AJ Allmendinger qualified 25th for the 4EVER 400 Presented by Mobil 1 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Allmendinger moved through the field quickly, making it to 14th place by lap 26. On lap 33, Allmendinger brought the No. 16 Campers Inn RV Chevy to pit road for a scheduled green flag pit stop. After coming to pit road, Allmendinger reported his car was tighter in clean air this run. When the green flag pit stop cycle was complete, Allmendinger was in 11th place where we went on to finish the opening stage after the caution was brought out on lap 78.
During the stage break, Allmendinger came to pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment to help free up the car. The No. 16 restarted in 10th place on lap 86. On lap 116, Allmendinger came down pit road for a scheduled green flag stop. The took four tires, fuel and made an air pressure adjustment. On lap 118, Allmendinger reported he was plowing tight. By the time the pit cycle was complete on lap 127, Allmendinger had driven back up to 10th place. The No. 16 ended the second stage in 13th place, reporting he was still battling a tight race car. The team came to pit road under the stage break for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment to help Allmendinger with the handling of his car.
Allmendinger restarted stage three in 13th place on lap 173. On lap 192, Allmendinger had taken over 12th place, telling his team he was sliding around a lot. As the team prepared to come to pit road during the green flag pit stop cycle, the caution came out on lap 214 while Allmendinger was in fifth place. The team came to pit road under caution for tires, fuel, wedge and air pressure adjustments and Allmendinger went on to restart in fifth place on lap 222. A wreck on the restart brought the caution back out. Allmendinger was scored in sixth place, where he would restart on lap 230. The caution came out on lap 237 and Allmendinger has fallen to seventh place, reporting he was too free. The team came to pit road to tighten the car with an air pressure adjustment. Allmendinger restarted from ninth on lap 243. By lap 250, Allmendinger had driven up to sixth place and took over fifth place on lap 260 where he went on to finish at Homestead Miami Speedway.
“Our No. 16 Campers Inn RV Chevy was really good. We started the race in the 25th position and drove right up into the top-10 there. The track was tricky – you got on one side of the race track and we fought tight through the middle-half of the race. Our crew chief made some really good adjustments there, and we got some more clean air and I was able to make some moves. I thought maybe we were one of the fastest cars there at the end, but overall, just a really solid day. It’s always great when you can get a top-five finish.”
Justin Haley qualified 27th for the 4EVER 400 Presented by Mobil 1 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Haley made up two positions on the initial start but dropped back to 31st, radioing he had no front downforce. Haley pitted on lap 31 for four tires, fuel, and an adjustment to help free up the No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet. Haley went down a lap with 16 laps remaining in the opening stage, and went on to finish 29th.
During the first stage break, Haley pitted for tires, fuel and a major adjustment to help the front end of the No. 31 LeafFilter Chevy. Following the long stop, Haley started the second stage from 32nd place. He made his next green-flag pit stop on lap 117 for tires and fuel, shaking out 27th where he went on to finish the caution-free second stage.
Haley pitted again during the stage caution for more tires, fuel and adjustments to help the No. 31 Chevy feel more connected. He started the final stage in 27th, one lap down. He made it as high as 24th before the field began making their green-flag pit stops. Haley pitted for tires and fuel on lap 210, just before the caution came out on lap 213. On the restart, a wreck brought the caution out again. Haley sat 26th, one lap down. Haley pitted for tires and fuel and restarted 27th with 38 to go. The next caution came out on lap 235, and Haley took the wave around to finally put him back on the lead lap. He restarted 22nd and went on to finish the race in 23rd.
“I felt like I had an issue with my steering all day. We fired off so tight with no downforce and couldn’t drive in traffic. We made solid adjustments all day, but there was definitely a bigger issue. Hopefully we can regroup and head to Martinsville.”
Daniel Hemric qualified 15th for the Contender Boats 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Hemric lost four spots on the initial start, but gained momentum during the following laps to get back to 14th on lap five. Although he was lacking right-rear grip, Hemric worked his way to 10th with six to go in the stage and went on to finish the opening stage in 10th place.
Hemric came down pit road at the stage break for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. After gaining one position off pit road, he restarted as the fifth car on the outside lane on lap 53. Hemric was running strong in 12th when the caution came out on lap 69. Under the caution laps, he reported that the last pit stop adjustments seemed to be headed in the right direction. After the team elected to stay out, Hemric restarted as the fifth car on the inside with 18 to go in stage two. Hemric stayed consistent during the closing laps and went on to finish the second stage in 10th position.
