‘Huge changes’ seems to be the theme for the 2026 NASCAR season, with several major overhauls coming our way in how NASCAR operates. As it turns out, some teams are also on song with the same, given Kaulig Racing’s vision for the coming season.

Currently operating in NASCAR under an alliance with Richard Childress Racing (RCR), Kaulig is about to go independent in the sport. The partnership ends with the 2025 campaign. As such, the team is cooking up something big, with a series of new hirings to boost its setup.

How Is Kaulig Racing Preparing for Life After RCR Alliance Ends?

Kaulig Racing is based out of RCR’s North Carolina campus and operates from there. However, starting next season, the team will be shifting base to a new facility that will be completely owned by them. For next year, they plan on racing in the Truck Series with five entries, partnering up with the newcomers RAM.

Kaulig will also be present in the Xfinity Series with the No. 11 car alongside two entries in the Cup Series. In both these series, they continue to partner up with Chevrolet, with chances of switching to RAM in 2027 in the Cup Series, too.

But before that happens, Kaulig needs a reliable team, and they know it well. Given the same, team president Chris Rice has confirmed that they have ramped up their hiring process (via Fanbuzz) to leave no stone unturned ahead of a landmark season for his team.

He said, “We’re hiring left and right. I think over the last three weeks, we’ve had about 10 people start and we’ve had a lot of engineers start because not only building five trucks, we’re going to be out on our own on Cup. We’re not going to be able to alliance with RCR and do those things, so we’re going to kind of be out on our own on that.”

Rice added that his team is building its own Cup program, including the bodies and other relevant things. Rice also recalled Matt Kaulig’s words, who always asked him to make a team capable of standing on its own two feet for the next decade.

Kaulig Racing isn’t just shaking things up behind the scenes, with drivers also facing a makeover. Most recently, the team pointed at reigning ARCA Menards champion Brenden Queen as their Xfinity Series driver for the final three races of 2025.

Fans are already buzzing that this could be the start of something bigger. With these bold plans both on and off the track, Kaulig Racing is aiming to make 2026 a landmark year in its NASCAR journey.