Kaulig Racing Race Recap | Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 - Speedway Digest

AJ ALLMENDINGER
No. 16 Celsius Chevrolet Camaro

AJ Allmendinger qualified eighth for the Andy's Frozen Custard 300 at Texas Motor Speedway. 
Allmendinger took seventh place on the first lap and continued to run there until lap eight when he reported he had no grip. The first caution came on lap 13, and Allmendinger stayed out and went on to finish the opening stage in ninth. The team came to pit road for adjustments under the stage break. With the wind blowing the overhead sign, Allmendinger was unable to see his pit sign and missed the pit stall the first time by. The No. 16 came back to pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments. Allmendinger restarted the second stage in 26th place.
In the second stage, Allmendinger drove back up to eighth place before the caution came out on lap 81. The team came to pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments. Allmendinger restarted 15th on lap 85 and drove up to ninth place before the stage end.
Allmendinger restarted the final stage in 10th place and drove up with eighth place the first lap back to green. The caution came out on lap 103 and the No. 16 stayed out to restart in eighth on lap 107. On the restart, Allmendinger took seventh place and by lap 108, Allmendinger was scored in fifth place. From fourth place on lap 132, Allmendinger reported his No. 16 Celsius Chevy was building tight. The team came to pit road under green on lap 143 from fourth place. When green flag pit stops cycled through on lap 171, Allmendinger was scored sixth. The caution came out on lap 174, and Allmendinger came to pit road for tires, fuel and adjustments. On lap 180, Allmendinger restarted in eighth place and drove up with fifth on the restart. Allmendinger went on to finish fourth in the Andy’s Frozen Custard 300, qualifying for the Dash 4 Cash at Talladega Super Speedway.

“I’m proud of everyone at Kaulig Racing. We struggled in the first stage, but we got our Celsius Chevy pretty good there. I missed the pit box, never saw the sign, so that’s what got us behind. We fought back hard and I felt like we had a fourth-to-sixth-place car all day. It wouldn’t fire off great, but after about eight to ten laps in a run, then I could get in a rhythm. Definitely not where we need to be still, but we are making gains and that is all we can ask for.”

AJ Allmendinger
JOSH WILLIAMS
No. 11 Alloy Employer Services Chevrolet Camaro Josh Williams qualified 22nd for the Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Williams moved into 21st on lap 13 when the first caution of the race came out. The green flag waved again on lap 17, and after breaking into the top 20 on the restart, Williams took 19th on lap 30, finishing there in stage one.
The No. 11 Alloy Employer Services car came down pit road during the stage yellow for tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. Williams took the second-stage green flag from 16th. He picked up speed as the run progressed, fighting to enter the top 15. No. 11 Chevy Camaro got aero tight when Williams attempted to pass the No. 15 with 22 to go in stage two, and the car slid back to 17th as a result. On lap 81, the yellow flag flew, and Williams came down pit road for tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment, gaining three spots. The restart set up a six-lap shootout to end the second stage, and Williams finished it in 14th.
Williams started the final stage running 13th but slipped two positions with 98 to go. The caution came out again that lap, and he restarted 15th with 94 laps remaining. Williams stalled out trying to make a move past the No. 28, and after both cars were passed in traffic, Williams took the spot away on lap 135 to run in 16th. With 55 laps remaining, the No. 11 Camaro pitted for tires and fuel under green flag conditions, cycling into 13th. The yellow flag waved on lap 174, and Williams brought the Alloy Employer Services car onto pit road for the team’s final set of fresh tires and fuel. Williams restarted in 13th with 21 laps to go but lost three positions in four laps. Another caution came out, and Williams restarted from 16th with 11 laps remaining. He took the checkered flag in 12th place.

“It took a little bit to get used to how this car would handle in traffic. We were aero tight all day, which is to be expected at Texas. Our pit crew did a great job putting us in a good spot to move forward in the race, and I’m happy with where we finished.”

Josh Williams

SHANE van GISBERGEN
No. 97 Worldwide Express Chevrolet Camaro Shane van Gisbergen qualified the WWEX Chevrolet 33rd for the Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 at Texas Motor Speedway.
By lap five, Van Gisbergen worked his way up to 27th and was scored in 26th when the first caution flag waved on lap 13. Staying out, the WWEX team restarted 27th on lap 17. Learning his way around the 1.5-mile oval, Van Gisbergen ended stage one in 25th on lap 45. Under the stage one caution, Van Gisbergen hit pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments. Following the stop, the WWEX team was scored in 24th.
Van Gisbergen started the second stage in 24th on lap 53. Battling a tight WWEX Chevrolet during the run, Van Gisbergen worked his way up to 23rd by lap 75 and maintained his position when the third caution flag of the afternoon waved on lap 81. Under the caution, Van Gisbergen hit pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments. Following the stop, the WWEX team rejoined the field in 20th. After the lap-85 restart, Van Gisbergen ended stage two in 17th on lap 90.
Following a four-tire stop under the stage two caution, Van Gisbergen restarted the final stage in 24th on lap 104. A quick caution came out on lap 103 with Van Gisbergen scored in 22nd. Not pitting under caution, Van Gisbergen restarted 20th on lap 107. Staying out longer than most of the field, Van Gisbergen made a green-flag pit stop from second on lap 165 for four tires, fuel and adjustments. Following the stop, Van Gisbergen rejoined the field in 24th on lap 166. The caution flag waved once again on lap 174 with the WWEX team scored in 22nd. Staying out, SVG restarted in 23rd after taking the wave around on lap 180. SVG and the WWEX team crossed the finish line 18th.

“Crazy day, qualified 30-something. I’m getting used to these tracks and got more comfortable as the day went on. It was a lot of fun. Looking forward to Talladega.”

Shane van Gisbergen

DANIEL DYE
No. 10 bproauto Chevrolet Camaro Daniel Dye qualified 24th for the Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Settling in during stage one, the No. 10 bproauto Chevrolet became aero free and spun out, causing the first caution of the day. Making every effort to recover, Dye drove back to 22nd by the end of the stage. Relaying a loose-handling condition, Dye pitted for four tires and chassis adjustments.
The caution flag waved with nine laps to go in stage two. Battling a loose No. 10 Chevy, Dye pitted for four tires, and an air pressure and wedge adjustment. The decision was made to bring Dye back down pit road for a second time for a track bar adjustment of the left rear. Dye completed the stage being cautious in an attempt to save on tire wear. He did not pit and started stage three in the 17th position.
During the caution on lap 102, running 18th, Dye radioed, “I’m not confident to put steering wheel into it.” Resuming the race on lap 107, scored 18th, he continued to battle his No. 10 Chevy, relaying he was too tight and needed the front to turn better. Dye ultimately took the checkered, solidifying a 24th-place finish in the Andy’s Frozen Custard 300 at Texas Motor Speedway.

“Long day trying to learn and get laps but we fought hard all day and learned a lot of things that we can build on in the future. I am appreciative of bproauto and Champion Container for their continued support. “