Chris Rice DENIES Kaulig Merger Rumors: “We’re Going to be Here a Long Time.”
What’s Happening? Kaulig Racing Team President Chris Rice joined Sirius XM NASCAR Radio on Thursday, and he addressed recent rumors…
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Kaulig Racing has had a strange 2024 season both in the Xfinity Series and Cup Series. While they have had some highs, they’ve also had some lows, and the team has some decisions to make for 2025. What will Kaulig Racing do?
What’s Happening? Kaulig Racing Team President Chris Rice joined Sirius XM NASCAR Radio on Thursday, and he addressed recent rumors…
As of this writing, Kaulig Racing sits 31st and 33rd in Owner’s points with the No. 31 car driven by Daniel Hemric and the No. 16 “All-Star Car.” This is a significant downturn from 2023 when the teams finished 21st and 25th in Owner’s points, and A.J. Allmendinger took home the team’s second Cup Series win at the Charlotte Roval. It was not an unexpected downturn, as Team President Chris Rice indicated in a recent Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Interview.
We knew 2024 was going to be tough on us because it’s what we called a “gap year” for Kaulig Racing, and we have some exciting stuff that is going on behind the scenes.
Chris Rice
With two chartered cars, Kaulig has a few drivers to consider for 2025. Both current Kaulig drives and drivers from other teams.
Daniel Hemric’s future with the team is uncertain. He’s only been announced for 2024 and originally signed a one-year Xfinity deal with the team for 2022. Given Kaulig’s history, it seems likely that Hemric is only signed for 2024.
Why would Kaulig keep Hemric around? He brings funding with him, and he doesn’t wreck race cars. He doesn’t have a DNF yet this season.
With Kaulig’s relationship with Trackhouse, could one of Kaulig’s Cup Series cars be used to house Zane Smith or SVG? It’s certainly possible, but Trackhosue probably wants to bring one or both drivers in-house if they can.
What’s Happening? Zane Smith is in his first NASCAR Cup Series season and has struggled mightily. He currently sits 34th…
Kaulig could consider a few drivers in the lower series as well. Maybe A.J. Allmendinger could jump back up to the Cup Series. Other drivers like Riley Herbst and Sam Mayer could have the funding to do so.
Current part-time Kaulig drivers Derek Kraus, Ty Dillon, Josh Williams, and Daniel Dye could also be the ones to watch. Could one scrounge enough funding to race in the Cup Series full-time?
However, Rice did tease in that previously mentioned Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Interview that Kaulig has “Exciting Stuff” happening. Could Kaulig purchase a charter and expand to three cars? It’s certainly possible, given that SHR is selling all four charters.
What’s Happening? If there’s anything we know about where the fourth Stewart-Haas Racing charter will go, we do not know…
However, Kaulig needs the extra money to make it happen. Overall, Kaulig’s Cup Series team is a complete mystery.
Kaulig has enjoyed more success in the Xfinity Series. Allmendinger and SVG are both comfortably in the Playoffs as of now. Allmendinger is in by 60 points, and SVG has two wins. However, Josh Williams is mired in 18th in points with only three top-10 finishes.
However, the future of all of these drivers is uncertain. Will Trackhouse bring SVG into the Trackhouse fold full-time? Could Allmendinger jump back up to Cup? What should they do with the struggling Williams?
Like the Cup Series seat, Trackhouse’s Zane Smith may slot into one of these seats. Maybe Trackhouse could use a spot to field a car for Connor Zilisch in the Xfinity Series in 2025. Zilisch will be old enough to race a full-time season in 2025.
What’s Happening? Trackhouse Racing has five drivers under contract this year, and the youngest of the group is Connor Zilisch….
Daniel Dye is another driver to watch. He just recorded his first Xfinity Series top-10 for the team at Iowa. He is also in the thick of the Truck Series Playoff race. With the funding he has, along with some solid results, maybe he could jump up to Xfinity in 2025.
If there’s anything we know about Kaulig Racng’s 2025 plans, it’s that we don’t know anything at all. There could be a lot of moving pieces.
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