Kaulig Racing’s 2024 Cup Series season has fallen short of expectations after a strong 2023. Last year, they celebrated a win, five top-5s, and 13 top-10s. But this year, with AJ Allmendinger returning to Xfinity and Justin Haley moving to Rick Ware Racing, the team’s performance has dipped. Daniel Hemric took over the #31 car, while the #13 was driven by multiple drivers on a rotational basis.

To turn things around for 2025, Kaulig has announced a shakeup: Allmendinger will return full-time, but Ty Dillon will replace Hemric in the #31 car. Dillon’s addition comes after a challenging season in the Truck Series, but Kaulig hopes these changes will restore their previous form.

Richard Childress’ youngest grandson, Ty Dillon, returned to the Truck Series in 2024 with Rackley W.A.R., taking over after Matt DiBenedetto’s departure despite DiBenedetto’s success in leading the team to the playoffs in 2023. However, Dillon’s performance fell short, with just two top-10 finishes in 18 races. This led to his mid-season replacement by Dawson Sutton, the 18-year-old son of Rackley W.A.R.’s team owner.

Sutton quickly made an impact, securing a top-5 finish at Kansas in just his third Truck Series start. While the team initially stated that Dillon would continue in a mentorship role for Sutton, Kaulig Racing’s recent announcement of Dillon driving their #31 car next season suggests that his tenure with Rackley W.A.R. is over. Matt Kaulig, in his statement, said, “Ty has done a really great job for us this year in our No. 16 car, competing in a limited schedule. He has been consistent each time he gets in the car and has really helped our program grow this season. We think he will be instrumental in continuing our Cup program in alliance with Richard Childress Racing.” 

The move has surprised many since Dillion’s past performance in the Cup hasn’t been great. His best season finish has been 24th (2017, 2019). However, according to NASCAR analyst Eric Estepp, the move has more to do with money than stats. Estepp in a recent video said, “This is a money decision for Kaulig Racing Ty Dillon obviously has connections to Richard Childers racing but he’s been in racing for many years. He’s built up some strong Partnerships he has loyal sponsors behind him that’s what this is and to Ty Dillon’s credit being sponsor-friendly is half the job. It may even be more than half the job.”

While the stats have not been in Dillon’s favor, he believes they aren’t everything. According to him, hard work is what matters the most. Post the announcement, he told FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass, “I just believe in never giving up, and every time I feel like maybe my career in some people’s eyes went down; I just worked harder. And I hope that this next chapter is a success chapter as far as results. But results aren’t everything in life. You can barely control your results, you can control your effort and I’ve been really working hard when nobody looks in.”

However, in the longer run, results do matter, and in this case, Hemric’s stats are better than those of Dillon’s.

Is Daniel Hemric more deserving of the #31 ride?

Hemric also hasn’t had the best Cup Series so far. In the 29 races, he has only managed 4 top-10 finishes and is currently in the 29th position in the standings. However, in just four seasons, he has managed to get the same number of top-10s as Dillon. And is also the 2021 Xfinity Champion. In his 186 Xfinity starts, Hemric has managed 1 win, 54 top 5s, and 104 top 10 finishes with an average finish of 12.8.

Estepp further in the video picked Hemric as his choice among the two. He said, “If I had to pick between Ty Dillon and Daniel Hemric and all I cared about was ability behind the wheel I would probably take Daniel Hemric. They are similar in age but Hemric at least more recently has the stronger resume.”

Well, the difference between the two is really of a championship, as Dillon too has shown consistency in the Xfinity Series. In his 165 race starts, he has bagged one win, 34 top-5s, and 92 top-10s finished with an average finish of 11.7. Even in his Truck career, he has won thrice with 20 top-5s in 76 race starts. So it’s tough to pick between the two!

However, as of now, Daniel Hemric does not have a ride, but based on his resume, he’ll probably get one. “Not sure where Daniel Hemric ends up we’ve seen sponsors Cirkul, Poppy Bank, follow him from place to place. so I’m sure he’ll be able to bring that support somewhere; the guy is an Xfinity Series champion; we can’t discount that,” Estepp added.

Who do you think is the better of the two?