What’s Happening?

Kaulig Racing has added another piece to the 2025 puzzle. Ty Norris, a longtime NASCAR Executive, is heading to Kaulig Racing. But what does this off-track NASCAR legend bring to the table for Kaulig?

• Kaulig Racing is making major moves prior to the 2025 Season. This includes calling A.J. Allmendinger back to the Cup Series and adding prospects Daniel Dye and Christian Eckes to its Xfinity Series program.
• Ty Norris is departing Trackhouse Racing. This move shocked many fans and insiders as everything seemed fine with Norris at Trackhouse. In his time at Trackhouse, the team grew to once unimaginable heights.
• Norris is taking on the role of Chief Business Officer, meaning that Kaulig President Chris Rice is maintaining his role.

Who is Ty Norris?

Ty Norris has been around the racing side of NASCAR since the turn of the century. His resume includes getting some of NASCAR’s fan-favorite teams of the past up to the top level of competition.

At DEI, Dale Earnhardt handpicked Norris, like drivers Steve Park and Michael Waltrip, as a major factor in the company’s growth. Norris was a major player in many fans’ most memorable moments of the early 2000s.

After leaving DEI, Norris took a break from teams, working for Speedway Motorsports before heading to Michael Waltrip Racing. At MWR, Norris oversaw the team’s transformation from a true back marker to a winning organization. Norris also took a lot of heat from the “Spin Gate” incident at Richmond, which many blame for MWR’s downfall.

After MWR and a short stint at Spire Motorsports, Norris moved to Justin Marks Trachouse Racing. Once again, with Norris at the helm, Trackhouse grew from a single-car, unchartered organization to a winning, soon-to-be three-car team.

While it appears that Trackhouse and Norris are departing on good terms, the move was abrupt. So, with such a dramatic move, what is at Kaulig Racing for Norris?

Why Kaulig? Why Norris?

Kaulig Racing faces an uphill climb in the near future. However, there is a lot of potential growth ahead.

Last season, Kaulig had a winning Cup Series driver in A.J. Allmendinger, a promising talent going through a tough spell in Justin Haley, and a hot prospect in Chandler Smith. Unfortunately, prior to 2024, Haley left for Rick Ware Racing, Smith returned to Joe Gibbs Racing, and Allmendinger returned to the Xfinity Series.

Replacing Allmendinger was a group of young and veteran drivers, including himself, and replacing Haley was NASCAR veteran and Xfinity Series Champion Daniel Hemric. Neither of these options is performing well for Kaulig.

Matt Kaulig’s team has already reversed course for 2025, announcing that Allmendinger is returning to No. 16. Furthermore, several rumors suggest that Ty Dillon will replace the struggling Daniel Hemric in 2024. This move, Dillon in particular, does feel like a downgrade.

However, Norris may be interested in the team’s fresh young talent. Kaulig is calling up its longtime part-time driver, Daniel Dye, to the Xfinity Series in 2025. Likewise, ahead of 2025, the team signed Christian Eckes, this year’s statistically best Truck Series driver.

With these promising additions, Kaulig’s stated goal with Norris is to “Solidify the trajectory of its NASCAR Cup Series program well into the future.”

It sounds like a spectacular hire for Kaulig and another great chance for Norris. While Kaulig is in a bad spot, Norris can hopefully, once again, help build a winning NASCAR Cup Series program.

What do you think about all this? Let us know on Discord or X what your take is, and don’t forget you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.