Kaulig Racing has taken another major step towards a potential future away from Chevrolet, announcing that its Xfinity Series team would cease operations after the conclusion of the 2025 season.

Having initially joined NASCAR as an Xfinity team back in 2016, they have gone on to win 27 of the 329 races since, fielding the likes of Austin Dillon, Ross Chastain, Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson, and many more. In doing so, they also helped lay the foundation for Kaulig’s move into the Cup Series in 2020, and its upcoming Craftsman Truck Series venture starting in 2026, where it will work with fourth OEM RAM upon its long-awaited return, led by Brenden Queen and Justin Haley.

Unfortunately, Kaulig announced on Wednesday that it would not compete in the Xfinity Series in 2025, posting on social media, “Thank you to the Xfinity Series for 10 amazing years, 27 wins, two regular season championships, and a lifetime of memories!”

In a subsequent interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, team CEO Chris Rice explained that this was merely a “pause” from the series, not a farewell. “You guys will see us back in the Xfinity Series in the coming years, but we got to pause it for a little bit and we got to sit back and push ourselves to build five wonderful trucks for RAM and also keep our Cup program where it’s at,” he explained.

Rice went on to add, “We got to make sure that the RAM trucks are where they need to be and, you know, those guys have taken a huge chance on us and we want to show them we’re behind them to build this thing pretty big.”

Sign up to our NASCAR newsletter here.

Despite this major news, which will come as a disappointment to some fans, Rice insisted that their focus remains on winning races and ensuring that their RAM fans are happy with the end result as they embark upon this new partnership, all while also working to maintain a good relationship with their Cup Series fanbase.

“I hope that when we do come back, they have open arms and welcome us back as much as we love the Xfinity Series,” he said. “We’re not quitting the Xfinity Series, we’re pausing.”

As or when Kaulig could return to the Xfinity Series, Rice remained coy. That being said, Bob Pockrass suggested that should Dodge make its expected move to the Cup Series down the line, it “would also have an Xfinity (O’Reilly) program and Kaulig would return to the series then.”

DON’T MISS…

Such a move seems a very real possibility given that a representative for Stellantis, which owns RAM and Dodge, said in August, via NASCAR, “I think we’ve got a lot of work to do to get these five trucks on track first, and then Cup is the next thing on our agenda to figure it out. 

“How are we going to do it? What are we going to do? … I’d hate to commit to the timing with you, but it is a much bigger endeavor. With trucks being a spec chassis, we’ve got the body, we’re through aero and all that good stuff. Cup is just such a bigger endeavor, and a lot of work has to be done in developing an engine and all that.”