Race Recap | Daytona 500

February 19, 2024

No. 16 Celsius Camaro ZL1

AJ Allmendinger qualified 28th for the 66th running of the Daytona 500.
When the caution came out on lap six, Allmendinger reported his No. 16 Celsius Chevy was fast and handling well. After pitting, Allmendinger felt a vibration and returned to pit road to ensure the lug nuts were tight. The team received a penalty on the restart on lap 12. Allmendinger finished the opening stage in 34th.
The No. 16 received the lucky dog at the end of the first stage and restarted stage two in 32nd after pitting. Allmendinger rode around until the pit cycle began and came to pit road for fuel only on lap 113. The No. 16 came off pit road 10th and moved as high up as fifth before finishing the stage in ninth.
After coming to pit road, the No. 16 restarted seventh. Three laps into the stage, Allmendinger took the lead running the bottom lane. Allmendinger led nine laps before falling back to save fuel. The No. 16 avoided the wreck on lap 193 and was scored in ninth when the red flag was displayed. Allmendinger went on to finish sixth in the Daytona 500.

“We had an up and down night but everyone at Kaulig Racing did a great job this weekend. We had great pit stops, great strategy and we had a car that could hang up there. We gave ourselves a shot at it and that’s all we can do. It’s the biggest race we have in the sport and I’m really proud of everyone’s effort this week.”
-AJ Allmendinger

No. 31 Cirkul Camaro ZL1

Daniel Hemric started 37th in the 66th running of the Daytona 500.
After the first caution on lap six, Hemric restarted in fourth and ran as high as third before pitting on lap 39 for fuel only. He radioed to crew chief, Trent Owens, that the balance of his No. 31 Cirkul Camaro ZL1 felt good, as he went on to finish the stage in 31st.
Hemric pitted for four tires and fuel during the stage break before starting the second stage in 31st. Within the first three laps, Hemric made it back into the top 10. He made it as high as third before pitting on lap 113 for fuel only and went on to finish the second stage in 15th.
Hemric pitted for four tires and fuel during the second stage break and started the final stage from 17th place on lap 136. By lap 143, Hemric found teammate, AJ Allmendinger, where the pair ran 1-2 for a number of laps. The two bailed out to conserve fuel shortly after, and Hemric made his final fuel-only pit stop on lap 178. Heavy nose damage from a late-race wreck on lap 193 forced Hemric to pit for repairs before finishing 16th under caution.

“I’m proud of the fight this No. 31 Cirkul team showed from the start of the weekend getting our backup car ready to race. We wanted to get to the front early in the race if possible, which was a little bit of a different approach than what I’ve typically had at these kind of tracks. Trent [Owens] made some great calls, and we were able to do just that and stay up there to show everyone we can push successfully and accept pushes successfully while battling up front. That goes a long way when you get down to the end of these races. I thought it was going to workout there at the end, but unfortunately we got some nose damage we couldn’t avoid with about 10 to go. Not quite the finish we wanted, but I’m looking forward to what’s to come with this team.”
– Daniel Hemric