February 22, 2024 – Kaulig Racing announced today that Derek Kraus will make his NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) debut in the No. 16 Western States Flooring Camaro ZL1 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Kraus, who made eight NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) starts for Kaulig Racing in 2023 and earned three top-10 finishes, will also compete in a limited NASCAR Cup Serries schedule in the team’s No. 16 Camaro ZL1 — including the Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway.
“I’m really excited to make my first Cup Series start with Kaulig Racing, the team that I also made my Xfinity Series debut with!” said Kraus. “I’m thankful to Matt Kaulig and Chris Rice for believing in me, as well as Western States Flooring, a partner that has supported me throughout my career. I can’t wait to get to work with Travis Mack’s group and see what we can do in Las Vegas.”
Although he will make his first NCS start in Las Vegas, Kraus practiced and qualified the No. 16 Camaro ZL1 in 2023 at Richmond Raceway, while teammate, AJ Allmendinger, competed in the NXS race at Road America before flying to Richmond to compete in the NCS race that Sunday.
“We’re excited to have Derek Kraus make his first Cup start with us at Kaulig Racing,” said Chris Rice, president of Kaulig Racing. “Not only did he practice in the No. 16 last year for AJ Allmendinger, but Derek is our simulator driver that helps get our setups ready each week. We know what Derek is capable of, and we can’t wait to see what he can do starting in Las Vegas.”
Following his NCS debut at LVMS, Kraus will compete in the following races:
Shriners Children’s 500 at Phoenix Raceway
AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway
Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway
Enjoy Illinois 300 at World Wide Technology Raceway
NASCAR Cup Series Championship race at Phoenix Raceway
About Kaulig Racing™
Kaulig Racing™ is a full-time multi-car NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) and NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) team, owned by award winning entrepreneur, Matt Kaulig. Established in 2016, Kaulig Racing™ has made the NXS Playoffs consecutively each season since the playoff system started and has won back-to-back regular-season championships. Before becoming a full-time NCS team, Kaulig Racing made multiple starts in the 2021 NCS season and won in its seventh-ever start with AJ Allmendinger’s victory at “The Brickyard” for the Verizon 200 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The team expanded to a two-car, full-time NCS team in 2022 and added a third, part-time entry during the 2023 season. In 2024, the team will once again field two, full-time entries in the NCS and continue to field three, full-time NXS entries. To learn more about the team, visit kauligracing.com.
