Tag: Derek Kraus

Kraus to race for Kaulig in Cup Series

Kaulig Racing will field 22-year-old Derek Kraus in multiple NASCAR Cup Series races this season. Kraus will make his series debut in the No. 16 Chevrolet at Las Vegas Motor Speedway next weekend (March 3). Western States Flooring will be the team’s …

Kaulig Racing will field 22-year-old Derek Kraus in multiple NASCAR Cup Series races this season.

Kraus will make his series debut in the No. 16 Chevrolet at Las Vegas Motor Speedway next weekend (March 3). Western States Flooring will be the team’s primary sponsor. Kraus has limited experience in the Next Gen car, having practiced and qualified for the team at Richmond Raceway last season for AJ Allmendinger, who was competing in the Xfinity Series race at Road America.

Kraus made eight starts for the organization in the Xfinity Series last year. He has not had a full-time NASCAR national series ride since 2022 when he was in the Craftsman Truck Series but has been a simulator driver and part-time competitor for Kaulig Racing since then.

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“I’m really excited to make my first Cup Series start with Kaulig Racin, the team that I also made my Xfinity Series debut with,” Kraus said. “I’m thankful to Matt Kaulig and Chris Rice for believing in me, as well as Western States Flooring, a partner that has supported me throughout my career. I can’t wait to get to work with Travis Mack’s group and see what we can do in Las Vegas.”

The additional Cup Series races Kraus will compete in are Phoenix Raceway (March 10), Kansas Speedway (May 5), Darlington Raceway (May 12), St. Louis (June 2), and Phoenix Raceway (Nov. 10).

“We’re excited to have Derek Kraus make his first Cup start with us at Kaulig Racing,” said team president Chris Rice. “Not only did he practice in the No. 16 last year for AJ Allmendinger, but Derek is our simulator driver that helps get our setups ready each week. We know what Derek is capable of, and we can’t wait to see what he can do starting in Las Vegas.”

Derek Kraus to run partial NASCAR Cup Series schedule for Kaulig Racing in 2024

Derek Kraus will run a partial NASCAR Cup Series schedule in the No. 16 car for Kaulig Racing during the 2024 season.

Despite having a charter, [autotag]Kaulig Racing[/autotag] doesn’t have a full-time driver for its No. 16 Cup car. The NASCAR organization is placing part-time drivers, such as A.J. Allmendinger, Shane van Gisbergen, and Josh Williams, into the ride. Now, Kaulig Racing has added another part-time driver to the mix, and he represents the youngest of the bunch.

On Thursday afternoon, Kaulig Racing announced that [autotag]Derek Kraus[/autotag] will run six NASCAR Cup Series races in the No. 16 car starting at Las Vegas Motor Speedway next weekend. Kraus is a 22-year-old driver who made select NASCAR Xfinity Series starts with Kaulig Racing during the 2023 season. Now, he is making the jump to the Cup Series.

Kraus will also drive the entry at Phoenix Raceway on March 10 and November 10, Kansas Speedway on May 5, Darlington Raceway on May 12, and World Wide Technology Raceway on June 2. This is a great move for Kaulig Racing as the team adds a young driver to the lineup. If Kraus impresses, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him more in 2025.

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Derek Kraus to drive a second Spire Motorsports entry in Truck Series at Phoenix

Spire Motorsports announced on Thursday that Derek Kraus will drive the No. 77 truck as a second entry in the Truck Series race at Phoenix.

[autotag]Spire Motorsports[/autotag] announced on Thursday morning that [autotag]Derek Kraus[/autotag] will drive the No. 77 truck for the organization in the NASCAR Truck Series race at Phoenix Raceway. Kraus will pilot a second entry as Marco Andretti will compete in the No. 7 truck. This would be Kraus’ third start of the Truck Series season and his second with Spire Motorsports.

The part-time Kaulig Racing driver drove the No. 20 truck for Young’s Motorsports at Daytona International Speedway for an 18th-place finish and the No. 7 truck for Spire Motorsports at the Milwaukee Mile for an eighth-place finish. Kraus has been primarily involved in the NASCAR Xfinity Series as he has seven quality starts with Kaulig Racing.

In the last Truck Series race at Phoenix, Kraus made his final start in the No. 19 truck for McAnally-Hilgemann Racing and finished in 11th place. The previous two seasons also finished results of 15th and 24th place. Kraus may have to make the show on speed if there are more than 36 entries but he should be up to the task in good equipment.

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3 candidates for Kaulig Racing in NASCAR Xfinity Series for 2024

Kaulig Racing might need to replace its entire NASCAR Xfinity Series driver lineup so here are three good candidates for the seats in 2024!

[autotag]Kaulig Racing[/autotag] likely needs to overhaul its NASCAR Xfinity Series lineup due to Daniel Hemric’s promotion and Chandler Smith’s expected departure to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2024. As of now, A.J. Allmendinger is likely to join the Xfinity Series program but what about the other rides? Here are three realistic candidates for a possible seat.

