At one point in the recent past, Kaulig Racing was an exciting team to follow. Their rise to prominence in the now O’Reilly Series seemed to foreshadow promising things for their Cup efforts. Afterall, they did manage to win a race before going fulltime in Cup. Much like a young driver making the jump to Cup, Kaulig has struggled to be a player in NASCAR’s top series. Outside of road course success with AJ Allmendinger, there has been little to hang their hat on in their Cup history. Now with their organizational shift with the incoming Dodge RAM, these growing pains might be furthered in 2026. This will likely be a bleak 2026 Season Preview for Kaulig Racing.
#10 – Ty Dillon
Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Crew Chief: Andre Dickenson
2025 Points Finish: 33
2026 Announced Sponsors: Grizzly Nicotine Pouches, Sea Best
For the first time since driving for Germain Racing, Ty Dillon will spend consecutive seasons with the same team. Will that continuity help boost his performance in 2026? Most likely not. Dillon does a serviceable job with any equipment he is given. Although he might not maximize its potential, he does take care of it and brings it home in one piece. Ignore what happened at Las Vegas last fall though. Last year, Dillon only had 3 DNFs and managed to finish on the lead lap in almost half the races.
2026 Expectations
Expectations for Ty Dillon and the 10 team are going to be low. This is not a knock on Dillon’s talent. Rather, it is an indictment on the prospects for Kaulig Racing as a whole this season. At best, maybe Dillon rattles off some Top-20s and sneaks a Top-10 or two in at superspeedways.
Chevy Distance
2026 is going to be a rough season for Kaulig Racing. With the announcement that Kaulig is swapping their O’Reilly cars for RAM trucks, the indication is that Dodge is not far from a Cup venture. Kaulig Racing will likely lead that charge, which means that Chevy is going to abandon the team for 2026. With no technical alliance or support from RCR anymore, Kaulig Racing will go it alone until Dodge announces their return to the Cup Series. Whatever performances issues that plagued Kaulig last year will only worsen. The goal of 2026 will be hold as steady as can be while hoping the RAM alliance for the Truck Series will pay off well.
#16 – AJ Allmendinger
Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Crew Chief: Trent Owens
2025 Points Finish: 26
2026 Announced Sponsors: Celsius, LeafFilter, Action Industries, Grizzly Nicotine Pouches, Campers Inn RV
Arguably, one of the most underrated drivers in the Cup Series is AJ Allmendinger. While usually respected as a road course ace, Allmendinger has proven capable of running well at a variety of tracks. When looking at his 2025, a bad final 9 races spoiled an overall solid season. Allmendinger sat around that 16th spot in full season points for the majority of the season. Had The Chase format been around last year, the 16 team would have received much more fanfare in a tight bubble race.
2026 Expectations
Under normal circumstance, AJ Allmendinger would be a dark horse pick to sneak his way into The Chase. Usually, Allmendinger has the 16 car within the Top-20 at most tracks. That type of consistency would benefit him in The Chase format. However, the likelihood of this continuing seems low due to the absence of any support from Chevy. If this team can replicate Allmendinger’s stat line from 2025, that would be an impressive achievement. Outside of Top-10s at the road courses, it is difficult to envision much success from this team. If there was a driver to do it though, it would be Allmendinger.
Waiting on Dodge
While there have been murmurs about a potential 2027 entry for Dodge in the Cup Series, there has been no official time table set. The question is whether Kaulig will be chomping at the bit to get Dodge to step up for next season. Without help from Chevy, the positive results will be few and far between. For an organization that has seemingly had cash flow problems, a down season might put a strain on their Cup program. Can Kaulig Racing survive a second Cup season without any manufacturer support?
Catch up on the previous 2026 Season Previews
Hendrick Motorsports; Joe Gibbs Racing; Team Penske; Trackhouse Racing; 23XI Racing; RFK Racing; Spire Motorsports; Legacy Motor Club; Front Row Motorsports; Richard Childress Racing; Wood Brothers Racing