{"id":399135,"date":"2026-01-09T21:42:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T21:42:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/399135\/"},"modified":"2026-01-09T21:42:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T21:42:17","slug":"ram-is-turning-the-search-for-its-next-nascar-driver-into-reality-tv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/399135\/","title":{"rendered":"Ram Is Turning the Search for Its Next NASCAR Driver Into Reality TV"},"content":{"rendered":"

The biggest car news and reviews, no BS<\/p>\n

Our free daily newsletter sends the stories that really matter directly to you, every weekday.<\/p>\n

It was a big deal back in June when Ram<\/a> announced its return to NASCAR<\/a>. For one, it got people excited because it could also pave the way for Dodge<\/a> to re-enter the stock car racing scene. Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis also promised that it would do something more as part of its Craftsman Truck Series comeback. We now know what he was hinting at: a Fox reality show where 15 drivers compete for the final spot on a NASCAR roster.<\/p>\n

The show is called Race for the Seat, and it has some big names behind it\u2014mainly, UFC CEO Dana White and Thrill Sports Productions, the parent company of Nitro Circus and Power Slap (a.k.a. everyone\u2019s favorite competition series to wince at<\/a>). Both White and Kuniskis will be regulars on the show, accompanied by Kaulig Racing Team Owner Matt Kaulig. They\u2019ll provide behind-the-scenes commentary in between segments where the 15 chosen drivers compete at tracks like Virginia International Raceway and South Boston Speedway. Actor Jacob Lofland from Landman will host.<\/p>\n

\"RamThat\u2019s Tim, by the way. Ram Ram<\/p>\n

The Drive had a quick sit-down with Kuniskis to talk about the series. He\u2019s an enthusiastic fella, especially when it comes to trucks and V8s. His feelings about this series are no different.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe funny thing about NASCAR is, if you look at it, there\u2019s probably 350 or 400 guys that are actually certified to get out on track,\u201d Kuniskis explained. \u201cTalent was never an issue.\u2029There\u2019s an abundance of talent. It\u2019s [about] who has the opportunities to break into something as competitive as NASCAR. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo, when you have an overabundance of people, and you have to narrow it down to 15, it gives you the ability to get a cross-functional group of people, just like you would do for any reality show. You say, \u2018OK, who\u2019s the straight [laced] guy? Who\u2019s the angry guy? Who\u2019s the funny guy? Who\u2019s the most competitive guy? \u2029What\u2019s going to create the best TV?’\u201d<\/p>\n

Kuniskis went on to say he isn\u2019t the guy for that job. Actually, his exact words were, \u201cI don\u2019t know sh*t about that.\u201d Fortunately, they teamed up with White, Thrill Sports, and The Ultimate Fighter executive producer Craig Piligian to select a prime crop of drivers. <\/p>\n

\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\tRAM Race for the Seat | OFFICIAL TRAILER | Premieres January 25 on FOX\t\t\t<\/p>\n

We still don\u2019t know who the contestants are, though they\u2019ll surely be revealed during Race for the Seat\u2018s debut on Fox come Jan. 12 at noon ET. Whoever wins the contest will race alongside Brenden Queen, Daniel Dye, and Justin Haley at Kaulig Racing during the 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season. For what it\u2019s worth, Kaulig also has another truck, but it\u2019s designated for a rotating cast of free agent drivers. <\/p>\n

\"RamRam <\/p>\n

Finally, Kuniskis insists that there will be more than one season of Race for the Seat. \u201cWe signed a multi-year deal, so we\u2019re doing it this year, and next year, and the next year, and the next year, and it\u2019s going to become a thing,\u201d he explained. \u201cYou add on top of that, the layer of the free agent truck, where we\u2019ll have a different driver every single weekend. I think we\u2019re coming back into the sport in a very interesting way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: caleb@thedrive.com<\/p>\n

From running point on new car launch coverage to editing long-form features and reviews, Caleb does some of everything at The Drive. And he really, really loves trucks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The biggest car news and reviews, no BS Our free daily newsletter sends the stories that really matter…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":399136,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,634,82],"class_list":["post-399135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nascar","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399135","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=399135"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/399135\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/399136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=399135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=399135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=399135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}