Kaulig Racing shocked the NASCAR community by unveiling a five-truck lineup for the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, making headlines for the scale and intensity of its new partnership with Ram. The Kaulig Racing five-truck NASCAR expansion signals a bold move by the team as it enters a fresh phase with deep manufacturer support and ambitious plans to reshape the series.
Kaulig Racing Leaps into Truck Series with Ram
On Saturday, Matt Kaulig introduced the team’s entrance into the trucks by presenting a No. 10 Ram truck, capturing the magnitude of the moment.
“I know Ram doesn’t do anything small, as you can see by the dealerships and everything else, and I know at Kaulig Racing, we don’t do anything small,”
said Matt Kaulig during the event, emphasizing the team’s dedication to big dreams and grand gestures.
“So when we’re going into the truck series, we’re not going to kind of silently come in or just kind of tiptoe our way in. We’re doing it big.”
—Matt Kaulig, Team Owner.
Rather than testing the waters, Kaulig Racing executed what can only be described as a cannonball splash by committing to five full-time trucks, all anchored by Ram. The move brings Kaulig, already a major player in both Cup and Xfinity, into the truck series spotlight. Industry insiders quickly took notice, recognizing both the commercial strength and daring vision behind the project.
Ram Returns to NASCAR Backing Kaulig Effort
Ty Norris Jr., Chief Business Officer for Kaulig Racing, explained how the team’s path to securing Ram as a partner came together, saying,
“We just got an opportunity to present ourselves, and they liked what they heard and liked what they saw.”
—Ty Norris Jr., Chief Business Officer, Kaulig Racing. This approach led to a deal unique in its scope: Kaulig will serve as Ram’s primary team as the manufacturer returns to NASCAR after a significant hiatus.
The alliance translates to official factory backing from Ram, a step beyond what’s typical in the Craftsman Truck Series where single-truck or smaller programs dominate. Tim Kuniskis, CEO of Ram, described the partnership as a reflection of the brand’s “Last Tenth” culture, indicating that Kaulig Racing will benefit from manufacturer-level technical support and resources far surpassing purely independent teams. Team President Chris Rice noted that while the team’s base of operations will remain in Welcome, North Carolina, they are seeking new properties nearby to create space for increased personnel and advanced logistics.
Balance of Factory Power and Commercial Partnership
Kaulig Racing’s approach isn’t to close ranks around a single sponsor.
“We’re definitely gonna be having third-party partners on the truck,”
Norris pointed out, a detail that demonstrates the team’s intention to integrate longstanding sponsors and create business opportunities while leveraging Ram’s core branding muscle.—Ty Norris Jr., Chief Business Officer, Kaulig Racing. This fusion of manufacturer muscle with established commercial partnerships gives Kaulig flexibility to keep driver seats and sponsorship doors open, a factor that attracted both new and returning partners as soon as news of the deal broke.
This arrangement also gives the team new stability and the ability to scale swiftly, in stark contrast to many teams that rely on seasonal deals. For Ram, this partnership is a dramatic return to a series the brand once dominated, and for Kaulig’s roster of drivers, engineers, and suppliers, it’s an unmistakable signal that the team’s expansion is serious and permanent.
Questions Surround Ambitious Scale and Capability
Kaulig Racing has built a reputation for calculated growth, advancing from a startup Xfinity squad to a formidable presence across both Cup and Xfinity. Now, with ten full-time entries split between Xfinity, Cup, and Trucks, the team’s expansion stands as unprecedented in recent NASCAR history. Yet insiders have begun raising important questions.
“I think it’s great that they wanna make a big investment, a big splash… but I’m also sort of skeptical,”
said veteran NASCAR reporter Jeff Gluck, reflecting skepticism across the garage. He then added, “Five is a big reach,” echoing doubts about whether resources and staff can keep pace with this much expansion at once.—Jeff Gluck, NASCAR Insider.
Spotter Freddie Kraft added his thoughts on the operational difficulties facing the team, emphasizing that hiring isn’t the only hurdle. Fielding parallel programs—especially when Kaulig’s Cup and Xfinity entries are Chevrolet-backed and the new Truck operation features Ram—raises the stakes around integrating staff, strategy, and brand vision. The need to acquire and maintain duplicate equipment and technology for separate manufacturer programs adds a fresh layer of complexity, rarely faced by other teams at this scale.
Tommy Baldwin, another industry veteran, focused on the human aspect and forecasted a challenging adjustment period.
“It’s all about people… you don’t hire a bunch of people and it works right away. You have to mix people up, change things, hire, get rid of people. There’s gonna be a lot happening over the next five, six months just trying to find the synergy.”
—Tommy Baldwin, NASCAR Team Owner. His comments underscore the task ahead as personnel shuffle to form a cohesive and competitive operation in time for the 2026 season.
What’s at Stake for Kaulig, Ram, and NASCAR?
The magnitude of the Kaulig Racing five-truck NASCAR expansion is undeniable. The project carries major upside, particularly with Ram’s long-term commitment and the promise of solid commercial sponsorship aligned with the manufacturer’s investment. Major partners, including people and companies from both NASCAR’s traditional fan base and newer entrants, have already shown interest at the outset.
Despite the promise, the scale of the effort introduces significant risks. Even with experienced staff, the complexity of running three distinct programs across different manufacturers and series could stress resources. Key figures like Chris Rice will play essential roles in keeping operations smooth, while outside observers—including engineers and suppliers—wait to see if the gamble becomes a model of success or a cautionary tale.
Looking forward, the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series could be transformed by Kaulig’s efforts. If the team can unite disparate brands, partners, and personnel into a winning operation, it could set new standards for how multi-truck, factory-backed programs succeed in the sport. On the other hand, failure to meet expectations would validate skeptics’ fears and perhaps reset how future expansions are planned in the sport.
As questions persist—whether this is sport-changing innovation or organizational overreach—one thing is clear: Kaulig Racing’s move is being watched by every team, sponsor, and stakeholder. The next NASCAR season may very well hinge on whether this bold experiment leads to a new era or demands a dramatic rethink of what’s possible in motorsports team management.
