NASCAR team president Chris Rice spills the beans over Kaulig Racing’s Xfinity future

Kaulig Racing president Chris Rice debunked the rumor, suggesting the team's NASCAR Xfinity Series program is shutting down this year. This follows the announcement on Wednesday that Josh Williams parted ways with the team.

In the Xfinity Series, Kaulig Racing has three entries, including the #16 Chevrolet of Christian Eckes, the #10 of Daniel Dye, and the #11 that Williams previously ran. For the upcoming season, Rice is still discussing with the team whether they will compete with two entries, but closing the program is not part of the agenda.

Chris Rice addressed the rumor on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Thursday, saying (via Joseph Srigley on X):

“I’ve seen something where everybody said the Xfinity program is shutting down. It’s not shutting down. That’s our cornerstone.”

The decision to field either two or three cars next year depends on the funding, with Rice explaining:

“Will we have three cars? Man, I don’t know, it just depends on funding. We are sitting there with like 74 Xfinity chassis and bodies and stuff, so I mean, we have a lot of equipment sitting in the shop, so it’s not like it’s going anywhere. We have a lot of people there and we’re going to be around a long time, and we run Xfinity, and if the funding comes through, we’ll be there with three, and if not, we’ll be there with two.”

Joseph Srigley

@joe_srigley

LINK

On @SiriusXMNASCAR, @C_Rice1 addressed the rumors that @KauligRacing would be shutting down its NASCAR Xfinity Series program after 2025:

"I've seen something where everybody said the Xfinity program is shutting down. It's not shutting down, that's our cornerstone."

While Kaulig Racing sorts out its driver lineup, Carson Hocevar will run the #11 car at Iowa Speedway this weekend. Hocevar only had six starts in the Xfinity Series, including two top-10 finishes at Darlington Raceway and Charlotte Motor Speedway in 2023.

Over in the Cup Series, the Chevrolet-affiliated team fields two full-time NASCAR drivers, namely AJ Allmendinger in the #16 and Ty Dillon in the #10. Dillon recently made headlines after making the final round of the inaugural In-Season Challenge as the last-seeded driver. However, he lost the fight for the $1 million prize to Ty Dillon.

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“We will be back soon”: NASCAR driver Josh Williams on exit from Kaulig Racing

Josh Williams shared his thoughts on parting ways with Kaulig Racing mid-season. The 31-year-old thanked his partners and fans for the support and vowed to return to racing before wishing the best for the #11 NASCAR Xfinity Series team.

In an X post, Williams wrote:

“This has been a difficult day for my family, friends, long-time partners and fans, whom I can't thank enough for standing by my side through all of this. We will be back soon and looking forward to a much brighter chapter in my racing career. I wish nothing but the best for my guys on the 11 team.”

Josh Williams drove the #11 Chevrolet Camaro for Kaulig Racing - Source: Imagn

Josh Williams joined Kaulig Racing's Xfinity Series program in 2024. This year, the Florida native has only scored two top-10 finishes in 21 starts, a far cry from teammate Christian Eckes, who has amassed three top-5s and eight top-10s. He ranks 19th in the standings ahead of the 250-lap race at Iowa Speedway this Saturday.