Conor Daly will be making his third NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start of the 2026 season behind the wheel of Kaulig Racing’s No. 25 Free Agent RAM 1500 entry next weekend at Phoenix Raceway.
The news comes as Daly, a 34-year-old racer from Noblesville, Indiana, has made two previous Truck Series starts with Kaulig throughout the 2026 season. He finished 26th at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in mid-July before he competed in the series’ recent-scheduled event at Kansas Speedway, the latter of which he notched a career-best result of 16th.
“I started to feel a lot more comfortable in the truck as the race went on,” Daly, who referenced his strong run at Kansas, said. “We didn’t get to practice or qualify in Kansas, but we worked on it all race and finally got the truck dialed in for that last green-flag run, and I felt the most comfortable I have ever felt. Driving a truck is a lot of fun when you have it dialed in. I’m honored Ram and Kaulig have asked me to drive the No. 25 and appreciate the opportunity.”
“I work well with the Kaulig drivers and crew,” Daly added. “The more time together, the better our communication, and that shows on the track.”
Next weekend’s Truck Series event at Phoenix is scheduled to mark Daly’s first at the venue between NASCAR’s top-three national touring series and his ninth career start in the Truck Series division. This season will also mark a second consecutive year where he will compete in at least three Truck events in a schedule. Daly has also made a total of three O’Reilly Auto Parts Series starts, three Cup Series starts and 133 NTT IndyCar Series starts, the latter of which featured him finishing 12th while driving for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing during this year’s 110th running of the Indianapolis 500. He will compete for the organization for the full IndyCar schedule in 2027.
Kaulig Racing launched its free-agent driver program ahead of its inaugural Craftsman Truck Series campaign in November 2025. 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.
Currently, Kaulig Racing’s No. 25 entry, which is led by crew chief Dan Stillman, is ranked in 25th place in the 2026 owner’s standings after 20 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.
Tony 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. Dillon, Ferguson, Kligerman, Braun and Daly have each piloted the No. 25 entry multiple times, with Daly being the latest competitor to drive the entry at Kansas Speedway. Smith is set to join the latter list as he will make his second and final scheduled start in the entry this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday, October 9.
Conor Daly’s third Craftsman Truck Series’ start of the 2026 season at Phoenix Raceway is scheduled to occur next Friday, October 16, at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, NASCAR Racing Network and SiriusXM.
