With Ram Trucks set to return to NASCAR in 2026 in the Craftsman Truck Series to compete against Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota, Kaulig Racing opted to join the Truck Series full-time with a five-truck program, partnering with Ram to user in the new era for the manufacturer that initially ended its NASCAR factory support in 2012.
The team's driver lineup has slowly but surely been coming together. Former Kaulig Racing Xfinity Series and Cup Series driver Justin Haley is set to reunite with the team, and he is set to join Daniel Dye, who competed for the organization's Xfintiy Series team this year, and 2025 ARCA Menards Series champion Brenden "Butterbean" Queen.
But this decision to partner with Ram and enter the Truck Series, especially with five race teams, led to another tough decision for Matt Kaulig's team, one that was surprising yet inevitable.
Kaulig Racing will no longer compete in the Xfinity Series (O'Reilly Auto Parts Series) in 2026.
"It’s bittersweet, man," A.J. Allmendinger told Beyond the Flag in an interview made possible by CELSIUS.
Allmendinger won the regular season championship for the team in 2021 and 2022 and was responsible for 16 of the team's 27 victories, all since 2019. He made it to the Championship 4 in both 2021 and 2024.
"It’s kind of a necessary evil," he admitted. "There’s no way to do three series right now and be at your best in all of them. A lot of our Xfinity guys are moving to the Truck side. Even though we’re taking away three Xfinity teams, we’re adding five Truck teams. That’s a lot of people to hire."
Kaulig Racing plan to continue their Cup Series program in 2026, with Allmendinger set to return for another year behind the wheel of the No. 16 Chevrolet. Ty Dillon is also expected to return to the No. 10 Chevrolet.
"It’s bittersweet because that’s been the bread and butter of Kaulig Racing," Allmendinger continued. "The memories, the wins, getting to the Championship 4, those are special. There are so many people who’ve been there since the start, the ‘OGs’."
However, he hinted the departure may not be final.
"It’s sad, but it’s a pause," he said. "I’d be shocked if it doesn’t come back at some point."
When Allmendinger ran full-time for Kaulig Racing in the Cup Series back in 2023, he still ran select races for the team's Xfinity Series program. And when he ran full-time again in the Xfinity Series in 2024, he ran select races at the Cup level.
In 2025, he focused squarely on his 36-race Cup Series schedule.
"It’s made my body feel a little bit better for sure," he said. "Sure, I’ve missed some road course races [in Xfinity], but being able to just focus on the Cup car – studying during the week, mentally preparing to unload in practice – that’s been helpful."
With two Kaulig Racing trucks still without drivers for 2026, Allmendinger isn't ruling out a return to the Truck Series, where he's competed in just one race since 2008. And perhaps that admission is a hint that the team might well rotate drivers in and out of one or both of those remaining entries.
"I’ve enjoyed just focusing on one thing," Allmendinger said of the 2025 Cup Series season, which he finished 24th in the point standings. "Next year, with Dodge and Ram coming in and us doing Trucks, I don’t know what my schedule will look like, but even then, it won’t be a lot. The Cup side is the focus. ... we've had good speed in practice most weeks."
He is looking forward to running back-to-back full Cup Series seasons for the first time since his time at JTG Daugherty Racing wrapped up in 2018.
"Yeah, it’ll be a big deal," he said. "With the Next Gen cars, the rules can always change, but I feel like the cars will stay fairly close. Chevy will have a new body next year. Hopefully that’ll help us competitively versus Ford and Toyota, who’ve both had newer bodies recently.
"It’ll be big to be back in the car. The No. 16 group is kind of staying the same. We’re adding some people since our program will look a little different; we’ll be doing more things on our own. There’ll be weekends we might miss it, but that’s part of life.
"Working again with my crew chief, Trent Owens, I love our relationship. We’ve even been golfing a lot. I’m looking forward to next year, but we do need that offseason break first."