Kaulig Racing and Daniel Hemric could part ways following the 2024 season. With a revamped roster, Kaulig could be looking for a fresh face or a veteran to complement A.J. Allmendinger. There are a host of options for Kaulig if the team moves on from Hemric. Here are just a few of them.
Kaulig has the chance to continue something they have done this season. With Allmendinger returning to the No. 16 next season, the No. 31 could take the role of Kaulig’s “all-star car.”
The idea is that Kaulig fills the chartered entries schedule with as many young talent, salty veterans, and sponsored drivers as possible. While this move has gained Kaulig a decent amount of success in the past, the 2024 entry has not fared well.
Of the team’s four drivers of the No. 16 in 2024, the car scored one top-five and three top-tens. In those 28 races, the drivers include:
If Kaulig were to do this, it could be monumental for the team’s developmental drivers, Christian Eckes and Daniel Dye. However, would more consistency be better for the No. 31 in the long run?
Chandler Smith’s 2025 plans are still unknown, but a return to Kaulig may be on the table.
While there is no official word on the matter, Smith’s return would be shocking to many. Chandler seemingly took one year away from Toyota to race for Kaulig in the Xfinity Series and part-time in the Cup Series.
While Smith had a decent year, winning one race, he returned to TRD following 2023. The move back to TRD looked to be a solid move, as in the No. 81 for Joe Gibbs Racing, Smith looks like a championship contender.
With TRD’s lineup set for 2025, Smith’s future is unclear. He seems ready for the next step, and with part-time sponsor QuickTie, Smith and Kaulig might be a good match.
The major question of Smith and Kaulig’s relationship remains. Bad blood could keep him out.
Zane Smith is an interesting yet unexpected member of the 2025 free agent class.
After standout years at the Front Row Motorsports Truck Series team, Smith moved to Trackhouse Racing and Spire Motorsports in the Cup Series for 2024. This season, Smith started poorly but has improved recently.
Unfortunately, this upswing was not enough for Trackhouse to keep him on for the future, so they ended their long-term contract. However, given Smith’s promising talent, Chevrolet may want to hold onto Him.
If Kaulig were to have an interest in Smith, a major detraction could be sponsorship. Furthermore, there is still a rumor that Smith and FRM are due for a 2025 reunion.
Kaulig Racing and Richard Childress Racing have a close relationship. Kaulig uses ECR engines, and the team’s shop is on the RCR campus.
RCR currently has one developmental driver that looks almost overdue for a Cup Series ride. Austin Hill is a nine-time Xfinity Series winner for Childress, coming off a great 2023 campaign and a multi-win 2024.
While Hill has had the occasional entry for RCR and Beard Motorsports in the Cup Series, RCR doesn’t have a full-time ride for Hill. With a slight statistical decline in Xfinity this Season, it may be in RCR’s best interest to let him go to associate team Kaulig Racing.
Longtime sponsor Bennett Transportation would be major for Kaulig, and it would at least keep Hill close in the near future. However, a major detraction is Hill’s long-term deal to stay at RCR, but a ride at Kaulig might be Hill’s next step.
All these names aside, everything points to Ty Dillon taking over the No. 31 in 2025.
Not only did Jordan Bianchi of the Athletic report this, but Dillon’s current team, Rackley WAR in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, may have a new driver in Dawson Sutton for 2025.
Dillon is the youngest of Richard Childress’ grandsons. This connection has allowed Dillon to compete in the Cup Series with associate teams for most of his career.
In his six full-time seasons, Dillon has only two top-fives and seven top-tens. Nevertheless, it looks like Dillon may be the most logical option for the ride.
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Where do all the drivers stand after the first official points race in the standings table?
After winning the opening points race of the season at Daytona by leading one lap, Tyler Reddick made it to the top of the standings. Under the new rules, he managed to pull up 58 points. He pocketed 55 for the win and added three more by finishing Stage 2 in P8. He may have squeezed out at least one more had he landed inside the top 10 in Stage 1, but after getting swept into a Lap 5 crash, Reddick limped the Stage 1 in P20, giving him no extra points.
Rounding out the top 10 are Brad Keselowski with 39 points in sixth despite a P5 finish, followed by his driver, Chris Buescher, in seventh with 39, Bubba Wallace in eighth with 37, Carson Hocevar in ninth with 36, and Ryan Blaney in 10th with 36.
Atlanta could be a springboard for Elliott, who owns an average finish of 11.4 across 14 starts there, with two wins, including one in last year’s fall race, plus three top fives and nine top 10s. The track could also pull Kyle Busch back into contention. Having already shown his speed at Daytona by winning the pole, he may potentially pull it off at the 1.54-mile track. The RCR driver sits P14 in the standings, but with an average finish of 8.8 at Atlanta since 2023 across six starts, the place might finally snap his 94-race drought.
Then again, Connor Zilisch has only one start at the track and came home P11 last year when he made his third Cup start there, making Atlanta a stage where he could stamp his mark.
Ryan Blaney will also have a better chance than anyone else to climb through a win or even points alone at Atlanta. The No. 12 Team Penske driver has one win there from 2021, but consistency has been his strong suit, with seven top fives and nine top 10s in 15 starts. And that puts him in a position to move the needle when the field rumbles into Atlanta.
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The Daytona 500 and Speedweeks may be over, but that doesn’t mean the chaos will cool off for the stars of NASCAR’s three National Series, as they roll into Hampton, Georgia, to the high banks of EchoPark Speedway for one of the schedule’s most unique race weekends.
Note: This article will be updated as more information about the weekend comes out.
One race weekend is in the books, and a 36-week march back to Florida is underway for the three NASCAR National Series. Whether you are going to be at the track or home, what does the forecast look like for the race weekend in Hampton, Georgia?
Before the Races (10:00 AM – 2:00 PM)
During the Truck Race (2:00 PM – 5:00 PM)
During the OAP Series Race (5:00 PM – 8:00 PM)
After the Race (8:00 PM – 11:00 PM)
Before the Race (11:00 AM – 3:00 PM)
During the Race (3:00 PM – 7:00 PM)
After the Race (7:00 PM – 10:00 PM)
NASCAR got lucky at EchoPark in 2025, and, as a matter of fact, everywhere else, but that doesn’t mean weather hasn’t affected the track’s races in the past with spot showers and major showers taking on race weekends. Take the summer of 2023, when the race took on a large rain shower that resulted in the race ending after just 185 laps, with race winner William Byron the leader at the time of caution.
Note: This article will be updated with a more accurate and detailed forecast as the race weekend nears.
