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Ram is returning to Nascar, and has taken advantage of Kaulig’s races to help this happen.
RAM officially confirmed on Saturday that Kaulig Racing, the young and aggressive team owned by businessman Matt Kaulig, based in OHIO, will become the anchor factory equipment for the return of the truck manufacturer to Nascar, starting with the Craftsman Truck series in 2026.
Kaulig Racing is ready to present up to five RAM 1500 trucks in the series of trucks from February 13, 2026, when the season begins in Daytona International Speedway.
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Side view of the new Kaulig Racing Ram 1500 truck, since both companies announce the Association for the 2026 truck series.
“This association represents much more than a new chapter in the history of Kaulig Racing, it is a union of shared values,” Kaulig told Pak Gazette Digital. “During the last decade, our team has built a legacy rooted in the performance, integrity and compensation to the community. Now joining the forces such as the anchor team for Ram’s return to Nascar is an honor and a responsibility. Together, we are ready to establish a new standard on the day of the race and in the impact we make outside the track.”
The Dodge brand was one of the founding manufacturers of the truck series before 1995, and finally took RAM on foot as its own brand for 2010. However, it closed the store in 2013 and has been inactive since then.
That changed June 8 at Michigan International Speedway, where Ram announced that he would return to the Nascar Craftsman Truck series. But while the emotion filled the air, a big question immediately entered the minds of each racing team: who is being associated with?
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“Walking on the garage, you can’t even say anything,” Kaulig said, knowing that the partners of the iconic American manufacturer would be. “And everyone tries to guess how, who is the team? Are you? ‘ We are like, ‘No, are you?’ So, just to be able to get it outdoors and roll, that has been the most important. “
As the CEO of Ram, Tim Kuniskis, said: “We needed a partner who really aligns with the RAM brand and hugs our unconventional approach to Nascar.”
Ty Norris, the Kaulig Racing business director, who brings more than three decades of experience in Nascar, knew that the non -traditional and aggressive approach of his team made sense for this opportunity.
“When we met with Tim and Nate [Buelow] In Auburn Hills, Michigan, they told us that not everyone wanted to market as we are and assume this responsibility, “Norris told Fox Digital.” While watching multiple teams, Kaulig Racing became the team that adjusted to all the pieces. It had a lot to do with Matt, who, in relevant terms, is young. It clearly has the media, and has the passion for sport. It is not traditional, so I think Tim really got excited because they are going to do some non -traditional things in their marketing approach.
(LR) Matt Kaulig, owner of Kaulig Racing, and the president of the Chris Rice Smile team during the national anthem on the race track. (Kaulig Racing)
“When they looked at the general image of Kaulig Racing, they said it verifies all the boxes.”
Not traditional is something that Kaulig Racing uses as an honor badge. It is 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 racing store when he started.
But the impulse of a new challenge feeds the 52 -year -old businessman, who built his gutter protection business, Leaffilter, in a multimillion -dollar company with his garage. His love for races has only grown since Leaffilter sponsored a vehicle, to the point where Kaulig Racing began. The team now has 27 Xfinity victories and two victories in the Cup series.
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“I don’t know how many teams in Nascar’s history have won in the three series,” Kaulig said. “So, that is a really great goal for me and our organization. It is like, ‘OK, we have shown that we can even compete at the Cup level. We show that we can win a couple of regular seasonal championships in Xfinity’. We will also win again and we will succeed in those series, but to do it in the series of trucks now with RAM and bring all the emotion and drama that accompanies that, it is fun.
What makes this perfect synergy with Kaulig Racing and RAM? Kaulig said it bluntly.
“It’s American Bada …”, he said, smiling.
Kaulig Racing’s aggressive approach on the commercial side attracted RAM, but on the performance side, the president of the team, Chris Rice, who has experience in the equipment in the series of operational trucks, feels in the same way.
It is the “Kaulig form”, and that means doing things differently from other teams in the garage. Rice expressed it perfectly when he referred to Kaulig’s motto throughout the company.
Matt Kaulig, owner of Kaulig Racing, and the president of the team, Chris Rice, speak in Pit during Nascar Race. (Kaulig Racing)
“If you are not growing, you are dying,” Rice told Pak Gazette Digital. “That is the motto we are talking about. Just to be in the truck series on Friday or Thursday when they run is good. To take our name, Kaulig Racing, is incredible to our company and for what Matt does. This is what he believes, being an entrepreneur.
Having up to five trucks to work can be a massive challenge, especially for a team like Kaulig Racing in the new series. But, once again, the challenge is something that this group has in front, and Rice knows the main factor to ensure that this operation works without problems.
“It is reduced to people, and the way we do it in Kaulig Racing is that we are familiar,” he said. “Everyone works on everything. You are not in a cup team, you are not in the Xfinity team. With this, you are not alone in the truck team, you are in the Kaulig Racing team.
“The Kaulig road is difficult because we are aggressive. You have to believe it, you have to eat it, you have to breathe it, you have to sleep it.”
RICE has lived up to those words, working long hours and collaborating with Kaulig, Norris and all so that appropriate people are prepared to compete in February 2026. However, the reason for long hours is to understand what this means so that Kaulig’s races join with RAM.
There is a weight of responsibility, one that does not assume.
“We need to present ourselves correctly and there is a lot of responsibility in bringing that brand with us,” Norris said. “… When a company of this size, a large American company in that blue neck approach for everything, there is responsibility to bring that brand and reintroduce it to the Nascar fans base.”
Look at the debut in the new Kaulig Racing Ram 1500 truck, which will be used in the 2026 Craftsman Truck series. (Kaulig Racing)
Kaulig added: “It is more fun, for me, which is responsibility. We are full of responsibilities and full of responsible people, so I am not worried about that part. It is only the fun of building a business.”
Kaulig’s racing team knows, from top to bottom, the challenges and obstacles that are coming. But the emotion of working with Ram, and hopefully to enter Victory Lane next year, is what excites this flourishing team.
“This is the family, all about fun and all about winning races,” Rice said. “That is what we want to return: winning races and trophy hunting. It’s just a new trophy era in the truck series.”
