NASCAR Cup Series team, Kaulig Racing, has signed a sponsorship deal with Cummins Motorsports for its Truck Series debut. The team will compete in the Craftsman Truck Series, featuring RAM trucks in the 2026 season. The global power technology leader will primarily sponsor Brenden “Butterbean” Queen in the #12 Truck the entire season.
The Cup Series team’s newest sponsor has a long history of engineering expertise and was founded in 1919 by Clessie Cummins and William Glanton Irwin. The company initially focused on developing diesel engines. Cummins was part of the crew for the Marmon Wasp that clinched the first-ever Indianapolis 500 in 1911 before starting his own company.
A few years later, in 1931, Cummins debuted his first diesel-powered car as a special engineering entry, surprising everyone. The car ran 500 miles without refueling and finished the race in P13, using only $1.40 worth of fuel. Three years later, in 1934, Kaulig Racing’s new sponsor returned with two different engines: 2-cycle and 4-cycle. The race proved that 4-cycle engines were superior, and Cummins continued to use them.
Fast forward to 1952, Cummins set a new record with the only diesel-powered car to win the Indy 500 pole position. In 1987, it clinched its first modern Cummins-branded Indy 500 victory with a retired Penske Racing car. The three-time Indy 500 winner, Al Unser Sr., drove the #25 Cummins Holset car and delivered the brand its first-ever Indy 500 victory.
Cummins Inc. also worked with NASCAR teams before sponsoring Kaulig Racing. The company entered the Cup Series with the championship-winning team, Stewart-Haas Racing, in 2022 in selected events. Cummins sponsored the #14 Ford Mustang, driven by Chase Briscoe.
The #14 Ford Mustang, sponsored by Cummins, debuted during the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway. Briscoe secured a P24 finish, followed by a 15th place in the 2022 Atlanta Motor Speedway race. Later, he secured a P23 finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and 18th place at Texas Motor Speedway.
“We Don’t Want To Disrespect Them at All” – When Kaulig Racing President Got Candid About His Plan To Balance the Team’s Loyalty Between Two OEMs
NASCAR Cup Series team Kaulig Racing will become the first team to feature two different OEMs. Team president Chris Rice appeared in an interview with Bob Pockrass in August 2025. Rice discussed his plan to maintain the balance between the two manufacturers.
The North Carolina-based team has a long history with Chevy and has been with the OEM since its debut. Kaulig Racing clinched two Cup victories and 27 Xfinity Series victories while driving Chevy cars. However, for its Truck Series debut, the team went with RAM.
Reflecting on the same, Kaulig Racing president Chris Rice told Pockrass:
“Yeah, well, so we’ve had meetings with Chevrolet, and, you know, I mean, it’s like anything, right? You don’t; we don’t run Chevrolets and XFINITY and Cup, so you got to, kind of. We just told it, you know; we told them why, what, when, and why we needed to do this. And, like, the biggest thing was, is, like, you know, Chevy has been with us for a while. That OEM partner has been there with us for a long time.”
“We don’t want to disrespect them at all, because we need them, just like, you know, hopefully they need us, right? So, long story short, I think they went fine. They got to do what they have to do for their OEM, and we needed to do what we need to do… Not a tier one, not a tier one,” he added.
Kaulig Racing will feature five entries in the Truck Series with RAM. The team has announced the names of three of their entries: Brenden Queen (#12), Daniel Dye (#10), and Justin Haley (#16). The team will also feature a special entry, the #25 truck piloted by free agents, and the #14 entry that has yet to be named.
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