Everything We Know About Dodge and Ram’s Return to NASCAR (So Far)
What’s Happening? One major storyline to follow during the 2025 and 2026 NASCAR seasons is the ongoing saga of Dodge and…
As the 2026 NASCAR season draws closer, rumors continue to swirl that Kaulig Racing and Ram Trucks could enter an “all-star” truck this coming season. The only question is, who could or, at least, should drive this rumored truck?
What’s Happening? One major storyline to follow during the 2025 and 2026 NASCAR seasons is the ongoing saga of Dodge and…
In 2026, Ram Trucks is returning to NASCAR in a big way, fielding five full-time trucks with Kaulig Racing.
As of press time, we know that 2025 ARCA Menards Series Champion Brendan ‘Butternbean’ Queen, Justin Haley, and Daniel Dye will drive three of these five trucks, but the question remains: What will happen with the other two entries?
Among these rumors are two that continue to circulate through the NASCAR community: one claims that a truck would be awarded to the winner or winners of a reality TV show, and another states that one truck would be designated as an “All-Star” truck.
Although the team has yet to officially confirm the “All-Star” truck, if they were to bring in all-stars, they would have to be drivers with no current OEM affiliations, which limits their options; however, it does open the door for some fun opportunities.
So, even though no drivers have been announced for this rumored truck, let’s examine a few options often discussed by fans, as well as some that are still active rumors.
While Corey LaJoie is yet to announce any plans for 2026, his part-time effort rounding out the season for Spire Motorsports has fans wondering if he could have a spot in the series in the future.
If Ram wants exposure and a name well-known to modern NASCAR audiences behind the wheel, then LaJoie could be a solid option for the team. Unfortunately, this speculation is despite his recent claim that he is “not entertaining” truck offers. But, much like this season, that may not mean he is completely shutting the door on the potential to return to the series.
Nonetheless, the 33-year-old pieced together some quality runs for Spire in 2026, and if any team could use his talent and recognition, Ram would be a great fit.
What’s Happening? Corey LaJoie recently opened up about his plans for the 2026 season and his “Next Chapter,” saying he is…
Greg Biffle, also known as “The Biff,” is one of the Craftsman Truck Series’ greatest drivers of all time, setting records that stood until this season during his stellar 1999 and 2000 seasons.
Although he has not competed in a NASCAR National Series race since 2022, the 55-year-old continues to make ARCA Menards Series West starts and has demonstrated in recent seasons that he can still pilot a truck to victory lane.
In a one-off start with Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2019, his first Truck Series race since 2004, Biffle took home his first win in the series since 2001. As fans online have pointed out, his recent efforts, including this one from 2019, combined with what appears to be a lack of OEM affiliation, could make The Biff the type of person to help Ram spark a return to NASCAR action.
We end on a double feature, as these two NASCAR legends are two of the most rumored names to pilot the “All-Star” truck. In fact, Kaulig CEO Chris Rice has addressed these rumors, telling Sirius XM NASCAR Radio that the two have come up in conversations but do not have a contract to drive the All-Star truck.
Of course, to some, this may be an odd choice, as Kahne and Stewart, once staples of the NASCAR world, are not faces often seen in the NASCAR garage area as of late. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t hitting the race track.
After stepping away from NASCAR during the 2018 season, Kahne, a former standout for Dodge, has continued to race on dirt for the past few seasons. Furthermore, the now 45-year-old also made his highly anticipated NASCAR return in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Rockingham.
Stewart, on the other hand, has not raced a NASCAR stock car since 2016, but he remained involved in the sport prior to the closure of his team, Stewart-Haas Racing, at the end of last season. Although he is not racing on ovals, Stewart has stayed busy, competing in NHRA Top Fuel Dragsters for Dodge over the past two seasons.
Of course, Kahne was noncommittal about racing in NASCAR after his start in 2025, and Stewart has turned his full attention to drag racing. But even if the two do not turn a single lap as part of Ram and Dodge’s returns to NASCAR, they could still serve as great representatives for the brand.
What’s Happening? On SiriusXM, Kaulig Racing CEO Chris Rice shut down rumors of having a contract in place for Tony Stewart…
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Former Joe Gibbs Racing Crew Chief and Competition Director Chris Gabehart has filed a new response slamming JGR as part of an ongoing lawsuit brought against the former Daytona 500 Champion by his former employer.
What’s Happening? Joe Gibbs Racing has filed a lawsuit against former competition director Chris Gabehart, alleging he took confidential team information…
Gabehart departed Joe Gibbs Racing this past offseason following eight seasons as a Crew Chief and one as the team’s Competition Director, while serving as an unofficial Crew Chief for Ty Gibbs’ No. 54 team.
This move surprised fans, as, under his tenure in 2026, the team scored 13 wins, 47 top fives, 69 top tens, and placed three cars in the Playoffs, with two in the Championship Four.
Nonetheless, with his future still in the air, JGR sued Gabehart last week, claiming he “embarked on a brazen scheme to steal JGR’s most sensitive information and use it for the benefit of a direct competitor in NASCAR.”
While the industry veteran responded to the allegations last week in a post to social media, he expanded his side of the story in a scathing response filed Wednesday afternoon.
In his response, Gabehart claims that in 2025, he became discontented with his role at JGR “and other aspects of how JGR’s race teams were being run.”
Expanding on this opinion, Gabehart stated first that his duties at JGR as Competition Director were “materially inconsistent with my reasonable expectations when I accepted the position,” going on to say that the structure at JGR was “dysfunctional.”
