If there is one personality that has managed to win the fans’ hearts in NASCAR right now, it is Ram Trucks CEO Tim Kuniskis. There was a wave of excitement after Tony Stewart’s remarkable return to Daytona was announced under Ram Trucks’ Free Agent Driver Program for the upcoming season, and there seems to be a lot more that is coming.

Kaulig Racing’s Truck Series expansion with the manufacturer seems to be growing more exciting with every passing day. They have promised five trucks that will be running in the 2026 Truck Series, of which three will be full-time, one will be under the Free Agent Driver Program (FADP), and the last one will have its driver chosen with a reality show. However, the FADP is what has kept the entire ordeal most exciting. Now that veteran team owner and driver Tony Stewart has agreed to participate, it has seemingly opened up the gates for other veterans, too, as per an insider.

Ram Trucks keeps the excitement for fans

“We said, the key to that is these fans love the teams and they love the drivers, these larger-than-life personalities is who they’re attracted to,” Kuniskis told NASCAR earlier while announcing the Free Agent Driver Program.

Kaulignation, an insider on Kaulig Racing, also backed this up on social media earlier, claiming that they “heard some VERY intriguing names as likely possibilities this week.”

In the image they tweeted, it was mentioned how Kuniskis had claimed earlier that the program is “going to re-engage some people that I think were passive NASCAR fans, maybe get re-engaged now because they’re going to see some of their heroes come back and drive.”

With Tony Stewart, who hasn’t raced in a truck since 2005, coming back, there is no doubt that Kuniskis might have already decided to bring in other veteran legends who are still fit enough to take the challenge. And his statement above just proves the same.

The basics of the program are simple. Of the five Ram 1500 Trucks that will be running in 2026, one of them will have rotating drivers.

Now, these rotating drivers will be from a roster yet to be fully revealed. There isn’t any hard and fast rule that dictates that only veterans or only rookie drivers can run the series. Any eligible drivers can run under the FADP. However, the manufacturer seems to be more focused on the return of veteran drivers.

It is not that hard to understand. They already have three full-time drivers running the other three Trucks, and the final truck, whose driver will be chosen through the Race for the Seat reality TV show, will understandably be a rookie. Someone new and upcoming. This leaves the FADP seat alone, and there is no compulsion for them to bring a new driver.

While there is no confirmation on who will pilot the #25 Kaulig Racing Truck after Stewart, the former NASCAR driver will supposedly have fun in the series this time around, claims another veteran driver, who once shared the track with him.

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Tony Stewart tipped to enjoy his entry in the 2026 NASCAR season

Having raced full-time in NASCAR between 1999 and 2016, Tony Stewart had a good idea about the sport and its championship system. In fact, he managed to win three Cup Series titles across the Chase format and the playoffs. While he did manage to find success in the playoff format, Stewart was also a team owner by the time it was introduced, and, in the words of Mark Martin, he wasn’t a fan of that format.

“Yeah, we knew when he was still driving, it was obvious that he wasn’t happy with the sport and the direction of it,” he said on the Mark Martin Archive podcast.

Like most veteran drivers, Stewart also prefers a full-season format to decide the championship. In fact, many of the fans demanded this when it was revealed that the playoff system would be scrapped. However, keeping in mind the entertainment, NASCAR restored the Chase format, but with some modifications.

Despite this change, Martin feels that Stewart would actually be pleased with the new points format, despite not actually racing for the championship.

“We’re so excited to have Smoke back in any race, a NASCAR race. But, like you, I would be skeptical. I’m sure this point format probably pleases him. I know he would be a 36-race guy, but I also know that he’s a very smart man and he sees how hard it was to get where we even got, you know, on a format,” he added.

The Chase format definitely seems to be intriguing. But what currently seems to be snatching more attention is the initiative that Ram Trucks has come up with. It is not always easy to have veteran drivers return to the sport, but with Kaulig’s maiden Truck Entry, it is becoming increasingly possible.