Ram is storming back to NASCAR’s Craftsman Truck Series in 2026, its first factory-backed swing since 2012, teaming with Kaulig Racing to unleash up to five trucks. Brenden “Butterbean” Queen, the 2025 ARCA champ, is locked in as the lead driver, kicking off a revival that’s got the garage gearing up for fresh rivalry. The partnership dropped in August 2025, eyeing a Daytona debut on February 13, 2026, a bold bid to reclaim rubber and rumble in the truck trenches.

Kaulig Racing, the Xfinity upstart that’s clawed from one-car wonder in 2016 to multi-series menace, is eyeing a hard shift for 2026, rumors swirling they’ll ditch full-time Xfinity and pour the pot into Trucks.

Ditching Xfinity for Truck glory

It’s no shocker; the team’s been ballooning, from single-file starts to Cup crossovers, and Ram’s alliance screams a full-throttle pivot to field five rigs in the series. The move’s strategic savvy, funneling funds and focus to the truck grind, is a natural next lap for a crew that’s cranked speed in every lane.

The chatter’s thick: Kaulig’s Xfinity full-timers could fold, resources rerouted to the Ram-backed rumble. Brenden “Butterbean” Queen steps up as the anchor, his ARCA crown, eight wins, 17 top-fives, fresh fuel for the fire, plus a ninth in an Xfinity cameo at Kansas, where he led eight laps.

He’ll wrap his 2025 Xfinity stints in the No. 11, a teaser for the truck tour. Christian Eckes, locked in a multi-year Xfinity pact since 2024, might migrate to Trucks with Daniel Dye, filling truck slots in the five-truck fleet. No official nods yet, but the shuffle hints at a full retool, the Xfinity exit a bitter pill for a series they owned, but the truck bet a bigger bite.

It’s the industry’s itch scratched: Ram’s reentry, first factory flex since 2012, slots Kaulig as the spearhead, a team tough enough to tame the truck chaos. The 2026 opener at Daytona looms tight, a February frenzy where five rigs roll ready, and Kaulig’s the crew to crank it, turning rumor into rubber-bursting reality.

Kaulig’s truck tilt ties sweet to Brenden “Butterbean” Queen as Ram’s ramrod, the 2025 ARCA ace the anchor for their five-truck fleet, the first name nailed for the 2026 Craftsman Series charge.

Queen’s the first Ram truck King

It’s a tasty tip-off, the champ’s eight wins and 17 top-fives a silver platter of proof he’s primed to pound the pavement, and the other four faces are still simmering, but Queen’s the queen bee, buzzing with the buzz of a breakthrough.

His ARCA assault was no fluke, and his Xfinity appetizer at Kansas, ninth place, eight laps led, whets the appetite for the big leagues. He’ll wrap his 2025 Xfinity runs in the No. 11, a swan song for the series as he shifts to trucks, Ram’s revival roaring to life.

The Daytona drop on February 13, 2026, crunches the calendar, a tight timeline from trend to tread, and Kaulig’s the kitchen where the grind gets good, five trucks tuned tight from the table.

Queen keeps it humble: just a short-track kid who’s hustled every dawn, never dreaming he’d dent this door.

Grateful for the gig, he gets the gospel, builds the beast, chases the crowns, and with Ram’s rumble and Kaulig’s kick, it’s a recipe for rumble that could rewrite the truck tale. The truck number and partners are pending, but the promise is pure plate-track poetry, Butterbean, the bite that starts the feast.