Kaulig Racing's Ram 1500s Battle Through FR8 208 at EchoPark Speedway, Haley Scores Top-10

Kaulig Racing's new Ram 1500 program takes another step forward with a top-10 finish and valuable data collection.

Feb. 22, 2026 at 2:18pm

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Kaulig Racing's brand-new Ram 1500 program in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series put all five of its trucks at the finish of the FR8 208 race at EchoPark Speedway near Atlanta, with Justin Haley scoring a top-10 result. The team focused on gathering data and clean laps as they build their new program, with Haley, Ty Dillon, Daniel Dye, Brenden Queen, and Fin Tyrrell all finishing the race.

Why it matters

Kaulig Racing's new Ram 1500 program is still in the early stages of development, so collecting data and gaining experience on different track types is crucial. While outright speed wasn't the focus, getting all five trucks to the finish and Haley's top-10 result represent important steps forward as the team works to become a contender.

The details

The race was shortened by 10 laps due to a rain delay, which limited the opportunities for the Kaulig Rams to make up ground through strategy. Justin Haley was the top performer, improving from 16th in Stage 1 to 14th in Stage 2 and then scoring a 10th-place finish. Ty Dillon overcame some setbacks to finish 11th, while Daniel Dye, Brenden Queen, and Fin Tyrrell also completed the race, gaining valuable experience.

  • The race was delayed for an hour due to rain.
  • The event was shortened by 10 laps to ensure the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series race could begin on time.

The players

Justin Haley

A driver for Kaulig Racing's new Ram 1500 program who finished 10th in the FR8 208 race, the top result for the team.

Ty Dillon

A 'free agent' driver who finished 11th in the race for Kaulig Racing's Ram 1500 program after overcoming some setbacks.

Daniel Dye

A driver for Kaulig Racing's Ram 1500 program who finished 13th in the race, briefly running in the top 10 late in the event.

Brenden 'Butterbean' Queen

A driver for Kaulig Racing's Ram 1500 program who finished 16th in the race.

Fin 'Mini' Tyrrell

A driver for Kaulig Racing's Ram 1500 program who finished 19th in the race in just his second start at the Atlanta-style track.

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What they’re saying

“It was good to get a top 10 on the first 1.5-mile track for Ram. As we expected, we have a lot of things to work on. We were pretty decent for our first try, and I think we learned a lot of things across all of our teams. We will keep working on it and try to be better in St. Petersburg and Darlington.”

— Justin Haley

“It was just an up and down day and a little bit of learning about what these trucks need. I felt like our truck wasn't bad, from the start, we were pretty balanced. We were just kind of fighting against getting back up into the clean air. I made a mistake getting a little short in our box and put it to the back and we had a fender brace or a spoiler brace pop off and had to fix that too, so it kept putting us to the back. With the race shortened, it just didn't give us any time to go and really get to where we needed to be. But we finished on a strong note and really proud of the effort. Grateful for the opportunity and had a lot of fun out there today.”

— Ty Dillon

“It was nice to run in the top 10 for a minute today. Our No. 10 MOPAR Ram was much better on the bottom of the track. We definitely have some work to do once we get back to the shop and obviously, we will get better once we spend some time on the simulator. But generally we are OK with how our day went.”

— Daniel Dye

What’s next

The Truck Series heads to St. Petersburg, Florida, next Saturday for its first-ever street race, a totally different challenge that will reward braking, precision, and surviving the concrete. Ram has already announced Colin Braun will drive the No. 25 as the season's third 'Free Agent' driver.

The takeaway

For Kaulig Racing and Ram, Atlanta wasn't about flexing raw speed—it was about building a baseline, collecting hard data, and leaving with respectable finishes. That's how new teams become contenders, one notebook page at a time.