Chris Rice set the record straight on Wednesday during his weekly appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio’s The Morning Drive.
Kaulig Racing isn’t going anywhere, despite rumors that it would soon be merging with Trackhouse Racing and Rice, the team president, didn’t mince words in declaring it.
“We’re not merging and we’re not doing anything like that,” Rice said. “We are very close to Trackhouse and we will be close to Trackhouse for a while but we’re also very close to RCR, if you want to look at it that way.”
The rumors are based upon Trackhouse having lent Kaulig the driving services of Shane van Gisbergen for a full-time Xfinity Series season and a part-time Cup Series season alongside AJ Allmendinger and Derek Kraus in the No. 16 car.
“We knew 2023 was going to be hard on us because it was what we called a gap year for Kaulig Racing,” Rice added. “We have some exciting stuff behind the scenes. We’re very tight lipped about what we do. I always throw diversions out there so people talk about us. …
“I spent some time in Ohio (where Kaulig lives) this week. I’m excited about it and when we’re able to talk about it and can share it. I think people are worried, ‘is Matt Kaulig going away’ (and) Matt Kaulig isn’t going away.
“I mean, we don’t have a charter agreement done so let’s focus on that and then we can focus on what can we do.
“And then we have some stretches of races with AJ and SVG in the car where we can win some races with the 16 car. We’re focused on that. But we’re going to be here for a long time but we have to do it the right way. But right now, trying to figure what to make Kaulig the strongest.”
So, what is the timeline for Rice announcing his 2025 plans for the team?
“I wished it were yesterday,” Rice said. “We did this last year. We tried to wait until the 11th hour on AJ. We had a plan to have him back in Xfinity but we wanted to run him a ton in Cup. We kept telling everyone we had a plan.
“I wish I could have told everyone yesterday but the next 30 days is a big big time for us. But in the next 30 days, people will know what it looks like for us in 2025 with the Cup program and the Xfinity program.
“Yes, we will be in Cup. … Matt Kaulig is in NASCAR for the long haul, believes in the system. The charter agreement is going to be good and then we can finalize what we’re working on.”
Matt Weaver is a Motorsports Insider for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.