[autotag]Derek Kraus[/autotag] should be the top option as Kaulig Racing loves what he brings to the program. Kraus has competed in seven races with the organization for three top-10 finishes and a 13.7 average finishing position. The 22-year-old driver has shown promise in his select starts and would be in a good position with Allmendinger possibly mentoring him throughout his first full-time season.

[autotag]Layne Riggs[/autotag] would also be a good choice for Kaulig Racing in 2024. Riggs has competed in two races with the organization during the 2023 Xfinity Series playoffs and has a best finish of 10th place at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The 21-year-old has impressed in his NASCAR starts since the beginning of the 2022 season and would be worthy of an opportunity.

Finally, [autotag]Jeffrey Earnhardt[/autotag] would be a quality option and likely represent the best full-time equipment in his career. Earnhardt previously earned a second-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway in 2022 with Richard Childress Racing so he can compete if given the car. The 34-year-old driver could also bring sponsorship, which would help out the program.

Any driver out of the trio of Kraus, Riggs, and Earnhardt would be a good option for Kaulig Racing in 2024. Kraus likely serves as the most reasonable option as he has the most recent experience with the organization; however, Riggs and Earnhardt would be good too. Overall, Kaulig Racing should have options available and it will make for an interesting outcome.

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Derek Kraus listed as driver of No. 10 Xfinity car for Kaulig Racing at Kansas

Derek Kraus is listed as the driver of the No. 10 car for Kaulig Racing in next weekend’s Xfinity Series race at Kansas Speedway.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series has two races remaining in the 2023 regular season as drivers are looking to set themselves up for a run at the championship. The first of those races is at Darlington Raceway, which also represents the final race that NASCAR Cup Series drivers can race due to Kansas Speedway being the finale. For teams who utilize Cup Series drivers, this can be a big change.

[autotag]Kaulig Racing[/autotag] has done that with its No. 10 Xfinity car as Kyle Busch is set to compete at Darlington; however, the organization is prepared for next weekend. According to the NASCAR Roster Portal on September 1, [autotag]Derek Kraus[/autotag] is listed as the driver of the No. 10 car for Kaulig Racing in Kansas. This would be Kraus’ fifth Xfinity Series start of the season.

The Kaulig Racing driver has two top-10 finishes in four starts with the organization. If Kraus is tapped to do several races throughout the 2023 playoffs, it could represent a great opportunity for him to truly showcase his talent on a weekly basis.

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Kraus bringing Kaulig sim experience to reality at Richmond

Derek Kraus was finally able to take all the virtual laps he’s made for Kaulig Racing to the real racetrack Saturday at Richmond Raceway. The Cup newcomer practiced and qualified in the No. 16 Chevrolet ahead of Sunday’s race. He did so for AJ …

Derek Kraus was finally able to take all the virtual laps he’s made for Kaulig Racing to the real racetrack Saturday at Richmond Raceway.

The Cup newcomer practiced and qualified in the No. 16 Chevrolet ahead of Sunday’s race. He did so for AJ Allmendinger, who is at Road America competing in the Xfinity Series race but will be back at Richmond to drive the car Sunday.

It was the first time Kraus has run a Cup Series car, at least outside the simulator.

“I thought today went pretty well,” Kraus said. “It was definitely a learning experience with how these cars drive compared to Xfinity and Trucks, but I had fun. I can’t thank Matt Kaulig and Chris Rice enough for trusting in me. Hopefully, I did my part and helped get AJ a good car for tomorrow.”

Although it was shared publicly earlier this week that Kraus was going to be in the car, the call-up was not a surprise to him, having been told a few months ago by Rice — the team president — he would be getting behind the wheel this weekend.

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The 21-year-old does a bulk of the simulator work for Kaulig Racing and ran four Xfinity Series races with the team earlier this year. Dover, in late April, was the last time the young driver was behind the wheel of a stock car in a competitive race.

Going into Saturday, part of the anticipation for Kraus was seeing how the simulator translated to real life. He’s run many sim laps for Kaulig, work that includes trying to get the right feel for the tire combination, but has been doing so without real-world experience.

“I feel like this will just help overall from my side to be able to take what I learn here to use it toward the sim with making sure things are right,” Kraus said. “Before, I really had no idea what they drove like. Now I’ll have an idea and be able to take that to the simulator.”

Kraus does not have a full-time ride this season. In addition to his limited races with Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series, he made one start in the Craftsman Truck Series (Daytona) after having been a full-time Truck Series driver for the last three seasons.

“I feel like it’s a big confidence booster for them to have faith in me and trust me to drive the No. 16 car for AJ,” Kraus said. “It’s a big confidence booster for me and hopefully we can put something together for them at the end of the year.”