NASCAR Cup Series merger rumor completely shot down

Kaulig Racing entered NASCAR with a purpose: to go trophy hunting. Since their inaugural season in the Xfinity Series back in 2016, they have done that. The organization led by Matt Kaulig and Chris Rice has scored 23 wins and 15 poles in the Xfinity Series. But their Cup Series team hasn't had the same success.

The team expanded to the Cup Series in 2020, and they have won two races, both with A.J. Allmendinger behind the wheel of the No. 16 Chevrolet.

This season, Allmendinger is back in the Xfinity Series full-time, and the No. 16 Chevrolet no longer has a full-time driver in the Cup Series. Five drivers, including Allmendinger, full-time Xfinity Series teammates Josh Williams and Shane van Gisbergen, Derek Kraus, and Ty Dillon, have driven it thus far.

Another relatively new Chevrolet Cup Series team is Trackhouse Racing Team, and they have been on a more positive trajectory. They came into the sport relatively quietly, with veteran Daniel Suarez behind the wheel of the No. 99 Chevrolet in 2021.

Since then, the Justin Marks and Pitbull-team have acquired Chip Ganassi Racing, added a second car, and signed journeyman driver and former Kaulig Racing driver Ross Chastain.

While Chastain may be most well-known for creating one of the most viral moments in NASCAR, he has also scored four wins and finished as high as second place in the point standings in just a little over two seasons with the team.

It effectively seems like what Kaulig Racing once envisioned, Trackhouse Racing Team have actually built.

Kaulig, Trackhouse merger rumor emerges

On the Door, Bumper, Clear podcast, the latest silly season rumors were discussed, and one such rumor touched upon involved a merger between Kaulig Racing and Trackhouse Racing Team.

But since then, the rumor has been vehemently denied.

Kaulig Racing team president Chris Rice recently went on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio's The Morning Drive to deny any rumors that his team could be merging with Trackhouse Racing Team, stating that "we're not merging and we're not doing anything like that.''

Rice went on to add that Kaulig Racing are indeed close to Trackhouse Racing Team; in fact, van Gisbergen competes full-time for Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series, but he is contractually tied to Trackhouse Racing.

But he also mentioned that at the same time, his team is very close to Richard Childress Racing, if one wants to look at it that way.

And let's not forget that Zane Smith is on loan to Spire Motorsports from Trackhouse Racing Team, and those two teams certainly are not merging either.