Getty AJ Allmendinger has his Cup Series schedule for 2022.
The drivers of the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Camaro are ready for a busy season of racing. The team has revealed the full schedules for AJ Allmendinger, Noah Gragson, and Daniel Hemric as they rotate starts in the NASCAR Cup Series entry.
Kaulig Racing made the announcement on Monday, January 24. Allmendinger will make 16 starts in the entry, starting with the Busch Light Clash on February 6. Hemric will take on nine races, including the Duels at Daytona and the Daytona 500. Gragson will have the second-busiest schedule as he makes 14 starts in the No. 16, starting with the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
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Check out the full driver schedule for our No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1!
Hemric will have the lightest schedule of the group, but he will take on some tracks with a history of wrecks. He will start both races at Daytona International Speedway and both at Talladega Superspeedway while driving the No. 16. Hemric will also suit up for the return to Auto Club Speedway, the first Las Vegas race, and both trips to Darlington Raceway.
Gragson Will Head to His Hometown
The 2022 season will be Gragson’s first time suiting up for a points-paying Cup Series race, and he will have several opportunities to gain critical experience for a potential future move up the ranks. He will take on several intermediate tracks during his inaugural season, and he will also suit up at his hometown track.
The Las Vegas native will take over the No. 16 entry for the October 16 playoff race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He will then face off with two other hometown drivers in Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch while trying to reach Victory Lane.
Gragson has not won at Las Vegas Motor Speedway during his Xfinity Series career, but he has not finished outside of the top 10 in his six starts. He has five top-five finishes, including a runner-up in the fall 2020 race.
Allmendinger Has a Heavy Dose of Road Courses
The 2022 schedule will feature Allmendinger competing at road courses in the No. 16. This move was expected considering that the veteran driver has a history of success at road courses, including Kaulig Racing’s first-ever Cup Series win in 2021.
Allmendinger will continue to trophy hunt in 2022 with trips to Circuit of the Americas, Sonoma Raceway, Road America, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, and the Charlotte Roval. The playoff race at the Charlotte Roval will be the most intriguing of these starts considering that Allmendinger has won all three Xfinity Series races at the road course. He also has one top-10 finish in his two Cup Series starts at the Charlotte Roval.
Allmendinger’s schedule will feature trips to road courses, short tracks, and the smaller intermediates. It will also include a one-off start in the NASCAR All-Star Race at Texas Motor Speedway on May 22.
Allmendinger won a Cup Series race during the 2021 season, making him eligible to compete in the annual race with a $1 million prize purse. He will join the guaranteed entry list that already includes Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, William Byron, Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, Michael McDowell, and Martin Truex Jr.
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