the race restarted with 33 laps remaining, the trio occupied the podium positions with Chastain leading. A lap later, Haley was shuffled back to 12th.

    Following another caution for a multi-car wreck, a red-flag delay spanning nearly 11 minutes and a restart with 14 laps remaining, Allmendinger was shuffled out of the draft and all the way back to 14th. Chastain was able to retain the lead while Haley was in seventh. For the next six laps, Chastain was locked in a heated battle with Austin Cindric and Jeb Burton for the lead while Haley was able to work his way back into the top five. Then came an 11-car pileup in the frontstretch with seven laps remaining, a wreck that occurred just behind Haley and Chastain while Allmendinger was barely able to dodge the carnage in one piece.

    Following a second red-flag period spanning six and a half minutes, the racing resumed with three laps remaining, Haley, who restarted second, fired off past the restart zone and ignited a challenge with Burton for the lead with Chastain right behind his bumper and Allmendinger trying to work his way back to the front. A lap later, after Burton was able to pull away from the field, Haley came charging back on the outside lane and was alongside Burton when the final lap started. In Turn 2, Allmendinger gave Chastain’s No. 10 Nutrien Ag Solutions Chevrolet Camaro a push, who closed towards and pushed Haley’s No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet Camaro clear of Burton with the lead entering Turn 3. From there, Haley was gone and was able to beat the field by two-tenths of a second to claim his first elusive Xfinity win in his 47th series start.

    With the victory, Haley, who led 16 laps, became the 164th driver to win a NASCAR Xfinity Series race and the fifth regular-season series winner of the 2020 season, which has the Winamac, Indiana, native a guaranteed spot for the Xfinity Playoffs. He also became the third first-time winner of this season, (Noah Gragson and Harrison Burton), the fourth first-time series winner at Talladega and the 32nd driver to win across NASCAR’s top three national major division series. The win was also the second for crew chief Alexander Yontz. Following his victory burnouts and celebration with his teammates on the frontstretch, an emotional Haley took a moment to dedicate his first win to the late Nick Harrison, who was Haley’s crew chief last season until he died unexpectedly last July at age 37 following health issues.

    “Well, I got one taken away from me at Daytona [July 2018], which is my own fault,” Haley said. “To, kind of, get redemption, I now won in the Cup Series, the Xfinity Series, Truck Series, K&N, ARCA, you name it, I’ve won in it. That meant a lot to me. The Xfinity win was bugging me. I got’em a little out of place there jumping to my Cup win, but it’s so special for everyone. I can’t believe [Burton] gave me [Chastain, restarting on the outside lane]. You never want teammate lined up and that’s what he did. Just having Ross behind me and AJ [Allmendinger], you see the team love here at Kaulig Racing. A win for one guy’s a win for all of us. Just super special. This car was amazing. I’m loving these Kaulig Racing guys. They’ve been so incredible.” 

    The runner-up finish was Chastain’s best result along with his third top-five finish through the first 11 races of this season. Above all, Chastain, who also led a race-high 24 of the event’s 113-scheduled laps, won his first Dash 4 Cash program of his career and the second in a row of this season for Kaulig Racing. With his result, Chastain jumped from fifth to fourth in the standings and trails points leader Gragson by 47 points.

    “It was teamwork that got it done,” Chastain said. “I would say we were pretty even until the backstretch coming to the white flag. AJ Allmendinger in the 16 car gave me like a hundred horsepower boost down the back. I’ve never been hit so hard and not crashed as that. It started with the third car, took three of us, me, to the 10 car to [Haley] and he was able to clear [Burton]. It’s so gratifying to come these places. You come here and you can come here your whole career and never finish, never run good. AJ’s been coming here so long. He’s hit every corner of this place. It was that experience that paid off, and just having him as a teammate, it’s awesome. Justin and I have learned so much, and it’s all paying off.”

    With their one-two finish, Haley and Chastain will contend for the fourth and final Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonus of this season next weekend at Pocono Raceway along with Austin Cindric and Alex Labbe.

    Allmendinger settled in seventh for his fourth top-10 result of this season and his sixth in the last two seasons while competing on a part-time basis for Kaulig Racing. He will return at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval-road course venue on July 4.

    Following 11 races into the 2020 season, Kaulig Racing operations have notched a combined nine top-five results, 20 top-10 results and have led a combined 203 laps, the most gained for the organization, team owner Matt Kaulig and team president Chris Rice after 11 races in the team’s fifth year of existence. They have also won four NASCAR career races with three different drivers, all of whom currently drive for the team. For LeafFilter Gutter Protection, Haley’s sponsor which has also been a primary sponsor with the team since its existence in 2016, this marked the company’s first time earning a trip to victory lane with a competitor in a stock car race.

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series will return at Pocono Raceway on June 28, where the race will air at 12:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and will be part of a quadruple-header weekend.

