Getty Daniel Hemric (center) has points to gain at Texas Motor Speedway.
Some key members of Kaulig Racing are about to take on a new challenge. Team president Chris Rice, Landon Cassill, Justin Haley, and Daniel Hemric will race school buses while fighting for the checkered flag at one of NASCAR‘s best tracks.
Charlotte Motor Speedway announced the news with a press release and provided more information. The Cook Out Summer Shootout season finale will take place on Tuesday, August 2, and will feature a stacked list of events. For example, six divisions will compete for championship trophies in Legend Cars and Bandoleros.
Three of the Kaulig Racing drivers and Rice will then test their own skills behind the wheel, albeit in a different style of race. They will climb into two-ton buses and battle for the checkered flag and the bragging rights at the team shop.
Rice kickstarted this process prior to the race weekend at Pocono Raceway. He responded to a tweet from Charlotte Motor Speedway that featured multiple buses on the course, and he said that he would race all of his Kaulig Racing drivers. Rice tagged all four full-time drivers, which led to Hemric saying that he was in.
ALL the latest NASCAR news straight to your inbox! Subscribe to the Heavy on NASCAR newsletter here!
Sign up for the Heavy on NASCAR Newsletter!
The Battle at Charlotte Motor Speedway Kicks Off Michigan Week
GettyDaniel Hemric (left) & Landon Cassill (right) will pursue a win at Michigan.
The race at Charlotte Motor Speedway will kick off an important week for Kaulig Racing. Three of its drivers will battle in the buses before heading to Michigan International Speedway in search of playoff-securing wins.
Haley is currently 23rd in the Cup Series standings after the first 22 races. He has two top-10s and one top-five, a third-place finish at Darlington Raceway. He is in a must-win situation with four races remaining in the regular season.
Hemric and Cassill, for comparison, are both above the playoff cutline in the Xfinity Series. Neither has reached Victory Lane in 2022, but they have combined for 16 top-10 finishes and five top-fives. Now they will pursue more strong finishes at the two-mile track.
Hemric, in particular, will use the race at Michigan to follow up on some strong comments. He tweeted after the Indianapolis Motor Speedway race that he was giving his team “garbage” and that he owns it. Hemric added that the rebuild process begins.
AJ Allmendinger Will Not Take Over a Bus
UPDATE
Three of the full-time Kaulig Racing drivers will be in the school buses on August 2, but the fourth will not take part. AJ Allmendinger will not be one of the drivers involved in the two-ton shootout.
The driver of the No. 16 Chevrolet just pulled double-duty at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and he nearly swept the weekend. He won the Xfinity Series race, but he finished seventh in the Cup Series race after getting caught up in an incident involving Ryan Blaney, Daniel Suarez, and Austin Cindric.
Allmendinger dealt with some unexpected issues during the packed race weekend. His cool suit stopped working during the final stage of the Cup Series race, and he ran out of water. He was able to complete the race in overtime, but he collapsed after exiting his stock car.
Allmendinger was ultimately able to walk to the infield care center under his own power after several people attended to him. He was discharged from the care center, and he later explained to media members that the heat was brutal during the caution laps.
The heat-related issues at IMS seemed to have nothing to do with Allmendinger sitting out of the school bus race. However, the extra time to rest will benefit him as he prepares for another grueling summer race at Michigan International Speedway.
READ NEXT: Alex Bowman’s Crew Chief Has Strong Words About ‘Lack of Professionalism’