Kaulig Racing announced the No.16 Camaro ZL1 will be piloted by AJ Allmendinger, Daniel Hemric, and Noah Gragson in the Cup Series. All three will also be racing full-time in the Xfinity Series. Justin Haley rounds out Kaulig’s Cup Series lineup piloting their second full-time entry.
“We think our roster for the 2022 season features some great drivers,” said team president, Chris Rice in a team release. “Having three out of the four Xfinity Series championship contenders helping to build our new Cup Series program, is truly a tremendous opportunity for this Kaulig Racing team. While these guys have been fierce competitors for the last few years, having them bring that same tenacity as teammates will be extremely fun to watch and a great way for this team to grow in its first, full season in the Cup Series.”
Noah Gragson
Noah Gragson will compete in 14 of the 36 Cup Series races for Kaulig Racing. He will also drive for Beard Motorsports in an entry for the Daytona 500.
Gragson has developed over the years in the Xfinity Series with JR Motorsports, where he will run full-time again in the 2022 season. Improving his final points position year after year, 2021 saw his best result with a third place in the Xfinity Series Championship.
“This is a really unique opportunity I have with Kaulig Racing to be able to share the No. 16 with two of my biggest competitors in the Xfinity Series,” said Gragson in a team release. “I’ve had the chance to work with Daniel before, but it will be a new experience working with AJ. We’ve raced against each other for a few years now, and I think working as teammates will only help us get better as drivers.”
Noah Gragson’s Cup Series schedule is as follows:
- March 20th – Atlanta
- April 17th – Bristol Dirt
- May 15th – Kansas
- May 29th – Charlotte
- July 10th – Atlanta
- July 24th – Pocono
- August 7th – Michigan
- August 14th – Richmond
- September 11th – Kansas
- September 25th – Texas
- October 16th – Las Vegas
- October 23th – Homestead
- October 30th – Martinsville
- November 6th – Phoenix
Daniel Hemric
Hemric will compete full time in the Xfinity Series for Kaulig Racing in the No.11 while sharing duty with Allmendinger and Gragson in the Cup Series.
Hemric is no stranger to the Cup Series. With 38 starts Hemric has a career total of one top-five and two top-ten finishes, along with Rookie of the Year honors in 2019.
“I have had the chance to race against some great drivers over the past few years,” said Hemric in a team release. “AJ (Allmendinger) is a great competitor, who can win on any track, and Noah [Gragson] and I have been teammates in the past at JR Motorsports. Each of us are different, but seeing how intense both AJ and Noah are as professionals gets me excited for this upcoming season. Now we have the opportunity to be able to lean on each other and try to build a program here at Kaulig Racing at the highest level of our sport. I feel fortunate to be a part of this.”
Daniel Hemric’s Cup Series schedule is as follows:
- February 20th – Daytona 500
- February 27th – Auto Club
- March 6th – Las Vegas
- April 24th – Talladega
- May 8th – Darlington
- August 27th – Daytona
- September 4th – Darlington
- October 2nd – Talladega
AJ Allmendinger
Another driver who is familiar with the Cup Series is AJ Allmendinger. AJ has 376 starts with two wins in the Cup Series, one coming last year with Kaulig Racing at the Indianapolis Road Course.
It is not yet confirmed the number races Hemric or Allmendinger will run respectively.
AJ Allmendinger’s Cup Series schedule is as follows:
- February 6th – Clash at LA Coliseum
- March 13th – Phoenix
- March 27th – Circuit of the Americas
- April 3rd – Richmond
- April 9th – Martinsville
- May 1st – Dover
- May 22nd – All-Star Race, Texas
- June 5th – WWT Raceway at Gateway
- June 12th – Sonoma
- June 26th – Nashville
- July 3rd – Road America
- July 17th – New Hampshire
- July 31st – Indianapolis Road Course
- August 21st – Watkins Glen
- September 17th – Bristol
- October 9th – Charlotte Roval
Justin Haley will move up from the Xfinity Series in 2022 to drive Kaulig’s second full time entry in the Cup Series. Haley has drove for Kaulig Racing since 2019 with four wins and a highest finishing position of third in the Xfinity Series Championship.
Haley already has a Cup Series win on his record. A rain-shortened event at Daytona in July 2019 saw Haley and Spire Motorsports earn the victory. Haley competed in all but five Cup Series races in 2021, the majority racing for Spire Motorsports and one race with Kaulig Racing. His highest finish was sixth at Daytona driving for Spire Motorsports.