What’s Happening?

Josh Williams has officially been announced as the driver of the 11 car for Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series for 2024. Alloy Employer Services will serve as the primary sponsor for Williams in 2024.

We couldn’t be more excited to announce @Josh6williams will take over our No. 11 Chevrolet full-time in 2024! 🫶 @AlloyEmployer will join Kaulig Racing as a primary partner on his No. 11!#TrophyHunting | #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/c6ixuBdex2

— Kaulig Racing (@KauligRacing) November 16, 2023

You Need to Know:

• Josh Williams replaces Daniel Hemric in the 11-car at Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series. Hemric is moving up to the Cup Series for 2024, replacing Justin Haley in the 31-car. With Williams joining the fray, that leaves two seats open at Kaulig, the #13 Xfinity Series car, and the #16 Cup Series car, with A.J. Allmendinger the favorite to land the Xfinity ride and Ty Dillon the favorite to land the Cup ride.
• Josh Williams gained notoriety this season at Atlanta when he protested NASCAR by parking his wrecked car at the start-finish line and walking off of the track. He was suspended by NASCAR for one race for it, but he gained a lot of fans in the process. On track, he recorded three top-10 finishes this year for DGM in a full-time ride.
• This original rumor came as a major surprise to NASCAR fans as Williams was never considered a serious candidate for the ride. Many assumed he could end back up at DGM or another similar race team, but, he ended up at a race-win and Championship-contending team.

What We Know About Kaulig Racing’s 2024 Plans

Kaulig Racing is set to undergo a complete overhaul in 2024. Justin Haley is moving on to Rick Ware Racing, and Daniel Hemric is stepping in to drive the 31-car in the Cup Series for the team. Chandler Smith has been released from his contract for 2024, and he reportedly has his eye on Stewart-Haas Racing for 2024.

A.J. Allmendinger will be back with the team, but reports say that he may be moving back down to Xfinity with the team. This leaves three seats open for Kaulig in 2024, being the 16-car in the Cup Series, the 11-car in the Xfinity Series, and the 13-car in the Xfinity Series. Dale Earnhardt Jr. already said on the Dale Jr. Download that Ty Dillon is going to field the “second car” in the Cup Series for Kaulig, but, no official word from Kaulig has been said yet.

Did Dale Earnhardt Jr. Just Reveal Ty Dillon to Kaulig?

Regardless of whether or not Ty Dillon to Kaulig, which would move Allmendinger to Xfinity, is a thing, that still leaves one Xfinity Series seat open. That is where Josh Williams ended up.

Why Josh Williams To Kaulig Makes Sense

One thing is for certain about the Kaulig Racing ride, it will take a lot of funding for someone to take a ride. Chris Rice told Jordan Bianchi at Charlotte following Allmendinger’s Roval win that the main reason behind the changes Kaulig is making is funding. Bianchi said this on the post-roval episode of “The Teardown” with Jeff Gluck.

I talked to Chris Rice before the press conference one on one, and [Bianchi] asked the question, ‘It’s not all about performance is it?’ [Rice] goes, ‘No, it’s not. It’s a lot about sponsorship dollars, and funding, and that kind of thing.’ That’s where there’s a gap right now. They just don’t have the funding in place for that 16 car

Jordan Bianchi

One thing is for certain about Josh Williams, he is a recognizable face in NASCAR now. He has a brand, and it all came from choosing to park his car at the start-finish line after a crash in Atlanta.

On top of that, someone like Josh Williams who has had to fight and scratch for opportunities in racing, knows how to sell sponsorships. He knows how to sell whatever sponsorship he needs to race, and that got him a full-time ride with DGM this season.

Three top-10 finishes this season, including a best finish of eighth at New Hampshire, help as well. He has shown that he can perform, it seems he just needs a good ride.

That good ride is now available for Josh Williams, and this is the best opportunity in NASCAR he has ever had. Will he take that next major step with Kaulig in 2024?