Race Recap | AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400

April 14, 2024

TY
DILLON

No. 16 Sea Best Camaro ZL1

Ty Dillon qualified 36th for the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Dillon and the Sea Best Camaro ZL1 gained three positions on the initial start, before radioing that he was loose in the rear on lap 18. He climbed as high as fourth, as the field cycled for green-flag pit stops. Dillon pitted on lap 40 for four tires, fuel and a rear track-bar adjustment and sat 37th when the first caution of the day came out on lap 51. Dillon reported he was loose in turns three and four before pitting under caution for four tires, fuel and a front adjustment to improve handling. The No. 16 restarted in the 36th position and one lap down, before finishing the opening stage in 37th place.
The No. 16 pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments during the stage break and restarted 35th and one lap down. Dillon pitted for four tires, fuel and another front adjustment, before restarting from the 34th position when the second caution of the day came out on lap 100. The No. 16 took the Lucky Dog shortly after on lap 113 during the third caution, regaining the lead lap. Electing to stay out, the No. 16 gained six positions and restarted 27th. The fourth caution of the day came out on lap 120, and Dillon pitted once again for tires, fuel and a left-rear adjustment. The next caution came out on lap 120, and the No. 16 pitted for four tires and fuel, before going green for only one lap. Dillon stayed out before going on to finish stage two in 32^nd.
Dillon started the final stage from 16^th and stayed out during the seventh caution on lap 172. The No. 16 pitted on lap 181 for four tires and fuel during the next caution, restarting 29th. As the field began to make green flag-pit stops, the No. 16 climbed as high as 11th before the ninth caution hit on lap 227, allowing the No. 16 to pit for four tires, fuel and rear adjustments. Dillon went on to restart 15th with 33 laps to go. The 10th caution of the day came out on lap 253, as the No. 16 elected to stay out for track position, restarting 16th before the 11th caution on lap 259. It took the field two attempts at overtime before Dillon went on to earn a 16^th-place finish.

“We battled through most of the day in the Sea Best Camaro ZL1. We weren’t where we wanted to be most of the day, but thankfully Travis Mack made a few good calls to help us gain track position and finish strong there at the end. This team never gave up and I can’t wait to get back in the car with Kaulig Racing.”
– Ty Dillon

DANIEL
HEMRIC

No. 31 South Point Camaro ZL1

Daniel Hemric qualified 38th for the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Hemric’s No. 31 South Point Camaro ZL1 handled tight, as he navigated through dirty air in stage one. He made it as high as fifth place as green-flag pit stops began. The first caution of the day came out on lap 51, as Hemric sat sixth. He pitted under caution for a major adjustment to help free up the car. He restarted 14th on lap 55 and went on to finish the opening stage in 15th.
Hemric radioed that the No. 31 handled better, but was still tight in traffic. He pitted for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment during the stage break, before starting the second stage in 18th. The next caution came out on lap 101, as Hemric sat 21st. He pitted under caution for tires and fuel before restarting 23rd. The next caution came out on lap 114, and crew chief, Trent Owens, made the call to pit again for tires, as some were on a fuel-only strategy. The field went back to green for only two laps before another caution came out. Hemric stayed out and restarted 25th with 40 laps remaining in stage two. Another caution fell on lap 137, and Hemric pitted for qualifying tires and a major adjustment to help the front-handling of the No. 31 Chevy. The field went back to green for only one lap, as the next caution came out on lap 143. Hemric stayed out once again and restarted 31st on lap 149. He went on to finish the second stage in 31st.
During the second stage break, Hemric pitted for four tires and fuel before starting the final stage in 29^th. A caution came out just after the restart, before going back to green with 90 laps remaining. Hemric sat 26^th, as yet another caution came out with 86 laps to go. He stayed out and restarted 26^th with 83 laps to go. After a long, green-flag run, the next caution came out on lap 228, as Hemric sat 10^th. He pitted for four tires, fuel and adjustments for the No. 31 South Point Chevy. He restarted 16th on lap 235. The next caution came out on lap 254. Hemric radioed that the No. 31 Chevy took off better but still struggled in dirty air. He made his final pit stop of the day under caution for right-side tires and fuel before restarting 21st with eight laps remaining. The next caution came out on the restart, as Hemric narrowly avoided a wreck in front of him. He restarted 18th with two laps to go before another caution came out on the restart. Hemric restarted 20th in the first overtime attempt, but another wreck forced a second overtime. Hemric went on to finish 20th.

“Thanks to Michael Gaughan, everyone at South Point, and all of our supporters at Kaulig Racing for sticking with us. It’s not been thrilling or exciting the last few weeks, but at the end of the day we’ve managed a couple times this year to finish better than we raced. That’s what we did here today. I’m proud of Trent [Owens] for making the call to take two tires there and getting some track position. I need to do a better job on restarts; we had a couple go our way there at the end, especially that last one. I’m proud of the fight from this No. 31 team today.”
– Daniel Hemric

Race Recap | AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400

TYDILLON

No. 16 Sea Best Camaro ZL1

DANIELHEMRIC

No. 31 South Point Camaro ZL1

TY
DILLON

DANIEL
HEMRIC