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On Sirius XM NASCAR Radio, Chris Rice dropped a tidbit about the 31 car for Kaulig Racing. He said that the deal is essentially done, but he teased that fans could be “surprised” by the move to the 31 car. What could that “surprise” mean for 2024?
Kaulig Racing currently owns three car numbers, the 31, the 16, and the 13. The 13 car is currently run part-time for Kaulig with drivers like Chandler Smith filling in. Could Rice be teasing a change in the car number?
Or could it be an entirely new car number for 2024? The 10 car is currently run as the “All-Star” car in the Xfinity Series, and the 10 car in the Cup Series currently has a very uncertain future. Could they be moving to the 10 car in 2024? Again, this is a very small aesthetic change, but it would be interesting to see.
Kaulig Racing was previously linked to Austin Hill before he signed with Richard Childress Racing in the Xfinity Series, so the future driver of the car is a major question mark. There are a few drivers that people could easily link to Kaulig Racing.
Zane Smith comes to mind as he was the odd man out at Front Row, and it seems that he wants to jump up from the Truck Series soon. Chandler Smith drives for the team in the Xfinity Series, but he is still a young driver. Daniel Hemric also drives for the team in the Xfinity Series, but he does not win a lot of races despite being consistent.
Are there other drivers out there that could be candidates that others may not have considered? What about Carson Hocevar coming from the Truck Series? Maybe Derek Kraus after he filled in for A.J. Allmendinger in practice and qualifying at Richmond.
With Stewart-Haas Racing potentially selling charters, then is someone like Ryan Preece available? Could an Xfinity Series driver be in the fray like Jeb Burton or Sam Mayer? There is a lot that could happen with this.
This is very unlikely, but it is a far-flung possibility. What if Kaulig decides to put multiple drivers in the car similar to how someone like Rick Ware Racing does it, or like Front Row Motorsports with the 38 car this year? Todd Gilliland has run a couple of races with Rick Ware Racing as Zane Smith has filled in the 38 car.
Could Kaulig be doing that or maybe just filling it in with All-Stars? Justin Marks and Kaulig Racing have a connection with drivers like Ross Chastain and Daniel Suarez, so what about SVG? Yes, what if this development deal that SVG is reportedly going to get means he drives for Kaulig Racing next year as a part of an alliance with Trackhouse?
The two teams have the same manufacturers, and they are newer to the Cup Series. As a result, there is reason they may work together. Yes, this is a long shot, but it is a possibility.
The 31 Kaulig Racing mystery will be solved in a couple of weeks. Now, the question is what does Rice and Kaulig have up their sleeve?
