Tony Stewart Returns To Ram's Free Agent Truck At Talladega

The legendary Tony Stewart will return to the NASCAR National Series ranks for his second start of the 2026 season.

The driver affectionately known as "Smoke" will pilot the No. 25 Kaulig Racing Ram Free Agent Truck in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at Talladega Superspeedway on Otober 23.

Stewart, who competed for the Ram Truck team in the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway, a race that marked the manufacturer's first NASCAR event in 13 years, says the opportunity to get back behind the wheel of the Ram Truck entry was too good to pass up.

“Anytime you can get into a Ram truck and go racing at a place like Talladega, you jump at it,” Stewart said in a press release. “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.”

When Ram Trucks announced its triumphant return to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, the No. 25 Kaulig Racing Free Agent Program truck was one of the key components of the program. Being able to land Stewart not once, but twice, has been very impactful for Kaulig Racing and the upstart Ram Trucks NASCAR Truck Series program.

“Bringing Tony back behind the wheel of the Ram 1500 at Talladega brings incredible energy to our entire team and NASCAR fans everywhere,” said Tim Kuniskis, Head of American Brands, SRT Performance, North American Marketing and Retail Strategy at Stellantis. "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 anda racer through and through, Seeing 'Smoke' back on the high banks at NASCAR's biggest track is going to be a show."

Stewart highlights what has been a true star-studded "free agent" driver lineup to drive the No. 25 Ram Truck this season. In addition to Stewart, Jamie McMurray, Ty Dillon, Ryan Newman, Connor Daly, Corey LaJoie, Travis Pastrana, Parker Kligerman, Clint Bowyer, AJ Allmendinger, Carson Ferguson, Elliott Sadler, Regan Smith, and sports car veteran Colin Braun have all taken turns behind the wheel of the entry.

Stewart, 55, started 15th earlier this year at Daytona, but exited the race early due to crash damage. Stewart was credited with a last-place (36th) finish.

The NASCAR Hall of Famer will look to have a little better luck this time around at Talladega. And if the cards all fall his way, who knows, maybe Stewart can find victory lane one more time in the NASCAR National Series.

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