Ram partners with Kaulig Racing as factory team for 2026 Craftsman Truck Series comeback

Ram is roaring back into NASCAR, and it has tapped Kaulig Racing to help make it happen.

Ram officially confirmed on Saturday that Kaulig Racing, the young, aggressive team owned by Ohio-based entrepreneur Matt Kaulig, will become the anchor factory team for the truck maker’s return to NASCAR, starting with the Craftsman Truck Series in 2026.

Kaulig Racing is set to field up to five Ram 1500 trucks in the Truck Series beginning Feb. 13, 2026, when the season kicks off at Daytona International Speedway.

“This partnership represents far more than a new chapter in Kaulig Racing’s history, it’s a union of shared values,” Kaulig told Fox News Digital. “Over the past decade, our team has built a legacy rooted in performance, integrity, and giving back to the community. To now join forces as the anchor team for Ram’s return to NASCAR is both an honor and a responsibility. Together, we’re ready to set a new standard on race day and in the impact we make off the track.”

The Dodge brand was one of the founding manufacturers of the Truck Series before 1995, and it ultimately led to Ram standing tall as its own brand by 2010. However, it closed shop in 2013 and has been dormant since.

That changed on June 8 at Michigan International Speedway, where Ram announced it would return to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. But while excitement filled the air, a big question immediately entered the minds of every race team: Who is Ram teaming up with?

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“Walking around the garage, you can’t even say anything,” Kaulig said, knowing they would be the partners of the iconic American manufacturer. “And everyone’s trying to guess like, ‘Who’s the team? Is it you guys?’ We’re like, ‘No, is it you?’ So, just to be able to get it out in the open and get rolling, that’s been the biggest thing.”

As Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis put it: “We needed a partner that truly aligns with the Ram brand and embraces our unconventional approach to NASCAR.”

Ty Norris, the chief business officer of Kaulig Racing, who brings more than three decades of NASCAR expertise, knew his team’s nontraditional, aggressive approach made sense for this opportunity.

“When we met with Tim and Nate [Buelow] in Auburn Hills, Michigan, they told us not everyone is gonna want to market like we are and take on this responsibility,” Norris told Fox News Digital. “As they were looking at multiple teams, Kaulig Racing became the team that fit all the pieces. It had a lot to do with Matt, who, in relevant terms, is young. He clearly has the means, and he has the passion for the sport. He’s nontraditional, so I think that really got Tim excited because they’re going to do some nontraditional things in their marketing approach. 

“When they looked at the overall picture of Kaulig Racing, they said this one checks all the boxes.”

Nontraditional is something Kaulig Racing wears as a badge of honor. It’s a young team that debuted in 2016 in the Xfinity Series — less than 10 years ago. As Kaulig said, his team didn’t even have a race shop when it began.

But the drive of a new challenge fuels the 52-year-old entrepreneur, who built his gutter-protection business, LeafFilter, into a multimillion-dollar company out of his garage. His love for racing has only grown since LeafFilter sponsored a vehicle — to the point where Kaulig Racing was started. The team now boasts 27 Xfinity wins and two Cup Series victories.

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“I don’t know how many teams in the history of NASCAR have won in all three series,” Kaulig said. “So, that’s a really big goal for me and our organization. It’s like, ‘OK, we’ve shown we can compete even at the Cup level. We show that we can win a couple regular-season championships in Xfinity.’ We’ll win again and be successful in those series as well, but to do it in the Truck Series now with Ram and bringing in all the excitement and drama that goes along with that, it’s fun. It’s going to be an absolute blast.”

What makes this perfect synergy with Kaulig Racing and Ram? Kaulig put it bluntly.

“It’s American bada–,” he said, smiling. 

Kaulig Racing’s aggressive approach on the business side attracted Ram, but on the performance side, team president Chris Rice, who has experience operating Truck Series teams, feels the same way.

It’s the “Kaulig Way,” and that means doing things differently than other teams in the garage. Rice put it perfectly as he referenced Kaulig’s company-wide motto.

“If you’re not growing, you’re dying,” Rice told Fox News Digital. “That’s kind of the motto we talk about. Just to be able to be in the Truck Series on Friday or Thursday when they run is good. To get our name out there, Kaulig Racing, it’s awesome for our company and for what Matt does. This is what he believes in, being entrepreneurial. They tell us we can’t do it? Let’s show them we can.”

Having up to five trucks to work with can be a massive challenge, especially for a team like Kaulig Racing breaking into the new series. But, once again, challenge is something this group takes head-on, and Rice knows the main factor in making sure this operation runs smoothly.

“It boils down to people, and the way we do it at Kaulig Racing is we’re family,” he said. “Everybody works on everything. You’re not on a Cup team, you’re not on the Xfinity team. With this, you’re not just on the truck team, you’re on the Kaulig Racing team.

“The Kaulig way is tough because we are aggressive. You gotta believe it, you gotta eat it, you gotta breathe it, you gotta sleep it.”

Rice has lived up to those words, working long hours and collaborating with Kaulig, Norris and everyone to get the right people in place to be ready to compete by February 2026. The reason for the long hours, though, is understanding what this means for Kaulig Racing to be teaming up with Ram.

There is a weight of responsibility — one they don’t take for granted.

“We need to present ourselves correctly and there’s a lot of responsibility in carrying that brand with us,” Norris said. “…When a company this size, a great American company in that blue-collar approach to everything, there’s a responsibility to take that brand and reintroduce it to the NASCAR fan base.”

Kaulig added: “It is more fun, to me, than it is responsibility. We’re full of responsibility and full of responsible people, so I’m not worried about that part of it. It’s just the fun of building a business.”

The Kaulig Racing team knows, from top to bottom, the challenges and obstacles that lie ahead. But the thrill of working alongside Ram, and hopefully getting into victory lane next year, is what excites this burgeoning team.

“This is all about family, all about fun, and all about winning races,” Rice said. “That’s what we want to get back to: winning races and trophy hunting. It’s just a new era of trophy hunting in the Truck Series.”

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