NASCAR team adds another new driver for the 2024 season

After A.J. Allmendinger drove the No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet full-time during the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, the car is being piloted by multiple drivers throughout the 2024 campaign. Allmendinger moved back down to the Xfinity Series to compete full-time for Matt Kaulig’s team instead.

Allmendinger did still open up the season behind the wheel of the No. 16 Chevrolet in the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway and finished in sixth place.

Josh Williams, another one of the team’s full-time Xfinity Series drivers, competed in this past Sunday afternoon’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Shane van Gisbergen, the team’s other full-time Xfinity Series driver, is also set to compete in select Cup Series races throughout the season, beginning with the season’s sixth race at Circuit of the Americas next month. His schedule currently consists of seven races.

Now Kaulig Racing have added a fourth driver to their roster for the No. 16 Chevrolet this season.

Derek Kraus is set to join the team for select races this year, starting with next Sunday afternoon’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He is currently a simulator driver for the team.

Kraus, who competed in select races for Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series last year, has never competed in a Cup Series race. He recorded three top 10 finishes in eight Xfinity Series starts with the team.

Williams and van Gisbergen have both competed in Cup Series races before this season (just three and two, respectively), but like Kraus, they had never done so for Kaulig Racing either, giving the team three new drivers in 2024.

The 22-year-old Stratford, Wisconsin native did, however, practice and qualify the No. 16 Chevrolet for Allmendinger at Richmond Raceway last August since Allmendinger was competing in the Xfinity Series race at Road America at the time.

Kraus is also set to compete in the races at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday, March 10 and Sunday, November 10; Kansas Raceway on Sunday, May 5; Darlington Raceway on Sunday, May 12; and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway on Sunday, June 2.

Even with Kraus' six-race schedule announced, there are still quite a few races for which Kaulig Racing have not yet confirmed a driver for the No. 16 Chevrolet -- 21 of the 36, to be exact.

It is believed that Allmendinger’s schedule and Williams’ schedule will grow by several races each. Allmendinger does not currently have any more confirmed Cup Series races on his calendar, and Williams has none confirmed beyond this past weekend.