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Kaulig Racing Race Recap | Martinsville – DUDE Wipes 250
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No. 11 Call811.com Chevrolet Camaro
- Josh Williams qualified 23rd for the Dude Wipes 250 at Martinsville Speedway.
- Williams cracked the top 20 by the first caution of the night on lap 10, running 19th. The race restarted on lap 14, and the No. 11 Call811.com Chevy Camaro moved into 18th on the ensuing green-flag stretch that lasted until a wreck on lap 36 brought out the yellow flag. Restarting from 17th with 18 laps remaining in stage one, Williams gained one spot to finish 16th.
- Williams restarted 17th after pitting for tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. By picking the inside line for the stage-two green flag, he avoided a massive pileup after the No. 9 missed a shift getting up to speed. Williams restarted on lap 81 in 13th after a short red flag, and following multiple additional yellows and restarts, Williams gained two more spots to finish stage two in 11th.
- A slow full-service pit stop during the stage break cost the No. 11 four spots, leading to a 15th-place restart on lap 130. Williams passed the No. 2 to move into 14th on lap 163, eight laps before another caution came out. He brought the Call811.com Chevy onto pit road for tires and fuel during the yellow and restarted on lap 178 in 17th. After moving forward one spot, the caution once again displayed on lap 197. Restarting with 46 to go as the ninth car on the inside, Williams passed the No. 27 for 16th on lap 217. With 16 laps left, another caution came out, and the No. 11 stayed out to restart in 15th with 11 laps remaining. Avoiding more carnage on the initial restart, Williams took 14th place before the yellow flag was once again shown with six laps remaining to set up overtime. Williams reached 10th on the final lap, earning his first top 10 of the season.
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“We had to overcome multiple issues tonight, but the No. 11 Call811.com team never quit. We still have work in front of us, but to come away with our first top 10 is a really rewarding feeling.”
– Josh Williams
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No. 97 WeatherTech Chevrolet Camaro
- Shane van Gisbergen qualified 19th for the Dude Wipes 250 at Martinsville Speedway.
- Starting in 19th, the first yellow flag of the night waved on lap 10 with Van Gisbergen scored in 17th. Staying out, he restarted 17th on lap 14. Battling a loose WeatherTech Chevrolet, Van Gisbergen was scored in 23rd when the second caution flag of the night waved on lap 37. Staying out once again, Van Gisbergen restarted in 19th on lap 43. He ended stage one in 19th on lap 60. Under the stage one caution break, Van Gisbergen hit pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments.
- A quick caution flag waved on the stage-two restart with Van Gisbergen scored in 19th. Following a lengthy clean up, SVG restarted in 13th on lap 81. Learning his way around the Martinsville short track and having fun, Van Gisbergen ended stage two in 15th on lap 120. Under the stage-two break, Van Gisbergen hit pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments. Following a lighting-quick stop, Van Gisbergen picked up five spots on pit road.
- Van Gisbergen started the final stage in 10th on lap 131. On lap 137, Van Gisbergen reported there was a possible issue on his WeatherTech Chevrolet and was scored in 20th with the caution flag waving on lap 171. During the caution, Van Gisbergen hit pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments. Following the stop, Van Gisbergen rejoined the field in 19th. Continuing to learn his way around the iconic NASCAR track, Van Gisbergen was scored in 14th when the caution flag waved once again on lap 235. Staying out, Van Gisbergen maintained his position for the lap 240 restart. Following a green-white-checkered finish, Van Gisbergen crossed the finish line in 11th.
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“I had a lot of fun today. Once I got the rhythm of the track, we started moving forward. We had some great pit stops tonight, so all in all it was a good night!”
– Shane van Gisbergen
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No. 16 Action Industries Chevrolet Camaro
- AJ Allmendinger qualified 15th for the Dude Wipes 250 at Martinsville Speedway.
- When the caution came out on lap 10, Allmendinger was running in 10th and was quiet on the radio. After the restart on lap 14, the No. 16 drove up to seventh before the next caution came out on lap 37. Allmendinger reported he was a tick tight in the center of the corner, especially in traffic. The team stayed out under caution to restart in sixth place on lap 43. Allmendinger gained an additional spot after the field took the green to finish the opening stage in fifth place.
- Under the stage break, Allmendinger told his crew chief, Alex Yontz, he needed a little more center turn to finish the corner. The team came down pit road for adjustments, and Allmendinger restarted 16th after a slow pit stop on pit road. When the field took the green on lap 72, the outside line stacked up, resulting in significant damage to the No. 16 Action Industries Chevy, ultimately ending Allmendinger’s night. The No. 16 was scored 36th in the Dude Wipes 250 at Martinsville Speedway.
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“Really disappointing end to the night but nothing that we could control, just unfortunate. I’m really proud of the speed that we had; I feel like that is the best we have been at Martinsville in several years. That makes it more disappointing that we didn’t have a chance to finish the night. At the end of the day, at least the race car had speed and that’s what we are trying to make better.”
– AJ Allmendinger
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