Kaulig Racing demonstrated encouraging progress with a top-10 finish during their first event on a 1.5-mile track at EchoPark Speedway. Competing in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, the team fielded trucks featuring Ram and MOPAR vehicles, aiming to build momentum early in the season as they prepare for upcoming races in St. Petersburg and Darlington. The drivers showed determination despite technical challenges and race interruptions.
Driver Reactions Highlight Areas for Improvement
Justin Haley expressed cautious optimism about the initial experience, emphasizing opportunities to learn and grow.
“It was good to get a top 10 on the first 1.5-mile track for Ram. As we expected, we have a lot of things to work on. We were pretty decent for our first try, and I think we learned a lot of things across all of our teams. We will keep working on it and try to be better in St. Petersburg and Darlington,”
he said.
Ty Dillon also shared insights into the challenges faced during the race. He noted that while the truck started balanced, unexpected setbacks impacted performance.
“It was just an up and down day and a little bit of learning about what these trucks need. I felt like our truck wasn’t bad, from the start, we were pretty balanced. We were just kind of fighting against getting back up into the clean air. I made a mistake getting a little short in our box and put it to the back and we had a fender brace or a spoiler brace pop off and had to fix that too, so it kept putting us to the back. With the race shortened, it just didn’t give us any time to go and really get to where we needed to be. But we finished on a strong note and really proud of the effort. Grateful for the opportunity and had a lot of fun out there today,”
Dillon explained.
Daniel Dye highlighted the positive moments and areas for refinement.
“It was nice to run in the top 10 for a minute today. Our No. 10 MOPAR Ram was much better on the bottom of the track. We definitely have some work to do once we get back to the shop and obviously, we will get better once we spend some time on the simulator. But generally we are OK with how our day went,”
he commented.
Looking Ahead: Building on Early Experience
Kaulig Racing’s debut on a larger track has laid a foundation for future development, underscoring the need to fine-tune truck setups and pit strategies. Their drivers’ reflections point to a focused effort on overcoming technical setbacks and maximizing performance as the season continues. With key races approaching at St. Petersburg and Darlington, the team’s ability to apply these lessons will be critical to climbing the standings in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.
