Allmendinger has won two races in the No. 16 car (Indy RC 2021 and Charlotte Roval 2023), but will only run select races this year as he competes for the NASCAR Xfinity Series championship.
He finished sixth in the season-opening Daytona 500. Josh Williams will drive the car at Atlanta Motor Speedway this weekend. Trackhouse Racing driver Shane van Gisbergen will pilot the car in a handful of races as well.
On Thursday, Kaulig Racing revealed that Derek Kraus will pilot the No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro in the third race of the year at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It will be his NASCAR Cup Series debut.
Kraus will also compete at the first of two Kansas and Darlington races on the schedule, both Phoenix races and Gateway.
Kraus, 22, has eight starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, all with Kaulig last year. He scored three top-tens, earning a career-best finish of eighth. The 2019 ARCA Menards West Series champion also has 76 starts in the NASCAR Truck Series. He scored four top-fives, 27 top-tens and finished as high as second at Darlington in 2020.
Following the announcement, Kraus posted on social media: “Really excited for this opportunity with Kaulig Racing in a CUP car! Thanks to Chris Rice, Matt Kaulig, and Western States Flooring for the chance to live my dream!”
Now, Las Vegas may be his Cup debut, but it won’t be Kraus’ first time in a Cup car. Last summer, he practiced and qualified the No. 16 machine at Richmond Raceway while Allmendinger was attempting to pull double duty with the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Road America. He also performs a significant amount of simulator work for the team.