Kaulig Racing hits pause on its Xfinity program months after parting ways with Josh Williams

After spitting up with driver Josh Williams in August, Kaulig Racing announced that it will suspend its NASCAR Xfinity Series program for the 2026 season. The news was confirmed to Jayski, which later surfaced through a news piece penned by renowned NASCAR journalist Dustin Albino.

As per Albino, Kaulig Racing has been running full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, soon to become the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, since 2016. In 10 seasons, the North Carolina-based team has amassed 27 wins and two regular-season championships (2021, 2022). Notably, it was Justin Haley who made Kaulig’s first championship bid back in 2020.

Neither Christian Eckes nor Daniel Dye, the two full-time drivers for Kaulig Racing, made the 2025 playoffs segment. Currently, Eckes sits 13th in the driver standings with six top fives and 15 top-10s, whereas Dye is ranked 19th with only eight top-10s.

“Kaulig will transition to the Craftsman Truck Series in 2026, running five full-time trucks with RAM,” wrote Albino. “Brenden Queen, who has competed in Kaulig’s No. 11 car four times since (Josh) Williams’ departure, was announced as one of the team’s drivers earlier this month. The remainder of the lineup will be announced at a later date, though (Daniel) Dye is expected to remain with the organization.”

Kaulig Racing will now focus on its NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series program. Per reports, Kaulig will join hands with RAM to form five new full-time teams in 2026. Brendan Queen will drive for one of those teams. If RAM moves to the NASCAR Cup Series in the future, Kaulig Racing might resurrect its Xfinity program.

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Kaulig Racing President Chris Rice opens up about Justin Haley’s future after his exit from Spire

Kaulig Racing president Chris Rice said in a statement that the team would love to have Justin Haley over for its 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series program. Haley, a former ARCA Menards Series East champion, will be transferred from Spire Motorsports once the ongoing season ends, thus leaving the No. 7 Chevy Camaro without a driver.

Haley has been with Kaulig before, running three full-time seasons in the Xfinity Series and two full-time seasons in the Cup Series. However, this is what Rice said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio's "The Morning Drive" podcast:

“Justin is a part of our family, and if we can find a spot, we would love to find a spot for Justin, but we've kind of made our bed in the Truck Series, and we know where our Truck Drivers are going to be, and who they're going to be. We've got some loose ends to tie up, and if we can find a spot for Justin, we definitely will do that."

For now, all eyes are on this coming Saturday’s Xfinity Series championship race at Phoenix Raceway. Scheduled for November 1, fans can watch the event on CW (7:30 pm ET) or listen to live radio updates on MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.