Jamie McMurray Returns to NASCAR in the Truck Series With RAM and Kaulig Racing

Photo: “A portrait photo of NASCAR driver Jamie McMurray in 2025” by Nascar9919 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY SA 4.0 International | Image & License

Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 champion Jamie McMurray will come out of retirement this Friday to pilot the No. 25 RAM 1500 for Kaulig Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series during NASCAR’s inaugural San Diego Street Course weekend at Naval Base Coronado.

This will be the first start that McMurray has made in NASCAR since the Daytona 500 in 2021, and his first start in the Craftsman Truck Series in over 17 years.

McMurray has been busy in the years following his retirement from full-time racing in 2018. While he is no longer competing on the race track, he has remained a key fixture in NASCAR’s television coverage. McMurray works as an analyst for FOX Sports on NASCAR RaceDay’s pre-race show and is on his second year of being a full-time commentator in the main broadcast booth for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series on The CW Network.

The No. 25 truck for Kaulig Racing has served as a rotational seat for several drivers in 2026. Kaulig Racing made the announcement in November of last year that they would operate a fifth part-time entry in their new truck series program that would operate as a “free agent seat”, giving opportunities to everyone from retired champions like Tony Stewart at Daytona to Carson Ferguson at Bristol. This week, it’s McMurray’s turn to take the wheel.

The No. 25 RAM truck currently sits 24th in owner’s points, far outside of The Chase picture. Jamie McMurray will look to elevate the program and contend with AJ Allmendinger’s sixth-place finish at Watkins Glen, the best result in the history of the young Kaulig Racing truck team.

McMurray is not known for his road racing ability, but he does have a victory in the 2015 Rolex 24 at Daytona and has earned two career poles at Sonoma Raceway, located roughly eight hours north of San Diego.

McMurray summed up the situation perfectly in an interview with Steve Letarte that he later posted on Instagram. When asked how nervous he was for the event, he responded:

“Terrified. I love road course racing, like I always have, but I also am very realistic in knowing that I haven’t driven a car in a long time,” McMurray stated. “I think overall it’s gonna be just a really fun event.”

In the same clip, McMurray talked about his past relationship with Dodge and RAM, explaining how he won in all three national series with the manufacturer and is now looking to reunite with them under Kaulig Racing.

While it’s unlikely the No. 25 RAM Kaulig truck will find its way into victory lane, McMurray will add another chapter to his impressive career this weekend at San Diego.