The team came down pit road under the stage break for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. After gaining three positions off pit road, Hemric restarted as the fourth car on the inside on lap 97. When the caution came out on lap 98, the team stayed out. Hemric restarted eighth with 98 laps to go. While running ninth, he relayed to the team that he was loose on entry. Hemric pitted from sixth for a scheduled green flag pit stop with 61 laps to go for four tires and fuel. Once the rest of the field made their green flag stops, Hemric was up to sixth with 44 laps to go. The caution came out again with 37 laps to go, and the No.10 Chevy followed the leaders down pit road under the caution. The team put on his last set of sticker tires before restarting as the fourth car on the outside with 30 laps to go. Shortly after, the caution came out again with 28 laps to go. The restart came with 23 to to go where Hemric restarted as the sixth car on the outside. After having a solid restart, Hemric was back up to eighth with 20 laps to go. He was able to work his way up to sixth with 10 laps to go. Hemric stayed consistent and went on to finish the race in sixth place.
“It was a pretty eventful weekend at Homestead. From the time we unloaded, we ended up making the most speed on the bottom lane. I had joked around about possibly having to play catfish all weekend, and that is exactly what I did. Catfish live at the bottom, and that’s what I did all day and ultimately managed our risk to end up sixth. I’m proud of the effort and the finish we got considering our average running position of the day. We maximized what we could and that is all we can ask for.”
Derek Kraus qualified 20th at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the Contender Boats 300.
Kraus worked his way up four spots on the initial start before reporting his No. 11 Celsius Chevrolet had fired off “wrecking loose”. He went on to finish an uneventful stage one in 19th place.
During the first stage break, Kraus pitted for a major adjustment after radioing he had zero security on entry. He restarted 22nd and was on the move, gaining six spots by lap 56. When the caution came out on lap 69, Kraus sat 14th and radioed that the No. 11 Chevrolet was starting to build free on entry. He pitted for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. Kraus restarted 25th on lap 73 and went on to lead the final 15 laps of the stage, earning his first-ever stage victory and Kaulig Racing’s sixth of the 2023 season.
Kraus pitted once again under caution for a right-side chassis adjustment before starting the final stage on lap 97. On the opening lap of the final stage, Kraus sat three wide between the Nos. 9 and 16 cars before the No. 9 pushed him into teammate, Chandler Smith, bringing out the caution. While Smith had heavy damage, Kraus did not acquire significant damage and restarted 10th when the green flag came back out. After slipping out of the top 10 on the restart, Kraus made his way back to 10th on lap 121 and later took over the lead once again on lap 141 before pitting for four tires and fuel on lap 149. The next caution came out on lap 163, and Kraus was in the lucky dog position, putting him back on the lead lap. He pitted for scuff tires and restarted 14th with 30 to go. The field went green for only one lap before the next caution came out, and Kraus sat 13th. The green flag came back out with 23 laps remaining, and Kraus went on to finish 11th.
“Overall, we struggled with fire-off speed, which carried throughout the race. At the end our No. 11 Celsius Chevrolet was pretty decent, but unfortunately, we were just on the wrong tire strategy. We took our last set too early and only had scuff tires left while everyone else had their last set of stickers on. We just didn’t quite have enough there at the end. Fortunately, the car is in one piece and we learned a lot that we will take to our last race together in Phoenix.”
– Derek Kraus
Chandler Smith, No. 16 Quick Tie Products Chevrolet Camaro
Chandler Smith qualified 12th for the Contender Boats 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Smith opened the race by dropping a spot on the initial lap, but he gained it back and more to move into 11th on lap 10. He dropped back to 13th on lap 20 but re-gained momentum, moving back into 11th on lap 30, where he’d finish the first stage.
Smith said he had no lateral drive, so the No. 16 Quick Tie Products crew made a left-rear adjustment during the full service pit stop at the stage break. He restarted on lap 53 in 12th. Smith fought hard over the next dozen laps to break into the top 10, making it into ninth on lap 61. He lost control coming out of turn four while fighting for eighth then saved it, but he fell back to 11th. The yellow flag flew on lap 69, and Smith said that the past stop’s adjustment was a positive for the car’s driveability. After a brief discussion with crew chief Bruce Schlicker about whether or not to pit for tires during the mid-stage caution, the team decided to stay out to save a fresh set of tires for a potential late-race stop. Smith restarted on the outside of row four on lap 73 and ran 10th with 13 laps remaining in the stage. He fell back to 11th and remained there until the green-white-checkered flew on lap 90.
Smith pitted for tires and fuel during the stage yellow and restarted in 11th on lap 97. On the restart lap, Smith ran four-wide, middle-inside off the exit of turn two. The No. 9, on the outside, slightly moved down into Kaulig Racing teammate Derek Kraus, who was running middle-outside. Kraus pinballed left into the No. 16, turning Smith into the No. 25 car. The No. 16 suffered major damage to its right front, and after the team repaired it as best as it could be repaired, its engine blew on lap 138. Smith retired and finished in 34th.
“It’s partially our fault for qualifying as far back as we did, but I hate that we got involved in a mess we had no part in starting. We’re in a must-win situation now going to Martinsville, so we’ll put our heads down and keep fighting to make it into the Championship 4.”
