Race Notes

Saturday’s Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (Fla.) NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race marks the third race in Ram’s 2026 return to NASCAR after a 13-year absence.
It is the first time the truck series has ever competed on a street course in its over 30-year history. The race is part of a weekend schedule that includes the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.
The 2026 season is Ram’s first season with Kaulig Racing, which is fielding trucks for Daniel Dye (No. 10), Brenden “Butterbean” Queen (No. 12), “Mini” Tyrrell (No. 14), Justin Haley (No. 16), and a “Free Agent Driver” (No. 25) in each NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race.
A different driver each week will pilot the No. 25 as part of Ram’s “Free Agent Driver” program. NASCAR Hall of Famer Tony Stewart and Ty Dillon have raced in the first two races, and road racing ace Colin Braun will drive the No. 25 on Saturday in St. Petersburg.
Ram has placed a truck in the top-10 at the first two races in 2026. Queen finished seventh at Daytona International Speedway, and Haley finished 10th at EchoPark Speedway.
Kaulig Racing, while new to the truck series, owns two NASCAR Cup Series wins and 27 wins in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series in its history.
FS1 will broadcast the race live at Noon on Saturday.

Colin Braun Notes:

Colin Braun will drive the No. 25 Ram 1500 in Saturday’s NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race for crew chief Alex Yontz.
The 37-year-old native of Ovalo, Texas, began his professional career with early sports car success, including a class podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2006 at age 17. He switched to stock cars in 2007 under a development deal with Roush Fenway Racing, earning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year, multiple poles and his only series victory at Michigan International Speedway in 2009. He also competed in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly NASCAR Nationwide Series) from 2007-2010, securing poles and a top-five finish in limited starts before refocusing on endurance racing.
Braun has since established himself as one of IMSA’s most accomplished drivers, claiming three WeatherTech SportsCar Championship titles (2014, 2015, 2022), more than two dozen wins and four Rolex 24 at Daytona victories, including an overall GTP class win in 2023. He has also earned Asian Le Mans Series championship honors and class victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 24 Hours of Spa.
He is the third competitor in Ram’s groundbreaking Free Agent program within the Truck Series. Tony Stewart and Ty Dillon drove at Daytona International Speedway and EchoPark Speedway respectively. Ram will announce the driver for the March 20 Darlington Raceway NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race before Saturday’s race.
The Free Agent program is designed to bring legendary drivers and rising stars into the spotlight, giving fans a unique mix of experience and fresh talent behind the wheel of Ram trucks.

Colin Braun:

On His Return to the Truck Series: “I’m excited to get back behind the wheel of a NASCAR truck, especially on such a cool weekend when they debut at St. Pete. Ram’s program offers a fantastic opportunity to mix my endurance background with oval and street course racing. I’m thrilled Ram is giving me this chance. I have seen how much work the Kaulig Racing crew is putting into getting this program started up, and giving them a great result would repay them for the hard work!”

Daniel Dye Notes:

Daniel Dye drives the No. 10 Mopar Ram 1500 in the 2026 season for crew chief Dan Stillman. He finished 17th at Daytona International Speedway and 13th at EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta.
The 22-year-old Daytona Beach, Fla. native began his professional stock car career with multiple ARCA Menards Series starts in 2021 and 2022, securing a victory at Berlin Raceway in 2021 while finishing runner-up in the ARCA East standings.
Dye competed full-time in the Truck Series with teams including McAnally-Hilgemann Racing and, now, Kaulig Racing, earning a playoff berth in 2024 and recording multiple top-10 finishes. He also races part-time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
Dye was named the 2025 Comcast Community Champion of the Year, honoring his commitment to using his NASCAR platform to create meaningful change through his nonprofit, Race to Stop Suicide. The organization focuses on breaking the stigma around mental health and delivering hope, awareness, and resources to individuals, families, and communities across the country.
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Daniel Dye:

Learning a New Track in Real Time: “Going to a new track is a challenge. I plan on talking to Colin [Braun] as much as I can, and watching as much in-car footage as I can find. I spoke to Max Papis at Daytona, and he has won there before. I plan on picking his brain as well to try and get as much information as I can, so the learning curve can be shorter than it normally would be without doing the usual prep work we do.”

