NASCAR veteran Elliott Sadler is coming out of retirement to drive the No. 25 Ram 1500 for Kaulig Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Richmond Raceway on Friday, August 14.
“I’m really looking forward to getting back behind the wheel at Richmond Raceway in front of the great Virginia fans,” said the 51-year-old Sadler, who made 855 Cup, O’Reilly Auto Parts and Truck Series starts, with the most recent in 2019.
“It’ll be fun getting back into a truck — I just hope I still remember how to drive it. Richmond has always been special to me, and I’m thankful to Ram and Kaulig Racing for giving me this opportunity to compete again. I really cherished my career in NASCAR and how special the fans have been to me.”
Kaulig Racing CEO Chris Rice and Sadler have a long personal and professional history—they raced together at South Boston (Va.) Speedway in the early 1990s, where Rice served as Sadler’s crew chief and they won a track championship in 1995.
The South Boston native said Sadler’s return at Richmond will be a career highlight.
“We are so excited to have Elliott drive for us at Kaulig Racing. Elliott and I grew up racing together at South Boston Speedway, so to have him race for us in Richmond, in front of our home state fans is special,” Rice said. “We won tons of races together and thanks to Ram, Matt Kaulig and everyone at Kaulig Racing we have the opportunity to go out and try to win one more.”
Ram and Kaulig Racing made the Sadler announcement today, one hour before the start of the Truck Series race at North Wilkesboro Speedway, when NASCAR veteran Ryan Newman climbs behind the wheel of the No. 25 Ram 1500.
Ram’s return to NASCAR in 2026 has generated significant excitement across the sport. Through its innovative Ram Free Agent Program, the brand has transformed the No. 25 truck into one of the most talked-about entries in the Truck Series by featuring a rotating lineup of NASCAR legends, fan favorites and rising stars.
The program has already featured drivers including Tony Stewart, Jamie McMurray, Clint Bowyer, AJ Allmendinger, Ty Dillon, Colin Braun, Corey LaJoie, Travis Pastrana, Parker Kligerman and Carson Ferguson. NASCAR veteran Ryan Newman will drive the No. 25 today in North Wilkesboro and open wheel standout Conor Daly will race in Indianapolis on Friday, July 24.
The creative marketing initiative has helped spark renewed interest in the Truck Series while showcasing Ram’s performance trucks to a broad audience. That should continue in Richmond, where Sadler, a native of Emporia, Va., belongs to a racing family with deep Virginia roots and a strong fan following.
He and his brother Hermie began in go-karts and progressed through late models at tracks such as South Boston Speedway. Hermie became a longtime driver and broadcaster, earning O’Reilly Series Rookie of the Year honors in 1993.
Elliott Sadler made 438 starts over 16 seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series. He earned three victories — his first at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2001 and his final win at California Speedway in 2004 — and posted a career-best ninth-place finish in the 2004 standings. He also recorded eight poles.
In the O’Reilly Series, Sadler recorded 13 wins and multiple runner-up points finishes. He claimed the 2017 regular-season championship. He also earned one Truck Series victory at Pocono Raceway in 2010.
Richmond Raceway, known as America’s Premier Short Track, is a 0.75-mile D-shaped oval that has hosted NASCAR racing since 1953. The track first held Truck Series events from 1995 to 2005.
Kaulig Racing, founded in 2016 by entrepreneur Matt Kaulig, has grown from a part-time O’Reilly Series team into a multi-series powerhouse. The organization has earned 27 O’Reilly victories, two regular-season championships and two Cup road-course wins. Sadler drove for Kaulig Racing in the O’Reilly Series at Richmond and Las Vegas in 2019, finishing 12th and 10th, respectively, marking his most recent NASCAR appearances.
In 2026, Kaulig fields a two-car Cup program with AJ Allmendinger and Ty Dillon and serves as the anchor factory team for Ram’s return to NASCAR. The team fields trucks for: Corey LaJoie (No. 10), Brenden Queen (No. 12), “Mini” Tyrrell (No. 14), Justin Haley (No. 16) and the No. 25 Ram Free Agent entry.
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Richmond Raceway will air live on FS1 and the NASCAR Network at 7:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 14.
— Kaulig Racing —