“I was promised a COO-type role overseeing all competitive operations with autonomy to lead. Instead, I found myself constantly intertwined with Coach Gibbs, senior JGR executives, and family members when making even routine competition decisions—a dysfunctional organizational structure that I could not continue in.” — Chris Gabehart
Ironically, since his departure, Joe Gibbs confirmed during an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on February 12, that the team now uses a committee approach for the Competition Director duties.
What’s Happening? Team Owner Joe Gibbs broke down the new structure of JGR in the aftermath of the departure of former…
Gabehart then turned his barrel at the No. 54 team, a car driven by Gibbs’ grandson Ty Gibbs, and a team that Gabehart served as the substitute Crew Chief of during the 2025 season, before returning the reins to the team’s official shot caller, Tyler Allen.
The long-time Crew Chief said that in his opinion, the No. 54 team is not held to the same standards as other teams in the organization, saying, “It was my view that the No. 54 car should be managed and held accountable in the same manner as the organization’s other cars.”
He even alleged that Joe Gibbs directly oversaw his grandson’s team and “pressured” Gabehart to take over as Crew Chief early on during his time as JGR’s Competition Director.
“Beginning early in the 2025 season, Coach Gibbs repeatedly pressured me to take over as crew chief of the No. 54 car. I consistently declined, explaining that as Competition Director, I did not believe this was the right move, that it would undermine the long-term development of the team, and that I did not want to be crew chief of the No. 54 or any other car.” — Chris Gabehart
Gabehart even explained how he took over for Tyler Allen before returning duties to the team’s original Crew Chief:
“Despite my objections, Coach Gibbs and ownership continued pressing, and I eventually conceded to the pressure by first helping the No. 54 team more behind the scenes and then, beginning on June 28, 2025, by publicly serving as the crew chief and calling the races on Sundays for nine consecutive races before returning those duties to the original crew chief, Tyler Allen, against the strong desires of ownership, when I made it clear that I did not want to serve as a crew chief for the long term.” — Chris Gabehart
During Gabehart’s tenure with the No. 54 team, which per his account began with the summer race at EchoPark Speedway and concluded after nine races with the Playoff cutoff race at Daytona, the team scored two top fives, four top tens, and tallied an average finish of 14.3. The team also won the inaugural NASCAR In-Season Challenge Tournament during this stretch of races.
Furthermore, at the start of that stretch, JGR initially claimed that Gabehart was not the Crew Chief and was a race strategist for the No. 54 team, though this may have been for one race.
In the 17 races prior to Gabehart’s time as the No. 54’s Crew Chief, with Allen on the box, the team had just two top fives, three top tens, and a 19.4 average finish.
But despite this improvement, the team failed to make the Playoffs, with Gabehart focused on his role as Competition Director. However, he notes in his filing that it is his opinion that the “differential treatment” of Gibbs’ team undermined my position as Competition Director.”
He even touted that Gibbs had a different meeting attendance standard than other JGR team members.
“I also identified specific examples of the No. 54 team’s differential treatment that undermined my position as Competition Director. For example, key personnel decisions were made without my counsel or input despite my role as Competition Director; and critically the No. 54 driver was not held to the same meeting attendance standards as others on the team.” — Chris Gabehart
Ultimately, the real bitterness in this filing is found later on, when Gabehart alleges the lawsuit isn’t about stolen information, rather, as he puts it, “it is about punishing a former employee for daring to leave.”
What’s Happening? Joe Gibbs Racing alleged that former competition director Chris Gabehart took a wide range of confidential team information regarding…
Gabehart also addressed the origin of the lawsuit in his filing, backing up a claim in his social media post last week that Spire Motorsports, now a co-defendant in this lawsuit, is willing to let a forensic examiner look through their information to confirm Gabehart did not take “sensitive information” from the team.
JGR alleges that he used several methods to take setup information from JGR, including an allegation that he synchronized his personal Google Drive account with a JGR-issued laptop to supply it to a rival team, known to be Spire Motorsports.
In Wednesday’s filing, Gabehart provided a letter from attorneys at the law firm Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson claiming that Spire, which now employs him as their Chief Motorsports Officer, is willing to allow a neutral forensic examiner to look through Spire materials to “confirm that no JGR information was transmitted to or used by Spire.”
Tuesday night, JGR filed a new document of its own, which requested the court grant a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to prevent Gabehart from working at Spire in a similar role to his job at JGR for the next 18 months and require Spire to return any information to JGR.
Nonetheless, this filing, alongside one from JGR Tuesday night, shows there are no signs of this lawsuit slowing down, with Gabehart’s accusations making this one of the most bitter breakups in recent NASCAR history.
What’s Happening? Joe Gibbs Racing has added to its lawsuit filed against former Crew Chief and Competition Director Chris Gabehart, filing…
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NASCAR’s 2026 All-Star format has fans going from “hell yeah” to “what the hell” in record time. With a 350-lap, three-segment race at Dover Motor Speedway and no Open or LCQ, the exhibition’s identity suddenly feels very different — and not everyone is thrilled about it.
The new structure locks in recent winners, past champions, and a fan vote — leaving limited spots available through the segments. It’s structured. It’s legitimate. But it trades exclusivity and simple, high-stakes transfer battles for something that feels more procedural than electric. For many fans, the All-Star race used to mean night racing, short bursts, bold strategy, and desperation. Now, with a longer format and no true “win-and-you’re-in” showdown, Jaret believes it risks feeling like an obligation rather than a spectacle.
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NASCAR’s All-Star shakeup, a growing legal fight in the garage, and major early-season momentum swings have all collided at once. With COTA up next, the timing couldn’t be more dramatic, and the ripple effects might be bigger than they first appear.
This isn’t just about one exhibition race or one court filing. It’s about direction, leverage, and momentum at a critical point in the season. The format decisions affect the show. The lawsuit could affect how teams operate. And COTA might start separating early contenders from everyone else.
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