In a season where unpredictability has become the norm, Kaulig Racing’s Xfinity campaign is shaping up to be its most intriguing yet. The team entered the 2025 season with both a sense of stability and underlying tension. As of early August, the team fielded two confirmed full-time entries: Christian Eckes in the #16 and Daniel Dye in the #10. Those two freshmen represent the core of the operation’s push forward. Rumors surfaced around the #11 ride, previously driven by veteran Josh Williams, who was abruptly released on July 30 after delivering only two top 10s in 21 starts and averaging a 20.0 finish this year. With that ride suddenly open, eyes naturally turn toward who might step in and what stories they’ll bring.

The #11 Chevrolet, once piloted steadily by Williams, has transformed overnight into one of Xfinity’s most intriguing question marks. Kaulig President Chris Rice emphasized, “I’ve seen something where everybody said the Xfinity program is shutting down. It’s not shutting down. That’s our cornerstone,” but funding uncertainties may reduce their entries from three to two cars in upcoming seasons. Kaulig’s team president has hinted at surprises in the weeks ahead, particularly at Portland, suggesting they’re actively scouting a wildcard driver to fill the seat, most likely also a Shane van Gisbergen 2.0. That leads us directly to a tantalizing rumor that’s now gaining traction among insiders and listeners alike.

The buzz around Will Brown’s possible Xfinity debut comes directly from a Podcast called Full Credit to the News episode, where a commentator stated unequivocally that Brown is expected to race the Xfinity event at Portland in the #11 for Kaulig Racing. A listener, having rewound that moment three times to ensure clarity, confirmed on Reddit that it was Brown by name, not speculation or shorthand, referring to an opening in the lineup that Kaulig appears to be moving swiftly to fill. Now that whisper is out, how well does that match Will Brown’s trajectory so far this year?

As a defending champion of Supercars Australia, Brown has increasingly looked toward NASCAR this season. He made his second Cup Series start at Chicago in July with Kaulig Racing and impressed observers despite past mechanical gremlins in a Sonoma debut. At Sonoma, he yielded a 31st-place finish, and a crash in Chicago ended his second outing on just Lap 3 for a 39th-place result. That leaves him with an average finish of 35th, zero top 10s, and zero laps led. In the official Cup standings, he is currently ranked 45th, with a single point on board. Despite those modest beginnings, his lack of experience in NASCAR’s Next Gen machinery remains obvious, setting the stage for a potentially more competitive showing should he get behind the wheel again in Xfinity at Portland.

For Kaulig Racing fans, this potential move injects excitement, curiosity, and fresh narrative threads midseason. The possibility of Will Brown taking over the #11 for Portland adds an international flair and road-course pedigree to a team known recently more for Cup driver handoffs or journeyman consistency. It ties neatly into the broad er storyline: a team evaluating its future direction at precisely the point its Xfinity strategy is in flux, with every lap and corner acting as an audition stage. But fans all over social media have differing opinions.

Fans weigh in on Kaulig’s bold midseason move.

One fan opined Brown to mimic SVG’s path to NASCAR, saying, “I think when he’s done with his super car career, he might jump over to NASCAR like SVG.” SVG left Supercars after the 2023 championship to pursue NASCAR full-time. He quickly made his mark with wins in the Xfinity Series at Portland and Sonoma, culminating in a sensational NASCAR Cup debut victory in Chicago for Trackhouse in 2023. Similarly, Brown stepped into SVG’s Triple Eight seat in 2024, won the Supercars title, and earned his NASCAR Cup debut in 2025 at Sonoma. Therefore, he seems poised to follow in SVG’s tire tracks soon.

Some think that this strategy is securing Brown’s pedigree before broader chatter swells, as one fan wrote, “I hope this happens. It’d be cool to see him get an opportunity like that. The Xfinity cars are fun to watch at that track. I wonder how long this Kaulig situation has been brewing, if they already have him signed up. I’m guessing this is Adderton moving faster than Xfinity mobile on an opportunity.” William’s mid-season departure cleared a path for Kaulig‘s experiment: “Kaulig Racing will field the No. 11 Chevrolet with multiple drivers over the remaining 12 NASCAR Xfinity Series races,” the team said in a statement. “More announcements regarding the driver line-up will be forthcoming.” These drivers would not just be placeholders, but potential trial runs for fresh talent or road course aces.

But others have been a little skeptical of this decision. “I hope he lasts a full race this time. So far, his car has either exploded or he’s been Hocevar’d,” said another. After his ill-fated NASCAR Cup debut at the Chicago Street Race, Brown exited the #13 Chevrolet after just 3 laps. It was not due to a mechanical failure but because he was unavoidably caught in a multi-car wreck triggered by Carson Hocevar clipping the Turn 11 wall. That incident took out several drivers and caused severe damage to Brown’s car, ending his race before it truly began. Therefore, fighting for a full race this time seems concerning to some fans.

Others feel, “I think teams are going to be disappointed. There are other great road racers in Supercars, but the thing that always set SVG apart was his ability to adapt to so many different types of racing cars. As soon as Project 91 was announced by Trackhouse, I was hoping SVG would get a chance as I always felt he was the most likely to challenge for a top 5 finish.” Before transitioning to NASCAR, SVG already had amassed an illustrious resume across three Supercars championships, wins at the Bathurst 12-Hour and 6-Hour, third overall in a WRC2 debut at Rally New Zealand, and endurance races at Le Mans, Daytona, and Spa. This kind of adaptability is required to excel across GTs. Rally, sprint cars, and then master the peculiar physics of the agile Xfinity machines, speaks volumes about what SVG offers. And so, everyone would want a talent like that in their team, because of which fans think that the team might be slightly disappointed with their choice this time.

Another added to the sentiment, saying, “Shane is certainly a rare breed. Saw that in the few races that got shown on Speed Channel back in the early 2010s. The current grid has a few guys that can wheel it, though. And I don’t blame anyone here for looking to that pool of talent.” In the early 2010s, V8 Supercars fans quickly noticed his smooth yet daring heel-and-toe downshifts and uncanny car control, especially in tight technical sectors. That ability translated to NASCAR, where by 2025 he claimed three straight road-course victories, including Chicago and Sonoma, prompting teammates and rivals alike to liken racing against him to playing basketball against Michael Jordan.

So, if Brown’s rumored Portland start materializes, it could mark the first step in a broader cross-series exchange of talent. Such moves may not only redefine Kaulig’s Xfinity lineup but also expand NASCAR’s gateway for international drivers.