Tony Stewart returns as the driver of Kaulig Racing’s No. 25 ‘Free Agent’ RAM 1500 entry for the upcoming NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ Chase event, the Love’s RV Stop 225, at Talladega Superspeedway scheduled for October 23.
The three-time Cup Series champion from Columbus, Indiana, was the first competitor selected to pilot Kaulig’s ‘free agent‘ entry as part of the organization’s inaugural Truck Series campaign. The program features various competitors from multiple racing divisions and disciplines. Each will compete in at least one Truck event in one of Kaulig’s RAM 1500 entries numbered 25. The competitors who compete in the entry would not compete for the 2026 Truck Series driver’s championship. They will, however, be evaluated by their on-track performance for a season-ending program prize.
Stewart was revealed to commence Kaulig’s free agent entry for its first entrance in a Truck event for this year’s season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway. Despite finishing in 36th place after being eliminated from an early incident, he expressed his excitement about competing in his first NASCAR national touring series event since 2016 and did not rule out future starts.
Now, Stewart (a.k.a.: ’Smoke’) is set to return for his second Truck Series start and his second consecutive superspeedway start of 2026 at a venue in which he previously campaigned between the Cup and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series divisions, but none in the Truck division.
“Anytime you can get into a Ram truck and go racing at a place like Talladega, you jump at it,” Stewart said. “Daytona in February was a blast, but this trip focuses on having fun while helping Kaulig Racing learn and build their notebook on superspeedways. Ram put a tremendous amount of heart into this NASCAR return. If my experience helps this team sharpen its drafting package and speed up the learning curve, everyone wins.”
From 1999 to 2016, Stewart made a total of 35 starts in the Cup division at Talladega. He achieved his lone victory at the venue in 2008 and finished in the top-10 mark 14 times. The Indiana native also has a single O’Reilly victory in five starts at Talladega, which occurred in 2008.
To date, Stewart has made seven career starts in the Truck Series division and has achieved two victories, both of which occurred at Richmond Raceway in back-to-back seasons (2002-03). Should Stewart win this year’s event at Talladega, he would join Mark Martin and Kyle Busch as the lone competitors to achieve victories across NASCAR’s top three national touring series at the 2.660-mile tri-oval superspeedway venue in Lincoln, Alabama.
“Bringing Tony back behind the wheel of the Ram 1500 at Talladega brings incredible energy to our entire team and NASCAR fans everywhere,” Tim Kuniskis, Head of American Brands, SRT Performance, North American Marketing and Retail Strategy at Stellantis, said. “That’s exactly what our Free Agent program is all about. We built it to put proven competitors in Ram trucks, let them push the limits, create real-world feedback, and give fans what they came for. Tony is a Hall of Famer anda racer through and through, Seeing ‘Smoke’ back on the high banks at NASCAR’s biggest track is going to be a show.”
Currently, Kaulig Racing’s No. 25 entry, which is led by crew chief Dan Stillman, is ranked in 26th place in the 2026 owner’s standings after 19 of the 25-race schedule. The entry is one of five that is fielded by Kaulig. It competes alongside the No. 10 entry piloted by Corey LaJoie, the No. 12 entry piloted by rookie Brenden “Butterbean” Queen, the No. 14 entry piloted by newcomer Timothy “Mini” Tyrrell and the No. 16 entry piloted by Justin Haley.
Stewart, Ty Dillon, Colin Braun, Corey LaJoie, Carson Ferguson, Parker Kligerman, AJ Allmendinger, Clint Bowyer, Travis Pastrana, Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman, Conor Daly, Elliott Sadler and Regan Smith have piloted the entry at least once. Stewart is set to join Dillon, Ferguson, Kligerman and Braun as competitors who have piloted the No. 25 entry multiple times. Daly and Regan Smith are also scheduled to join the latter list, with Daly competing this upcoming weekend at Kansas Speedway and Smith racing at Charlotte Motor Speedway in two week’s time.
Allmendinger has recorded the No. 25 entry’s highest-finishing result of sixth place at Watkins Glen International in early May. Kaulig’s selection and reveal of drivers for the remaining events of the 2026 season remains to be determined.
The 2026 Love’s RV Stop 225 at Talladega Superspeedway is scheduled to occur on October 23 at 4 p.m. ET on FS1, NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM.