  • Allmendinger notches $100,000 bonus for Kaulig Racing at Homestead

    Allmendinger notches $100,000 bonus for Kaulig Racing at Homestead

    A day after late pit road penalties knocked teammates Ross Chastain and Justin Haley out of potential race-winning contention, Kaulig Racing returned with three cars to the starting grid for the Contender Boats 250 at Homestead-Miami Speedway as Haley and AJ Allmendinger were two of four competitors contending for the second Dash 4 Cash bonus. Following two overtime restarts, Allmendinger was able to claim the $100,000 bonus with a fourth-place result as all three Kaulig competitors finished in the top six.

    The starting lineup for Sunday’s race was based on having the top-15 finishers from Saturday inverted with the next 15-finishing competitors starting Sunday as they finished on Saturday and new entries rounding out the field. Haley, who finished 13th at Miami on Saturday, was the highest-starting Kaulig Racing competitor in third while Chastain, who finished ninth, started seventh. Allmendinger started at the rear of the field since he did not compete in Saturday’s race at Homestead.

    When the green flag dropped, it did not take long for Chastain to flex his muscles early as he took the lead from Myatt Snider on the second lap. He led for a total of seven laps before he was overtaken by Chase Briscoe. When the competition caution flew on Lap 20, Chastain had fallen back to fourth while fighting the balance and grip of his car. Haley was back in sixth while Allmendinger was able to work his way up to 16th. Following another caution in the closing laps of the first stage, all Kaulig Racing teammates were in the top 15 while continuing to fight the grip levels and balance of their respective Chevrolet Camaros. Under the caution, Chastain gave up track position to pit while Haley and Allmendinger remained on track with the leaders. Following a four-lap dash to the conclusion of the first stage, Haley finished 14th while Allmendinger and Chastain finished 17th and 33rd.

    Following pit stops under the stage break, Chastain remained on track to inherit the lead for the start of the second stage while Haley and Allmendinger moved to 10th and 11th after pitting. When the second stage started, Chastain led four laps before being overtaken by Brandon Jones. As the laps progressed, Chastain and Allmendinger were running inside the top 10 while Haley was in 12th. In the closing laps, Allmendinger reported loose conditions to his No. 16 Ellsworth Advisors Chevrolet Camaro while Chastain and Haley were battling tight conditions and falling back from the leaders. When the second stage concluded, Allmendinger finished 10th and earned a stage point while Chastain and Haley finished 12th and 15th.

    When the final stage started with 78 laps remaining, all three Kaulig teammates restarted ninth through 11th and spent the majority of the stage racing within the top 10 and 15. During the run and following green-flag pit stops, all Kaulig competitors were behind a lap from the leaders. With the race dwindling to its final laps, the Kaulig competitors appeared to have top-10 runs solidified despite being a lap down when the caution flew with two laps remaining for a single-car incident in Turn 3. By then, Allmendinger, who was the first competitor a lap behind, was the recipient of the free pass to return on the lead lap while Haley and Chastain took the wave around.

    In the first overtime attempt, Allmendinger made contact with rookie Riley Herbst while battling for a top-five spot, which turned Herbst into a wreck with JR Motorsports’ Michael Annett and Daniel Hemric. Everyone else behind, including Haley and Chastain, were able to scatter pass the wreck with no damage, though Haley and Chastain pitted under caution.

    In the second overtime attempt, all three Kaulig competitors restarted inside the top seven and Chastain was able to carve his way to settle in third while watching Briscoe beat Jones to win the race right in front of him. Behind him, Allmendinger fended off Noah Gragson to finish fourth for his second consecutive top-five finish in his second start of this season and emerge as the highest-finishing Dash 4 Cash contender, thus winning the second $100,000 bonus of the 2020 season. Haley settled in sixth.

    “We fought hard trying to figure out how to make the car better,” Allmendinger said on MRN. “At the end, we made it the best, but we were still about a ninth-place car. I fought hard to get Ellsworth Advisors $100,000, for Chevrolet, ECR, LeafFilter Gutter Protection, for sure. Can’t thank Xfinity enough for all they do and I guess we get to go to Talladega and do it again, right?!”

    With their results, Allmendinger and Haley will contend for the next Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonus at Talladega Superspeedway next weekend along with Briscoe and Jones.

    With his second top-five result of this season, Chastain dropped from fourth to fifth in the standings, but is 61 points behind points leader Gragson. With his sixth top-10 result of this season, Haley remained in seventh in the standings, but is 105 points behind Gragson.

    The NASCAR Xfinity Series will return on June 20 at Talladega Superspeedway, where the race will air at 5:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

  • Kaulig Racing victorious at Atlanta

    Kaulig Racing victorious at Atlanta

    Following a dismal week at Bristol Motor Speedway, Kaulig Racing traveled south to Atlanta Motor Speedway in Georgia as AJ Allmendinger returned to the team’s lineup alongside Ross Chastain and Justin Haley. When the dust settled and the checkered flag flew, all three teams finished in the top 10 with Allmendinger earning the race win and recording Kaulig Racing’s first NASCAR victory of the 2020 season.

    Coming into Atlanta, Kaulig Racing’s previous best finish at the track was eighth, which came a year ago with Haley and the No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet team. This season, the team had three opportunities to improve on the stat. 

