Matt Kaulig Responds to Kaulig Racing’s 5-truck RAM Program

There’s a word that gets thrown around a lot in motorsports: bold. Teams talk a big game, make a few roster moves, and call it a statement. Kaulig Racing doesn’t do statements. They do moves. The Ohio-based NASCAR outfit just confirmed what insiders had been whispering about for months.

There will be a full five-truck Ram program, headlined by a rotating “free agent” entry that has already featured Tony Stewart, Ty Dillon, and now road racing heavyweight Colin Braun. This isn’t a team dipping its toes in the water. This is a full cannonball off the high dive.

Let’s set the scene. Most NASCAR teams are playing checkers. Kaulig is playing chess. While competitors are locked into the same driver-contract cycles year after year, team owner Matt Kaulig had a different idea. What if you built a truck, the No. 25, specifically designed to rotate in talent from across the motorsports world? NASCAR legends, road racing aces, IndyCar crossovers. Whoever brings the most heat to the party gets the keys.

The result? One of the most talked-about programs in the garage. “We’ve always been full-go,” Kaulig said. “Expansion is part of who we are.” That’s not just a soundbite. The numbers back it up. Four named entries, Daniel Dye in the No. 10, Brenden Queen in the No. 12, Mini Tyrrell in the No. 14, and Justin Haley in the No. 16, give Kaulig a roster that most Cup teams would envy, let alone Truck Series outfits.

1. Colin Braun Is the Move That Turns Heads

If the five-truck program is the headline, Colin Braun is the exclamation point. Braun isn’t just a road course guy who dabbles in oval racing on weekends. This is a man with 24 IMSA victories and three championships on his résumé. He’s spent years mastering technical circuits, threading cars through tight chicanes and elevation changes that would make lesser drivers sweat through their firesuits. And on February 28, 2026, he’s pointing that experience directly at the St. Petersburg street race, live on FOX at 12:00 PM ET. Street racing is a relatively new frontier for NASCAR trucks, and the sanctioning body couldn’t have asked for a better story. Braun is exactly the kind of driver who makes a street race compelling. He is someone who has raced these types of circuits hundreds of times, who understands how walls feel at 120 miles per hour, and who isn’t scared by the tight confines of downtown St. Pete.

2. A Program That Keeps Fans Guessing

Here’s what makes the Kaulig free agent program genuinely fun to follow: you never quite know what’s coming next. Daytona? Tony Stewart climbed into the No. 25, reminding everyone exactly why his name still carries weight in racing circles. EchoPark Speedway? Ty Dillon took the wheel and gave fans another familiar face with something to prove. St. Petersburg? Colin Braun gets his shot. Each race, a new chapter. Each driver, a new reason to tune in. That’s not an accident. Kaulig has essentially gamified their team, turning the free-agent seat into a storyline that runs parallel to the championship battle. It’s smart marketing, smart racing, and frankly, it’s just good television. Kaulig’s expansion doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It signals a broader shift in NASCAR’s direction. For years, the sport has struggled to attract new audiences. There are younger fans, casual viewers, people who follow Formula 1 or IndyCar but haven’t crossed over into NASCAR. The free agent model answers that question directly. When you put a driver like Colin Braun into a NASCAR truck, you’re not just filling a seat. You’re building a bridge. Analysts have already noted that Kaulig’s crossover approach could inspire copycat programs from other teams. And if it works, if ratings tick up, if the St. Petersburg crowd buzzes, if Braun puts on a show, expect the phone calls to start coming in from teams looking to replicate the formula.

3. Kaulig Racing Is Just Getting Started

Five trucks. A rotating all-star seat. Crossover talent from IMSA, IndyCar, and NASCAR’s own history. Ram’s visibility grows with every lap. Matt Kaulig hasn’t built a team. He’s built a movement with one race, one driver, one bold decision at a time. And if the first few chapters of the free agent program are any indication, the best parts of this story are still ahead. Colin Braun buckles in at St. Pete on February 28. The No. 25 will be worth watching. So will everything else Kaulig Racing does next.

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