DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Kaulig Racing has no history in the Craftsman Truck Series, yet the team chose to field five Ram Trucks in 2026 and beyond. Going from zero to five will be a major challenge, so why is Kaulig Racing doing this?
It's a great time to have some fun, especially for a team that believes if you aren't growing, you are dying.
"I feel like we've done a really great job in Xfinity, I feel like we're doing a really great job in Cup," team owner Matt Kaulig said in response to a question from AltDriver after announcing a move into the Truck Series.
"I mean, we've only been, what is this, our third full-time season? Fourth? Fourth full-time season. I mean, we're up against teams that have been doing this for 50 years.
"So it's a very exciting time to get into the Truck Series. And these guys (Ram) are great partners and even meeting with them a bunch of times, it's just going to be fun."
Fun has been a key part of the Kaulig Racing DNA since the team first entered the Xfinity Series in 2016. Yes, they set out to contend for wins, but they also emphasized having a good time while "trophy hunting."
Don't take this emphasis on fun as a lack of dedication to competition. Kaulig Racing recognizes that the Xfinity program has taken a step back in recent seasons.
Getting this program back into championship contention while continuing to make progress on the Cup side remains a priority for Kaulig Racing.
Photo credit: Nigel Kinrade Photography
"That's why I like Chris (Rice, Team President) and Ty (Norris, Chief Business Officer)," Kaulig added. "I mean, we're all about having fun. We want to have fun at the racetrack. Sometimes it's a very serious business.
"I mean, at the end of the day, it's a sport. You're racing race cars, and there's a lot on the line. You've got the manufacturer. You've got sponsors. It's a very serious situation, but you also need to have fun, or else it'll just tear you apart week after week.
"This is a new venture. I have a lot of new ventures in my life as far as businesses and buying and selling businesses and always doing new things. So I feel like this is an awesome challenge to try to get trophies."
Kaulig doesn't expect to go out and immediately celebrate in victory lane at Daytona International Speedway in February, nor does Rice. Both believe they will face some adversity early on.
That's just the cost of competing in NASCAR, but that will not deter Kaulig Racing. They want to take on this challenge, and they want to stand out from the crowd.
They want to continue building a foundation in NASCAR as they become the only team to field full-time entries across all three national series.
"We're going to show up, and we're going to do the best we can," Rice said. "Are we going to fail at times? Absolutely. Are we going to have people talk about us at times how bad we did? Absolutely.
"We've made some decisions that people laugh at, but I can tell you what we're going to do. We're going to do it different, and it's going to be a lot of fun doing it."