Kaulig Racing Weekly Preview | Darlington Raceway

May 10, 2023

Goodyear 400
Darlington Raceway
NASCAR Cup Series (NCS)
Sunday, May 14 at 3:00 p.m. EST on FS1

Kaulig Racing’s best finish at Darlington Raceway in the NCS came in 2022 when Justin Haley earned a third-place finish.
So far in the 2023 NCS season, Kaulig Racing has earned three top-10 finishes and has led one lap.

AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 BTS Blacks Tires Camaro ZL1

AJ Allmendinger has made 11 NCS starts at Darlington Raceway and has an average finish of 26.1.
The 2023 Goodyear 400 will be Allmendinger’s first NCS start at Darlington Raceway since 2018.
Allmendinger is coming off of a 14th-place finish at Kansas Speedway, his second-best finish of the 2023 season.

“Darlington is a racetrack that had never really been high on my list, but over the years, running Xfinity there, I definitely felt like I at least got a better understanding of how to drive the racetrack. Hopefully that will carry over to the Cup side of it and allow me to try to be at least better and give us a direction of the way we need to go there. It’s one of the toughest race tracks that we drive on, and it’s always been a huge challenge for me. Hopefully some of the stuff we learned in Kansas carries over to Darlington and we can unload, have decent speed, and work on it from there.”
– AJ Allmendinger on Darlington Raceway

Justin Haley, No. 31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camaro ZL1

Justin Haley has made four starts at Darlington Raceway in the NCS.
Haley’s best finish at the track came in the 2022 season when he earned a third-place finish, his second-best result in the NCS.
So far in the 2023 season, Haley has earned two top-10 finishes.

“We had a really great finish at Darlington last year, one of my best in the Cup Series, so I’m looking forward to having the opportunity to turn our luck around. Darlington is a track that has been up and down for me – it’s definitely a driver’s track. I feel like tires will wear and strategy will be really important. Hopefully we can get some speed back in our race cars and have another good showing at the Lady in Black.”
– Justin Haley on Darlington Raceway

Shriners Children’s 200
Darlington Raceway
NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS)
Saturday, May 13 at 1:30 p.m. EST on FOX

Kaulig Racing has made 20 starts at Darlington Raceway in the NXS, two of which were from the pole position. The team has earned four top fives, nine top-10 finishes and has led 90 laps at Darlington the NXS.So far in the 2023 NXS season, Kaulig Racing has earned two wins, two pole awards, seven top fives, 19 top-10 finishes and has led 271 laps.

Kyle Larson, No. 10 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro

Kyle Larson will make his first NXS start of the 2023 season at Darlington Raceway.
Larson’s last NXS start was in the 2022 Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help A Hero 200 at Darlington Raceway where he finished fifth.
Larson has made five total starts at Darlington Raceway in the NXS, all of which resulted in top-10 finishes.

“I’m excited to run double duty with HendrickCars.com this weekend. I would like to thank Kaulig Racing for the opportunity to race with their Xfinity team this Saturday. Kaulig has been putting in some hard work behind the scenes to get the No. 10 ready for a great race. Fingers crossed for a win at “The Lady in Black.”
– Kyle Larson on Darlington Raceway

Daniel Hemric, No. 11 Cirkul Chevrolet Camaro

In his eight-total starts at Darlington Raceway, Hemric has earned one pole award, one top five, three top-10 finishes, and has led 56 laps.
So far in the 2023 NXS season, Hemric has one top five, six top-10 finishes, and has led 15 laps with an average finish of 13.8. He currently sits 10th in the regular-season points.

“Darlington is the first, really hot weekend of the year. The heat just brings out more of the character of the race track and what it has to offer. I look forward to unloading our Cirkul Chevrolet and hopefully having good speed and versatility.You have to be able to move around that place from bottom to top to be able to go where they [competitors] are not throughout the run. It’s a fun race track, one of the most fun we go to. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
– Daniel Hemric on Darlington Raceway

Chandler Smith, No. 16 Quick Tie Products Chevrolet Camaro

Chandler Smith will make his first start at Darlington Raceway in the NXS in the Shriners Children’s 200.
Smith made four NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) starts at the egg-shaped oval, qualifying in the top 10 twice. His 7th-place finish in 2021 is his lone top-10 finish at the track.
Currently sitting third in both the points and playoff standings, Smith has amassed one win, four top-fives, and a pole position in 10 NXS starts in 2023.

“Darlington is going to be a challenge as it usually is. The Xfinity races there in the past have been awesome to watch, so being a part of them will be fun. Having Kyle [Larson] racing with us will be helpful for me to really learn the track. I haven’t had a ton of success [at Darlington] in the past, but I’m hopeful that I’ll run up front more than I did in the Truck Series.”
– Chandler Smith on Darlington Raceway