Since first entering NASCAR in 2016, Kaulig Racing has always had the mantra “Trophy Hunting”.
The organization successfully managed to collect 29 victories in the decade since (two in the NASCAR Cup Series and 27 in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series), but in 2026, decided to tackle the major undertaking of becoming RAM’s re-entry point to NASCAR.
And frankly, that’s required a mindset shift.
Having NEVER fielded an entry in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series before February’s season-opener at Daytona, Kaulig Racing took on the ambitious task of fielding five entries on a full-time basis, doing so with a brand-new body, no notebook, and zero simulation time.
It’s been a work in progress over the first 21 events of the year for Kaulig Racing, but in the last month or so alone, there’s been substantial evidence that the five-truck organization is substantially moving the needle.
Justin Haley, a veteran of more than 360 starts across NASCAR’s National Series, has been a superstar for RAM and Kaulig Racing as the season enters its final stretch, putting up four consecutive finishes inside the top-11 – including three top-10s and a fourth-place result at Bristol Motor Speedway, the team’s best-ever finish in the Truck Series.
Friday at Charlotte, Haley led the Kaulig Racing brigade with his fifth top-10 of 2026, finishing 10th.
“[We] had a good truck all day, pretty much, decent in practice and a decent qualifying run, just kind of ran 12th there all day, got a little lucky on pit strategy and was able to jump a few spots,” Haley told JosephSrigley.com’s Jared Haas post-race. “Good past four races, we’ve gotten 11th or better in all four of them. Just proud of my RAM guys, it’s taken a long time to get here, and we’re here, just in a good stride, right now.”
Both of Kaulig Racing’s rookie drivers, Brenden Queen and Mini Tyrell, also managed to bring home top-15 results in Friday’s Ecosave 200 at Charlotte. For Queen, driver of the No. 12 Cummins RAM 1500, it’s his second straight top-15 and his best result since Lime Rock Park in July. For Tyrell, it’s his best finish on an oval in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.
“Overall, it was a good day,” Queen said post-race. “We needed it. Just trying to turn this around a little, but after the last month I’ve had, and two top-15s in a row, we were sniffing the top-10 there, I felt like we raced around some good trucks and learned to try to keep building the No. 12 RAM faster. Super excited.”
“I thought we had a really good truck,” Tyrell said after claiming his third top-15 of the year. “We struggled earlier in the day and did all we could to just throw anything at it and make it a little better, and during the race, I felt like we really had something to work with. Chad [Kendrick] did a great job all night, trying to make some good adjustments for me and put me in the right spot.”
Tyrrell had to face some adversity, though, in Friday’s event, after a piece of debris landed on the front grille of the No. 14 RAM 1500 and overheated the truck and forced him to come down pit road for an unscheduled pit stop.
“Finally, something went our way there at the end, and we were able to get the laps back and put four fresh tires on and had a great recovery,” Tyrell added. “I’m super proud of everyone for the effort.”
Corey LaJoie and Regan Smith also collected top-20 results for Kaulig Racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway. LaJoie finished 16th in the No. 10 MOPAR RAM 1500, while Regan Smith, running just his second NASCAR National Series event since 2019, finished a solid 17th.
It’s just the third time this season (and the second straight race) that Kaulig Racing has been able to place all five of its NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series entries inside the top-20, and the first time it’s placed all of its entries inside the top-17
“What a night, it was getting a little crazy,” said Regan Smith after collecting a top-20 result. “We were loose all day and we got it tightened up in the race. The main thing we fought was the driver’s lack of seat time. These restarts are nuts; it was wild out there. I really want to thank RAM and Kaulig Racing for fiving me the chance here and at Bristol. It rekindled my passion for NASCAR racing. This was a blast.”
Both Friday’s event at Charlotte and the Chase-opener at Bristol in September were an important landmark for Kaulig Racing and RAM, with those two racetracks being the only ones that the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series visits twice – once towards the beginning of the year, and again towards the end.
In both races, the organization proved that they’re on the right track.
“At the start of the year we were just trying to get to the racetrack, and now we’re trying to get all of the fine details perfect,” Haley said when asked about Kaulig’s improvement. “Yeah, it’s not necessarily been a big change every week, it’s just little changes week to week, just getting a racetrack to be competitive up front every week consistently. Yeah, me and Mike Hillman, Jr. have found good spot, proud of the men and women at Kaulig Trucks, they’ve done a great job so far and we’re in a good stride right here and hopefully we keep going.”
Just Phoenix, Talladega, Martinsville, and Homestead are left for Kaulig Racing to tackle before getting the opportunity to regroup and make improvements to their program, before coming back for a second full season in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series with RAM, where maybe, Kaulig will get back to Trophy Hunting.
Photo(s): David PeQueen (used with permission)
