Kaulig Racing Tabs Austin Dillon for Second Entry at Indianapolis

By Seth Eggert, Staff Writer

In the Lilly Diabetes 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Kaulig Racing will welcome Austin Dillon in a second Chevrolet Camaro SS. This will be the first time that the organization, which is in its’ third year, will have two entries in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, and have a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver behind the wheel.

Dillon will drive the No. 10 Phone Skope / Berry’s Bullets Chevrolet Camaro SS at Indianapolis. In the Xfinity Series, the 2018 Daytona 500 winner has two starts at the historic track with a best finish of fifth in 2012. In five Premier Series starts at the 2.5-Mile track, Dillon has two top-10 finishes.

To date, Kaulig Racing has just one top-five finish, earned by the teams’ full-time driver, Ryan Truex at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course earlier this year. The Richard Childress Racing aligned team also has 19 top-10 finishes. The teams’ only pole position came with Blake Koch last season.

“This is a big step for Kaulig Racing,” said Kaulig Racing team owner Matt Kaulig. “This is the first time we’ve ever had a second car at the track and we’re very excited to continue growing this team. We’ve built a strong alliance with Richard Childress Racing over the past two years so we felt having Austin run the No. 10 car was a great opportunity for us. I think Indianapolis is just the start of great things to come for Kaulig Racing.”

Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the last race in which Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers are eligible to compete in the Xfinity Series this season. The 2013 NASCAR Xfinity Series Champion has made six starts in the Series this year with one victory at the rain-shortened race at Michigan International Speedway. Dillon has two top-five and three top-10 finishes in the Series this year.

“Running Kaulig Racing’s second car at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this September will be one of several highlights of the 2018 season for me,” said Austin Dillon. “I feel invested in the NASCAR Xfinity Series so it’s a huge honor for me to play the role in an established Xfinity Series team’s growth. Anytime a small team continues to grow the way Kaulig Racing has is a great thing for the sport. I’m excited to get the No. 10 Phone Skope Berry’s Bullets Chevy out on the track for its debut race in just a few weeks.”

Kaulig Racing shocked the NASCAR world in 2016 when the start-up team made the Playoffs in their first full season. The team finished seventh in the final standings with Koch.