    The starting lineup was determined by a random draw. Haley started fourth, which marked the fourth consecutive race since NASCAR’s return to on-track racing where he started in the top five. Chastain, who finished sixth in the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series event at Atlanta earlier in the day, started 11th and Allmendinger started 30th.

    When the race commenced, Haley moved to the runner-up spot as Chastain remained inside the top 10. By the 10th lap, Allmendinger had worked his way inside the top 20 and all three Kaulig Racing Chevrolets remained in the top 10 at the time the competition caution flew on Lap 16. Under the competition caution, all three Kaulig competitors remained on track along with the majority of the field. When the front-runners pitted, Haley inherited the lead for the restart on Lap 21.

    For four laps following the Lap 21 restart, Haley led, but was overtaken by Austin Cindric for the lead on Lap 25. By Lap 30, Chastain moved into the runner-up spot, trailing Cindric by more than three seconds. Haley settled in third, trailing Cindric by four seconds while Allmendinger was in 12th. When the first stage concluded, Chastain and Haley settled in second and third behind Cindric while Allmendinger was able to work his way in the top 10 by finishing ninth.

    Under the stage break, the leaders pitted and Chastain exited second while Allmendinger exited fifth. Haley was due to restart in the top five, but was sent to the rear of the field in 27th due to a crew member jumping over the pit wall too early.

    When the second stage started on Lap 47, Chastain retained the runner-up position while Allmendinger, who made a brief appearance in the top five, settled in the top 10. By Lap 60, Haley had made his way back into the top 15. Five laps later, Allmendinger made his way to fifth after overtaking JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier and Noah Gragson in Turn 4.

    Following a caution on Lap 68 for a spin involving rookie Riley Herbst and a late restart in the stage, Chastain fell to third as Chase Briscoe moved to second. Behind, Allmendinger continued to run in the top five while Haley made his way back inside the top 10. When the second stage concluded, which was won by Cindric, Chastain finished third, Allmendinger settled in fifth and Haley rallied to finish seventh.

    Under the stage break and when the leaders pitted, Chastain and Allmendinger exited in the top five while Haley was penalized again, this time for speeding on pit road, and was sent to the rear of the field.

    Over the course of the next 38 laps in the final stage, which included two cautions and two restarts, all three Kaulig Racing competitors were running in the top 10, watching from a distance as Briscoe maintained a steady advantage over Cindric. With less than 40 laps remaining, an opportunity presented itself under caution following a pit stop when the top-three competitors that included Briscoe, Cindric and Allgaier sped on pit road and were sent to the rear of the field. Their misfortunes allowed Allmendinger to inherit the lead for the restart with 34 laps remaining. Haley restarted third behind Allmendinger while Chastain restarted sixth.

    When the race restarted, Allmendinger took off with the lead while Haley settled in third after being overtaken by Gragson. Over the course of the final 34 laps, Allmendinger would navigate his way through lapped traffic and maintain his advantage over a second over Gragson, which was enough to claim the checkered flag first and record his first NASCAR Xfinity Series victory of the season. The victory was Allmendinger’s fourth of his Xfinity Series career in his 18th series start, his first oval-track win and his first Atlanta win in his first series start at the track. In addition, Kaulig Racing notched its third NASCAR Xfinity career win in the team’s fifth season.

    “Oh, my god! I won on an oval! You like that?!” Allmendinger said on FOX. “Matt Kaulig, I really love you. Chris Rice, these cars were awesome. It’s Atlanta. You’re trying to figure out how much tire to use early. The car was awesome on long runs. Once I got to the lead, I was just trying to hit my marks, which is hard to do. I can’t thank everybody at Kaulig Racing, LeafFilter Gutter Protection, everybody that’s associated with this team. We got C2 Freight Resources on the car…Thank you ECR [Engines], Chevrolet, everybody for giving me the opportunity. Let’s party.”

    Following his victory, team owner Matt Kaulig announced that Allmendinger will compete in the second Xfinity Series doubleheader event at Homestead-Miami Speedway on June 14 as one of four Xfinity competitors vying for the second Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonus.

    Haley rallied from his pair of pit road penalties to finish third for his third top-five finish of the season while Chastain settled in seventh for his sixth top-10 result of the season.

    “[Today] was good,” Haley said on PRN Radio. “We’ve had speed the past few weeks and haven’t had any luck. So, glad we could finally finish it off. Last week at Bristol, we were passing for the lead and when the caution came out, [we] got wrecked on the restart. I don’t know, it’s just tough. Congrats to A.J. He was pretty good. All three Kaulig Racing cars were fast. We’ll keep digging.”

    With his result, Haley moved from eighth to seventh in the standings and trails points leader Briscoe by 73 points as he will also contend for the Dash 4 Cash bonus next weekend at Homestead. Chastain remained in fifth in the standings as he trails Briscoe by 45 points.

    Next on the NASCAR Xfinity Series schedule is a doubleheader series weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the first on June 13 and the second on June 14. The June 13 race at Homestead will air at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX while the June 14 race will air at noon ET on FS1.