[autotag]Kaulig Racing[/autotag] still has another opportunity for one of its drivers to clinch a spot in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs at Daytona International Speedway this weekend; however, it is not the main storyline surrounding the organization right now. Rick Ware Racing announced in late July that Justin Haley would join the organization on a multi-year deal as a Ford driver.
This means the No. 31 car for Kaulig Racing is open for 2024 as NASCAR silly season continues to move forward. Well, that doesn’t appear to be the case anymore. Kaulig Racing president Chris Rice joined SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Thursday and discussed the status of the No. 31 car after Haley’s announcement.
“The No. 31 car is pretty much done,” Rice said. “It’s in good shape and like I said from the get-go, I think everybody is gonna be pretty surprised with what we’re doing with that. I’m excited, Matt Kaulig is excited, everybody that partners, and everybody that is involved is excited about it. That’s been a relief. I’ve been able to sleep a little bit.”
Austin Hill is one driver that was previously linked to the No. 31 car but he re-signed with Richard Childress Racing last week. Rice didn’t mention a possible driver that would replace Haley but he did provide a timeline on when to expect an announcement.
“I think we’re probably a couple of weeks away from whatever the partners want to talk about it,” Rice said. “I think we want to get into the playoffs a little bit and once that calms down, I think that’s when they’ll want to do it.”
For now, Kaulig Racing will focus on securing a playoff spot at Daytona but it’s hard to ignore what is coming for the organization. The No. 31 car represents one of the best open rides in NASCAR silly season and it appears that everybody is in for a surprise.
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