Getty Jordan Taylor will join Kaulig Racing at Portland International Raceway.
An accomplished road course racer is about to take on another NASCAR series. IMSA champion Jordan Taylor will join forces with Kaulig Racing as he makes his Xfinity Series debut.
According to a press release, this partnership will take place on Saturday, June 3. The Xfinity Series will head to Portland International Raceway while the Craftsman Truck Series and the Cup Series will head to World Wide Technology Raceway.
Taylor, who made his NASCAR debut at Circuit of the Americas, will take over the No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro. He will try to deliver a strong performance in an all-star car that has won two previous times in 2023. AJ Allmendinger won the Xfinity Series race at COTA while Kyle Larson won the Xfinity Series race at Darlington Raceway.
.@C_Rice1 made a few calls and we got our guy. 👀
@jordan10taylor will jump behind the wheel of the No. 10 Chevy at Portland!
“I am really pumped to make my first Xfinity series start with Kaulig Racing, a team that has shown it can dominate at road courses,” Taylor said in a statement. “I’ve been fortunate in my racing career to compete at so many different tracks, and I’m looking forward to checking Portland off my list.”
Taylor Has 1 Road Course Start in NASCAR
GettyJordan Taylor poses at Virginia International Raceway.
A racer with numerous wins in IMSA and the NASCAR Grand-Am Sports Car Series, Taylor made his stock car debut during the trip to Circuit of the Americas. He replaced an injured Chase Elliott in the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro, and he dove headfirst into a completely different style of competition.
Taylor adapted well to the Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. He qualified fourth overall after a limited practice session, and he raced in the top 10 throughout the first stage.
The early portions of the race featured Taylor contending with veteran NASCAR drivers, but he dealt with some setbacks later in the afternoon. He learned that the regulars become very aggressive on late restarts as they battle for a potential win or top-10 finish.
Taylor did not have the “elbows-out” approach as some of the other drivers, which led to the No. 9 Chevrolet getting shuffled back later in the road course race. He ultimately crossed the finish line 24th overall after getting a unique introduction to the NASCAR Cup Series.
Now, Taylor will head to the Xfinity Series with a better idea of what to expect in terms of aggressiveness. He will face off with equally aggressive drivers while controlling a Chevrolet Camaro capable of winning each week.
Kaulig Racing Previously Celebrated a Win in Oregon
GettyAJ Allmendinger does a burnout at Portland International Raceway.
The trip to Portland International Raceway will only be the second time in Xfinity Series history. The track is a new addition to the schedule as it debuted during the 2022 season.
The three Kaulig Racing drivers qualified well. Daniel Hemric lined up third, AJ Allmendinger lined up 10th, and Landon Cassill lined up 13th after a rainy qualifying session.
The situation quickly changed for one of these drivers. Allmendinger had to go to the rear of the field after the team made changes to the No. 16. He then slid off the track before taking the checkered flag. This was one of several incidents that sent Allmendinger into the grass.
Despite the setbacks, Allmendinger showed his road course racing prowess. He worked his way into the top 10 by the end of Stage 2 and then he led six total laps before winning his second of five races in 2022.
While Allmendinger dealt with a truly wild afternoon in the Pacific Northwest, the other two members of the team simply put in work. Hemric scored bonus points in Stage 1 and then he went on to finish sixth overall. Cassill scored bonus points in the first two stages before finishing 15th.