Stewart-Haas Racing Shutting Down at Season’s End
What’s Happening The day that many expected but few yearned for has come. Stewart-Haas Racing has announced through a joint-statement from…
If there’s anything we know about where the fourth Stewart-Haas Racing charter will go, we do not know anything at all. A few teams theoretically could buy a charter, and one of those teams is Kaulig Racing. Would it make any sense for Kaulig to buy a third charter?
What’s Happening The day that many expected but few yearned for has come. Stewart-Haas Racing has announced through a joint-statement from…
Earlier this month, Chris Rice spoke out about recent rumors regarding Kaulig. While he vehemently denied the rumors of merging with Trackhouse, he teased that Kaulig has something up their sleeve that no one is expecting.
What’s Happening? Kaulig Racing Team President Chris Rice joined Sirius XM NASCAR Radio on Thursday, and he addressed recent rumors…
We have a lot of cool things going on. I spent some time in Ohio this week, first part of the week, and I’m pretty excited about it. When it does, when we’re able to talk about it and able to share it, I think everybody else is going to be relieved.
Chris Rice
Rice later provided a timeline, hinting that the next month or so, alongside the prospective charter agreement, will play a big role in the news about Kaulig. Given the recent developments, this could mean that Kaulig is considering purchasing an SHR charter, emphasis on could.
Kaulig Racing has previously fielded a third Cup Series car on a part-time basis, the No. 13. This car made four appearances in 2023, with Chandler Smith making three starts and Jonathan Davenport making one. The No. 13 car has only made one start this year, with A.J. Allmendinger at Circuit of the Americas.
It also could help their relationship with Trackhouse. Maybe someone like SVG could spend a year or two at Kaulig Racing in the Cup Series before moving to Trackhouse full-time.
Does Kaulig have the equipment to field a third full-time car? They have done it before, but, fielding it full-time is a major undertaking.
Charters cost $10s of millions, so, whoever wants a charter needs to pony up a lot of money. Kaulig Racing is not necessarily underfunded, they’ve won races in both the Cup Series and Xfinity Series. However, finances played a large role in how they handled last off-season.
The team made the peculiar decision to drop Justin Haley, whom they had groomed up the pipeline. A.J. Allmendinger, who has both of Kaulig’s Cup Series wins was dropped to Xfinity for 2024.. Both of these drivers left for the same reason: funding.
Haley said of the move, “[Matt Kaulig] is a businessman, and he needs to make business decisions.”
Chris Rice had this to say to Jordan Bianchi about moving Allmendinger down: “It’s a lot about sponsorship dollars, funding, and that kind of thing.”
Kaulig goes from a team strapped for sponsorship cash to having enough free cash to field an entirely new car in only about a year? That’s not impossible, but, it is a big shift.
At the end of the day, any team that could buy a charter is one to watch for this SHR charter. Maybe a surprise team like Kaulig could jump in.
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Jordan’s presence mattered. When the most iconic athlete of a generation shows genuine emotion upon winning the Daytona 500, it reminds the wider sports world that this race still matters. That kind of authentic publicity cannot be manufactured. It resonated far beyond the garage. Meanwhile, the O’Reilly Series race added fuel to another ongoing debate. The massive Decker crash, Cleetus McFarland’s Truck debut incident, and past approval inconsistencies have once again raised tough questions. Consistency, transparency, and accountability are now front and center. Add in Austin Hill’s dominance and Ryan Ellis’ career-best sixth-place run to open the season, and Daytona gave fans plenty to talk about on and off the track.
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Adam wasn’t just the grandson of Richard Petty or the son of Kyle Petty; he was a young driver building his own path, fresh off his Cup debut at Texas Motor Speedway and preparing for a future with Dodge and Petty Enterprises. His passing stunned the garage and deeply impacted fans who saw the Petty family as part of their own. From the unanswered mechanical questions to the emotional aftermath that eventually led to the creation of Victory Junction, this is where the Firestorm begins. The fear, the controversy, and the transformation of NASCAR safety all trace back to that Friday in Loudon.
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The Decker incident reignited long-standing perception issues, especially when outside commentary from figures like Mike Davis amplified the embarrassment factor. At the same time, NASCAR has stepped in before, blocking Wallace, sidelining others like Jennifer Jo Cobb, yet those interventions feel inconsistent. Wright’s pit road mistake added fuel to the argument that funding can outweigh readiness. McFarland, meanwhile, represents a different case, raw but potentially coachable, with time to develop if he chooses that route seriously. Money has always shaped racing careers, but when sponsorship outweighs preparation, the sport risks its credibility. Should NASCAR tighten its standards, or is this simply the cost of doing business in modern motorsports?
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