When Justin Haley departed Kaulig Racing at the conclusion of the 2023 season, he looked to further his career. Just over two years later, he returns to the organization as it embarks on the challenge of welcoming back a manufacturer to NASCAR: Ram.
Chris Rice, chief executive officer for Kaulig Racing, credits Haley for elevating its Cup program as the first full-time driver in 2022. Now, Haley is squarely in charge of being the leader of the debuting NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team.
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“It fell right in our lap to get Justin back in-house,” Rice told NASCAR.com. “He helped us build our Cup program when we didn’t have a lot, and now, he’s going to help us build our truck program. He will be the one that puts the pressure on us to get better.”
Getting the nod as Ram’s manufacturer team was a tall task for Kaulig. It meant hiring new employees and adjusting roles for others from its successful 10-year stint in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. The organization now has four buildings on its campus in Welcome, North Carolina, home to its newly built trucks, fabrication shop and NASCAR Cup Series Chevrolets.
Between building trucks, hanging bodies and 3D printing, Kaulig has stayed plenty active throughout the offseason. Rice, who has held a multitude of roles within NASCAR, considers the five-truck start-up team the biggest obstacle he’s faced yet.
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“For someone like Ram, Stellantis and Dodge to be behind us, Matt Kaulig will jump through fire to get to do it,” Rice said. “I’m all in to make sure it happens.”
With a pair of drafting-style venues to kick-start the 2026 campaign, followed by the Truck Series’ debut on the streets of St. Petersburg, Rice doesn’t believe Kaulig will know where it truly stands in the pecking order until deep into the season, signaling June or July. Ram drivers won’t even have access to the manufacturer’s simulator until late April, Rice said.
MORE: 2026 Craftsman Truck Series schedule
That’s no stress for Haley, though, having spent the previous four seasons battling the sport’s best in Cup. His resume reads 341 total national series starts, highlighted by eight victories, including a trio of checkered flags during his lone full-time Truck Series season in 2018 with GMS Racing.
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“I haven’t allowed myself to think about expectations for the year,” Haley said. “I think it’s obvious with my experience and how many races I’ve done in NASCAR that I feel like we should be competitive no matter where we’re at or how good our trucks are. We may go out and be good and surprise ourselves, or it might be really bad, and we have to slowly work on it.”
Admittedly, Haley was “caught off guard” when Spire Motorsports didn’t renew his contract for the 2026 Cup season. He had multiple stints with the blossoming organization, banking the team’s first victory in the big leagues in 2019 at Daytona International Speedway. He rejoined Spire on a full-time basis as part of a rare in-season trade with Rick Ware Racing for Corey LaJoie late in the 2024 season.
Turmoil hit Haley and the No. 7 team after nine races in 2025 when championship-winning crew chief Rodney Childers departed the team. Haley scored one top five and two top 10s across the campaign.
“I really wasn’t expecting it,” Haley said. “You take a step back, and I had a lot of options and a lot of people that called me. Being with Matt Kaulig and Kaulig Racing for so long, having to leave to try to keep my career going was a tough decision. Business is a big part of racing.
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“I went out there and tried my best, did everything I could, and the cards didn’t fall our way more times than not. I feel like I was at the top of my game, doing everything I could. It’s a tough series; it’s a tough sport. I don’t really have a comment because I don’t know what to think of [last] year. I allowed it to escape my brain.”
Justin Haley (L) talks with AJ Allmendinger before a NASCAR Cup Series race.
Haley leaned on AJ Allmendinger, one of his racing mentors, when assessing his next landing spot. The easy decision was returning to Kaulig, a place he’s treasured over the years. His first full-time race back with the organization will occur in the Truck Series season opener at Daytona on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET, FS1, NRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
“This is something that I’m going to have a lot of pride in and hopefully build,” Haley said. “I want to do nothing more than to win Ram’s first race at Daytona. I’ve been daydreaming about it. It’s a win that I want to get badly because it’s the only series I haven’t won at Daytona. To get to win in all three series at Daytona has been my racing bucket list item that I’ve thought about and something I want to accomplish.”
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Bouncing between three different organizations in as many seasons, and then reuniting with Kaulig, Haley considers the last few years “strange.” But he kept strong relationships with Kaulig and Rice before returning.
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There is a potential pathway back to the Cup Series for Haley. But he also believes that by starting a family with his wife, Haley, it could be a sign to race less. He will occasionally fire up the dirt modified, having spent the last two weeks at Volusia Speedway Park.
The objective for Kaulig is to bring a new manufacturer to the Cup Series and reside as its key-partner team. This is the opportunity the organization has been waiting for since forming in 2016.
“I’m excited that when they do tell us they want to go Cup racing, let’s go and figure it out; let’s make it happen,” Rice said. “I’m ready to rock.”
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