Who Should Drive the Kaulig Trucks for 2026?
Kaulig is expanding to 5 trucks in 2026, and recently, rumors have linked Christian Eckes and Daniel Dye to the brand-new RAM team. And of course, they’ve already confirmed that Brendan Queen will be joining the brand-new truck team as well? But aside from Eckes, Dye, and Queen, who else deserves a chance in Kaulig trucks?
Sean Hingorani
The American Indian driver disappeared in 2025. Not doing a single official NASCAR race all year. Which is very strange for a 19-year-old who showed talent by winning back-to-back ARCA West titles in 2023 and 2024 and who brings in sponsorship from his father’s firm, Fidelity Capital, for which Navin Hingorani is an executive.
A driver who’s shown talent and has a lot of sponsorship on paper, he’s the perfect young prospect, but that’s on paper. As I’m sure you know, there’s a lot more there. Potentially the most disrespectful driver in NASCAR history, even in ARCA, he earned the ire of millions of NASCAR fans through many incidents. Starting with him wrecking teammate Dean Thompson, which was payback for Thompson shoving him off track, ending a battle for the lead.
Although that, in and of itself, was payback for multiple bump-and-run attempts Hignorani made on Thompson. Then there was the time at Irwindale where Hingorani blew off a track promoter after winning, climbing the fence, and the promoter loudly swearing at him.Yeah, he has attitude problems that I can’t lie about. And it’d take a heck of a year to change most of it. But if you have the talent, I believe you deserve the chances.
He’s shown the talent, and there have been plenty of drivers who started out as brats but matured with age. Like the Busch brothers, Hmiel, Tony Stewart, and more. It doesn’t always happen, but if they can, hey, Hingorani’s a human too. If Kaulig were to give him a chance, it might set him on the path to maturity and stardom.
Derek Kraus
Another ARCA West champion that hasn’t been given the best chance. He’s another talent who deserves a 2nd chance. For the record, other drivers who won ARCA West titles are Jesse Love and Todd Gilliland, to show that the series produces talent. 1 reason Kaulig should hire Kraus is the job he did in trucks at MHR. MHR is now a top truck team, with a rumored Kaulig driver, Eckes, having a season in 2024 where he earned a top 10 in all but one race.
And have won 2 races so far this year, and all that wouldn’t have been possible without a young Derek Kraus. Before MHR had the KBM connection, then the GMS connection, and then took over GMS. They were a brand-new truck series team trying to build on their ARCA West dominance. So, they started in the midpack, but Kraus’s raw pace and talent helped them exceed their expectations.
He had 13 top tens and finished a single spot outside the playoffs, pretty good for a new team. After a harsh 2022, he finished 11th in points again in 2023, earning 7 top tens during a tough transition period for MHR. So, if he can help build MHR, he can help develop Kaulig into race winners and champions themselves.
Austin Green
The royal weekend really exposed everyone to how great Austin Green really can be. As he finished runner up to Zilisch on a midpack JAR team in a part-time car, he showed true greatness. So, you put him on a genuinely great truck team; he can win at races like St. Pete, the Glen, Lime Rock, and of course, the Roval. But when it comes to ovals, that’s a way bigger question mark. He’s shown potential to win at the Charlotte oval in ARCA in his 2nd start with Pinnacle.
Still, in Xfinity, he hasn’t gotten a single top 25 in 6 attempts, even DNQing Darlington and Talladega. But we aren’t talking about him signing to Kaulig’s Xfinity team; we’re talking about him signing to Kaulig’s truck team. So, trucks are his level, and with him being race-winning at any road course, it makes perfect sense for Kaulig to sign him up. Thanks a bunch for reading!
