One Cup Series team grabbed the headlines for the past four weekends. Kaulig Racing became a hot topic as its driver, Ty Dillon, dominated NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge. Although his ‘Cinderella’ run could not last through Indianapolis, Kaulig’s impact stayed relevant, nonetheless. The same cannot be said, however, about the team’s Xfinity Series fold.

Just a year ago, Shane van Gisbergen, on loan from Trackhouse Racing, delivered three spectacular trophies while wheeling the No. 97 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet. That trail of excellence found its way out with SVG’s exit, however. Hence, Kaulig had to resort to harsh measures, but not to the extent of axing its whole operation.

Truncating its NASCAR ambition

Time and again, rumors of a team shutting down rock the NASCAR garage. That happened last year with Stewart-Haas Racing, and Tony Stewart’s 70-time Cup race-winning team did end up shuttering. Kaulig Racing has a less glittering resume than that – it averaged 4.6 wins per season from 2019 to 2023. In the Xfinity fold, only SVG brought the team to Victory Lane in 2024. 2025 was not going well, with Josh Williams in the spotlight. The driver picked up just two top tens, and after his 22nd-place finish in Indianapolis, had to face serious discussions with his team. As a result of that, Williams parted ways with Kaulig after netting 6 top tens in 54 overall starts.

Despite Josh Williams’ exit sparking rumors of an overall team failure, Kaulig Racing‘s response was different. After all, rookie driver Christian Eckes has fetched three top fives and 8 top tens. Teammate Daniel Dye also boasts 7 top tens, so things are not so bleak. Chris Rice, President of Kaulig Racing, joined SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90 on Thursday to clarify the situation. He said, “I’ve seen something where everybody said the Xfinity program is shutting down. It’s not shutting down. That’s our cornerstone.”

The discussion, however, is more relevant to the size of the team. Until Josh Williams left, Kaulig was considering buying a fourth car. That ambition, however, had to be scuttled further to two cars, as Rice continued: “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.”

Nevertheless, the will to win is intact. Chris Rice stressed that getting the team back on track is a priority, saying, “We’ve got to get our Xfinity program back to where we’re contending for wins and trophy hunting and doing different things like that.”

Meanwhile, Kaulig Racing’s former driver is adapting to the new situation. Things are going well, according to him.

Boldly facing the adversity

If nothing else, Josh Williams is known for his intrepid reaction. The 31-year-old gained fame in the 2023 Atlanta race. When duct tape flew off his car, NASCAR expected him to go behind the wall, but Williams defied the order. He parked his car on the finish line and walked off, drawing cheers from fans. Although the driver received a hefty fine for this rebellious action, it made him popular nonetheless and landed him at Kaulig Racing. Now, as he bids adieu to the team, Williams is adopting the same defiant and bold approach. He told the press after Kaulig announced of letting him go: “I have a plan for the future, so I feel like that makes it easier. I feel like I’ve got more drive than ever.”

What is more, many in the NASCAR garage are rooting for Josh Williams’ success. The former ARCA Menards Series race winner and short track star received multiple phone calls this week to help him reconcile with the difficult times. Williams reflected on the respect he cherishes:

“It goes to show you what type of person that I am. I can’t walk down pit road without being late to the car because I’ve got to stop and talk to 100 people on the way. Everyone respects me and knows who I am as a person and how I treat people. I never burn a bridge because you don’t know what the future holds. Motorsports is the smallest community in the world. Everything is a circle, no pun intended. We’re all in this small circle, and you never know when you’re going to need that person one day.”

Clearly, both parties are trying to move on after a sad breakup. Let us wait and see when they can find their footing on their own.