Kaulig Racing have not fielded their third car, the No. 13 Chevrolet, since last year's NASCAR Cup Series playoff race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, back when Shane van Gisbergen was still competing full-time for the team in the Xfinity Series and got the nod to pull double duty that weekend.
Now the No. 13 car is set to return this weekend at the Chicago Street Course, and the timing of the car's return is particularly intriguing.
For the first time since November 2018, there are more cars on the entry list for a non-Daytona 500 Cup Series race than there are spots in the race itself, and the No. 13 Chevrolet is one of the five non-chartered (open) cars on the entry list set to battle for the four open spots.
Kaulig Racing at risk of missing Chicago race?
Will Brown, who has just one Cup Series start to his name, is set to attempt to qualify the No. 13 car for Sunday afternoon's 75-lap Grant Park 165 around the 12-turn, 2.2-mile (3.541-kilometer) temporary street circuit in Chicago, Illinois.
Brown made his Cup Series debut at Sonoma Raceway last June and finished in 31st place for Richard Childress Racing. However, he is an Australian Supercars champion, so his lack of Cup Series experience shouldn't hurt him too much.
However, the fact remains that Kaulig Racing are finally bringing back their third car on a weekend when that car very well might not qualify.
The other four open cars are the No. 33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, the No. 66 Garage 66 Ford, the No. 23XI Racing Toyota, and the No. 78 Live Fast Motorsports Chevrolet.
Like Kaulig Racing, Richard Childress Racing and 23XI Racing both field multiple chartered cars, so they shouldn't have too much of an issue getting Austin Hill and Corey Heim into the race.
Many believe that the battle for the 40th and final spot in the field will come down to Josh Bilicki in the No. 66 car and Katherine Legge in the No. 78 car, as their teams are part-time teams that generally aren't competitive when they compete.
Live coverage of the Grant Park 165 is set to be provided by TNT Sports from the Chicago Street Course beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, July 6.