2022 Season in Review: Kaulig Racing

Drivers: #31-Justin Haley, #16- A.J. Allmendinger, Noah Gragson, Daniel Hemric

#31 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet (Haley)

#16 Chevrolet (Various Sponsors)

Engines: Earnhardt-Childress Racing

Crew Chiefs: #31-Trent Owens, #16- Matt Swiderski

2022 Season Grade (Overall): B+

2022 Season (#31-Haley):

In December 2021, it was announced that Justin Haley would be moving full-time to the Cup Series in 2022, driving the #31 Chevrolet for his Xfinity Series team, Kaulig Racing.

Having his Xfinity Series team and sponsor make the move with him would provide some much-needed stability for Haley in the new season. While the #31 Kaulig team was brand new, Haley brought some Cup experience to the team, having already made 36 starts since 2019…mostly with the underfunded Spire Motorsports #77 team. These starts included a rain-shortened surprise win at Daytona in 2019, as well as two other Top 10 finishes in 2021.

Kaulig Racing, while a successful Xfinity Series team, was just starting to get their feet wet in the series prior to 2022. The team did however prove they belonged, as they already

have a Cup Series win with A.J. Allmendinger in 2021 with their “trophy hunting” part-time #16 team. This led to expectations that the 31 team would have speed every weekend, and (after some time to acclimate) this would be the case. Throughout the 2022 campaign, Haley could frequently be found running in the Top 15, making teams take notice they were for real.

Haley and crew chief Trent Owens were remarkably consistent…especially considering all the early issues the NextGen car has presented. This was the key, as Haley inched closer to the front weekly. While the team went winless, Haley collected 3 Top 5’s and ended the season with an impressive 18.4 average finish. The strong runs, coupled with only 3 DNF’s, earned Haley a 22nd place points finish. Impressive results from a driver and team nobody really expected much from.

2023 Outlook (#31 Haley)

With the team returning intact for 2023, it is reasonable to think that Haley and Owens will continue to improve the team. While a playoff spot may be a season away still, it would not be a shock to see the #31 Chevrolet in victory lane in 2023.

Pay close attention to the superspeedways, as Haley is an excellent “plate racer”, and has had several strong runs, including his surprise 2019 win. He and Owens also have a full year of experience with the NextGen car to pull from.

2022 Season Results:

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2022 Season (#16 Overall)

*Results are for #16 only*

2022 Season (#16):

Dubbed the “trophy hunting” car of the Cup Series Kaulig team for 2022, three drivers were put behind the wheel of Kaulig Racing’s during the season. Xfinity Series Kaulig drivers A.J. Allmendinger and Daniel Hemric, along with JR Motorsports’ Noah Gragson all made select starts. The #16 Chevrolet showed a tremendous amount of speed at most tracks, and there were several near misses trying to get to victory lane.

A.J. Allmendinger: Allmendinger, who has 394 Cup starts to his credit already, was by far the most successful of the trio. Collecting an incredible 8 Top 10’s in only 18 starts, Allmendinger took advantage of the second chance in Cup he’s been given. Closing 2022, Allmendinger has an impressive average finish of 15.4, 1 DNF, lead 30 total laps, and ran 98% of all laps in his 18 attempts.

Daniel Hemric: Moving to Kaulig Racing in Xfinity after winning the 2021 championship with Joe Gibbs, Daniel Hemric also received a partial Cup Series schedule for 2022. Hemric ran well to start the season, scoring finishes of 12th at Daytona, 9th in California,

and 22nd in Las Vegas. The inconsistent starts hampered his efforts during the remainder of the season however, as he would finish towards the back of the field. Hemric closed his 8-race schedule with an average finish of 23.3, and 4 DNFs.

Hemric also ran one race in a last-minute substitution role for Ty Gibbs in Phoenix, qualifying 10th and finishing 17th in the #45 Toyota for 23XI Racing.

Noah Gragson:  Xfinity Series standout Noah Gragson struggled in his Cup Series debut in 2022, running 18 races amongst 3 teams. Gragson was signed to a 14-race schedule initially for Kaulig, but some of those starts fell to Hendrick Motorsports as Gragson replaced an injured Alex Bowman. 

The starts that Gragson did make for Kaulig however, were somewhat of a rude awakening for the Xfinity Series star. Gragson’s performance was a bit underwhelming as he would finish no better than 18th (twice) and collected 4 DNF’s while in Kaulig’s #16 entry.

Gragson’s best finish came in the part-time Beard Motorsports #62 Chevrolet, with which he finished 5th at Daytona in August. That race also saw Gragson run a one-off paint scheme with Wendy’s $5 Biggie Bag on board the 62.

2023 Outlook:

Allmendinger and Matt Swiderski will be returning to the Cup Series full-time, with the #16 team making its own run at the playoffs. Expect strong performances on road courses from Allmendinger, while the team is also known for their speed on superspeedways. A Top-8 playoff run with multiple wins is possible, as “trophy hunting” may take on a new meaning for the team in 2023.

2022 Season Results by Track: