Ram Announces Free Agent Program For NASCAR Truck Series
Ram has an interesting plan for its return to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2026.
The brand will have five trucks in the series. Three have drivers and a fourth driver is to be determined. For the fifth driver, Ram has created a Free Agent program.
Here's how it works. Ram and Kaulig Racing will announce a different driver each Monday before the race. Truck Series races are usually on Fridays.
All drivers will have a connection to motorsports, so it's not like Ram is giving out rides to fans or something. Our speculation -- listen to this week's upcoming podcast for more -- is that the drivers selected will be a mix of young up and comers, veterans who need a ride, drivers who've recently retired or pulled back from full-time racing, and maybe a celebrity or two with racing talent.
From the release:
“The Free Agent seat gives us the flexibility to bring in talent while keeping fans on their toes," said Matt Kaulig, owner Kaulig Racing. "Each driver will bring something unique to the team. It’s a new idea and exactly the kind of energy we want heading into 2026.”
Since drivers won't be in the championship fight, they will be competing for a prize.
The drivers will be wheelin' the number 25 Kaulig truck.
The three announced drivers for Kaulig/Ram are Brenden “Butterbean” Queen, Daniel Dye, and Justin Haley.
Again, from the release:
“Few people will ever experience the raw intensity of driving in a NASCAR race – V-Max speeds, crushing G-forces, raging adrenaline, primal focus – 170 mph in traffic is dancing on a razor’s edge. It’s a rush that is hard to replicate,” said Tim Kuniskis, CEO of Ram. “Until science fiction becomes reality, spectators can only glimpse the feeling, never truly live it. So why do 20 million fans love this sport? Ask five and you’ll get five different answers, but one common thread: the connection to teams and drivers, personalities larger than life. No. 25 isn’t chasing points, we are chasing something bigger, celebrating and amplifying fan engagement with the Free Agents, Kaulig Racing and the Ram brand. That’s the sole mission.”
We'll be watching next season to see how this program plays out -- and which drivers are involved.
[Image: Ram]
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Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.
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It will be interesting to see how this affects Toyoduh since that company stole Mopar trade secrets when Toyoduh entered the truck series orignally.