Kaulig Racing will bring Tony Stewart into the cockpit at Talladega on Friday, October 23, in a move designed to speed the team’s learning on high‑bank superspeedways. Stewart is scheduled to pilot the No. 25 Ram 1500, a run Kaulig and its partner Ram frame as focused on development rather than the season points battle.
At 55, Stewart has a long record on oval tracks. He is a NASCAR Hall of Famer with three Cup Series championships and 49 wins at NASCAR’s top level, plus 11 victories in the NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series. His resume also includes two Truck Series wins, both at Daytona. The Talladega start will be just his eighth in what NASCAR classifies as the Truck Series and his first Truck race at the Alabama superspeedway.
Stewart returned to national-series competition earlier this year at Daytona, an outing that ended in a DNF after he was collected in a crash. Kaulig says the Talladega appearance will be a different sort of opportunity, aimed at refining the team’s superspeedway approach while keeping the experience enjoyable for the driver and crew. Stewart framed his role plainly, saying, "Anytime you can get into a Ram truck and go racing at a place like Talladega, you jump at it. 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."
Stellantis executive Tim Kuniskis welcomed Stewart’s involvement, adding, "Bringing Tony back behind the wheel of the Ram 1500 at Talladega brings incredible energy to our entire team and NASCAR fans everywhere. 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 and a racer through and through, seeing 'Smoke' back on the high banks at NASCAR's biggest track is going to be a show."
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Talladega will be broadcast live on Fox Sports at 4 p.m. EDT on Friday, October 23. Kaulig and Ram say the appearance is intended to produce on-track feedback that will inform future setups and drafting strategies as the team expands its superspeedway program.
