The death knell had been ringing for some time. It was just not audible until Wednesday. When Josh Williams joined Kaulig Racing in 2024, he was popular. In the 2023 Atlanta race, Williams parked his car on the finish line in clear defiance of NASCAR’s orders. That landed him a fine and fan popularity. Coupled with his short-track fame – he is a 2005 Bandolero champion – Williams seemed like a good choice for Kaulig’s Xfinity program. However, that did not last.

Ultimately, a driver’s drooping stats bring them down. The same fate visited Corey LaJoie when he left Spire Motorsports’ Cup Series team, and also Hailie Deegan when she lost her AM Racing Xfinity Series seat. But apparently, for Williams, it was not just his weak numbers.

Josh Williams faced a ‘flawed’ chemistry 

Firstly, the No. 11 Chevrolet driver was far off from the Xfinity Series playoffs. In his time at Kaulig Racing, Josh Williams never managed to finish inside the top five in 54 starts. He only had 6 top tens, two of which he achieved across 21 races in 2025. After his 22nd-place finish in Indianapolis, Williams stood at 18th place in the championship standings and had to enter serious discussions with his team. The dropping numbers soured relations between Williams and his higher-ups. Yet as it turns out, the ‘chemistry’ itself was not up to the mark.

Josh Williams confessed the real reason for his recent split in a recent interview: “We had our differences a little bit. I don’t think they were happy, and I wasn’t happy.” He continued, pointing at the team’s faults: “The past few years, as a whole organization, the performance wasn’t as good as it was a few years before I even got there. Teams go through cycles. A lot of times, teams are really good, and then they fade off a little bit and go back to being good. We were in that low part. I don’t think it’s anybody’s fault; it’s just the position that we were in.”

Kaulig Racing president Chris Rice also chimed in: “Sometimes, chemistry just doesn’t work in marriages, life, anything. When you look at our Xfinity program, there’s a lot of potential there, but we haven’t been putting it to work.” While Josh Williams lagged behind, his teammates soared ahead. Christian Eckes owns 3 top fives and 8 top tens, and Daniel Dye has fetched 7 top tens. So, Rice emphasized the lack of parity in results: “At the end of the day…it’s about giving people opportunities to showcase their talent and making sure our stuff is up to par for everybody else.”

Kaulig Racing is already moving on from its ‘flawed’ chemistry. “Multiple drivers” will field the No. 11 Chevy over the next 12 Xfinity Series events. Carson Hocevar will drive the No. 11 car at Iowa Speedway this weekend. Hence, Josh Williams’ place is being swiftly covered up.

At the same time, Kaulig Racing is considering a different path of expansion.

Considering entry into a new series

Well, Josh Williams’ exit set off a flurry of rumors in the NASCAR garage. Fans speculated about the demise of Kaulig Racing’s Xfinity Series arm altogether. However, Chris Rice recently snuffed out those rumors while speaking on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Additionally, he added that there were plans for expansion to four cars until the split with Williams. As the team settles for two Xfinity cars, however, rumors are swirling around its entry into the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Currently, Kaulig has a strong relationship with Chevrolet. But Rice was recently asked if he had had any conversations with Dodge and/or RAM, the Trucks’ primary OEM.

Chris Rice did not overtly negate the possibility. He said, “I can tell you this, I think everybody in the garage probably has. I don’t think it’s one team that hasn’t. I think I told you guys off air yesterday, I have no idea who’s gonna do it, and I’m telling you the truth. And when it does come out, I think it will definitely be a team that’s probably already in the sport. I will say everybody’s had a conversation with those guys, and our conversations really not had anything to do with, but with Chevrolet, we’ve talked with Eric Warren and Shane Martin and those guys lately and seeing what we can do with them.”

Evidently, Kaulig Racing is working on its operations swiftly after the recent loss. Let us wait and see if Josh Williams can also get back on his feet soon.