Brenden “Butterbean” Queen Notes:

Rookie of the Year candidate Brenden “Butterbean” Queen drives the No. 12 Cummins Ram 1500 for crew chief Eddie Pardue.
The Chesapeake, Virginia, native scored a seventh-place finish in Daytona, leading the five-truck Kaulig/Ram contingent. He finished 16th at EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta.
Queen, the 2025 ARCA Menards Series champion, won eight races during his rookie season in the series, including victories at Daytona International Speedway and two at Kansas Speedway.
The 28-year-old driver, known for his mullet and energetic victory celebrations, began racing at age 6 in karts at Langley Speedway and progressed through local Late Model Stock divisions—winning track championships at Langley in 2020, 2021, and 2022, plus the 2024 CARS Late Model Stock Car Tour title
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Brenden “Butterbean” Queen:

Taking on the Streets of St. Pete: “I’m excited to head somewhere new for NASCAR and be part of one of the first street races for the Truck Series in a long time. That’s pretty special. I’m not necessarily known as a road racer, but I’ve never backed down from a challenge. A road course is really the one style of track I haven’t won on yet, so I’d love to change that. Our goal is to put the Cummins Ram 1500 up front, keep learning every lap, and continue building momentum. Atlanta didn’t go the way we wanted, but if we complete all the laps and put ourselves in position at the end, that’s key — street races are all about survival.”

“Mini” Tyrrell Notes:

Timothy “Mini” Tyrrell drives the No. 14 Ram 1500 for crew chief Bruce Cook.
Tyrrell was selected in a FOX television reality competition series called “Race for the Seat,” where 15 aspiring drivers battled for a coveted spot on the Kaulig Racing team, driving a Ram 1500 in the 2026 truck series. The eight-episode series, produced by Dana White and hosted by “Landman” actor Jacob Lofland, featured judges Matt Kaulig, Chris Rice and Ty Norris of Kaulig Racing, and tapped into the dream of becoming a race car driver and Ram’s re-entry into NASCAR.
Earning the nickname “Mini” early on, Tyrrell began racing full-size Late Model Stock Cars at an incredibly young age. At just 10 years old, he became the youngest driver ever to win a Late Model Stock Car race in America (at Shenandoah Speedway). He also won two Late Model championships and was the youngest winner in both youth and pro divisions of Arena Racing (indoor half-scale stock cars).
Off the racetrack, Tyrrell runs “Mini’s Mission”, a non-profit organization that raises awareness and donations for those impacted by childhood cancer. The organization sponsored the CARS Tour race at Dominion Raceway, which Tyrrell won. He’s raised more than $650,000 for childhood cancer research and related causes.

“Mini” Tyrrell:

Life After ‘Race for the Seat’ and First Two Races: “It’s definitely been a huge step in my career. Friday morning in Atlanta, walking into the garage, people wanted me to sign something. That was so awesome. I’ve grew up a race fan, and racing has always been so special to me. I’ve been in the shoes of people who love the drivers. It was definitely unexpected. I am a local guy who ran in the CARS Tour, was successful in late models, and had a bunch of fans who love the short-track scene. With ‘Race for the Seat,’ I had the opportunity to get my name out there and add so many new fans. It’s been such a pleasure meeting everybody and taking photos. I love every minute when those people come up to me.

“It’s made my dreams a reality, which is really special. I want to be a fan favorite. I want to be a guy everybody’s cheering for, and just try to be as thankful and grateful as I can. And I understand how big a world this is and how big of an opportunity this is.”

Leaning on Teammates at St. Pete: “St. Pete is going to be a complete unknown for me. It will involve a lot of learning in real time. I’ll definitely be leaning on my teammates quite a bit – I’m looking forward to learning from Colin [Braun] and all of his experience. Street courses don’t leave much room for mistakes, so the focus will be adapting quickly and keeping our No. 14 Ram 1500 clean.”

Kaulig Racing PR