As the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season-opener at Daytona International Speedway approaches, more details are emerging about the brand-new program coming out of the shop of Kaulig Racing, with support from new manufacturer RAM Trucks.
The organization officially confirmed the crew chief lineup for its five-truck program on Monday, which includes some familiar faces to the team, as well as some new personnel from outside of the Kaulig stables.
Drivers ? Crew Chiefs
We’ve locked in our five 2026 Driver/Crew Chief pairings for our inaugural @RamTrucks season! pic.twitter.com/jrcasxYKFy
— Kaulig Trucks (@Kaulig_Trucks) February 2, 2026
Dan Stillman will serve as the crew chief of the No. 10 RAM 1500, driven by third-year NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Daniel Dye. Stillman is a long-time crew chief across NASCAR’s National Series, with five victories in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series — one in 2006 with Paul Menard and four in 2009 with Carl Edwards.
The Lexington, North Carolina-native most recently worked as the shot-caller for Our Motorsports in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, a single-car operation that shuttered in the second half of last season.
Eddie Pardue will move with Kaulig Racing to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2026, serving as the shot-caller for Brenden Queen and the No. 12 RAM 1500 in 2026. Pardue spent last season as the full-time crew chief of the No. 11 Kaulig Racing entry in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, where he got the chance to work with Brenden Queen in five races.
Throughout his time as a crew chief in NASCAR’s top-three divisions, Pardue has three total victories in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, all of which came as crew chief of a Roush Racing entry in NASCAR’s second-tier division in 2009 — with Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth going to Victory Lane.
Bruce Cook will join Kaulig Racing to serve as the crew chief of the No. 14 RAM 1500 in 2026. The entry’s driver has yet to be announced and will be determined by the winner of the organization’s Race for the Seat Program, which is currently in the process of airing on YouTube.
Cook has spent a significant amount of time as a crew chief in both the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, but has also spent the last couple of years as a team owner in both Trucks and ARCA, fielding entries under the Cook Racing Technologies banner.
The long-time shot-caller has wins in O’Reilly (with Tony Stewart in 2011) and Trucks (with Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick, and Ron Hornaday in 2011) on his resume and will look to continue that pedigree with Kaulig’s next up-and-coming driver.
Mike Hillman, Jr. is one of the most decorated crew chiefs in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, with a total of 23 victories throughout his career. This season, he’ll look to continue his legacy as crew chief of the No. 16 RAM 1500, driven by Justin Haley.
Hillman most recently spent time as shot-caller for Spencer Boyd and Freedom Racing Enterprises in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and has also had recent stints at Niece Motorsports and TRICON Garage. His most-recent win in the Truck Series came in 2020 with Raphael Lessard and Kyle Busch Motorsports.
Haley and Hillman will be paired together as the Lockport, New York-native looks to secure his third championship in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and his first since winning it in 2010 with Todd Bodine.
Alex Yontz will move from the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with Kaulig Racing, serving as the crew chief of the No. 25 RAM 1500 (the Free Agent Truck), which at Daytona, will have three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart behind the wheel.
The season-opener at Daytona International Speedway will mark the first time in his career that Yontz has called the shots in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event, after spending the last seven years working with Kaulig in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series.
During that time, Yontz went to Victory Lane a total of nine times, working with Ross Chastain, Justin Haley, AJ Allmendinger, and Kyle Larson.
The 2026 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series campaign will begin at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, February 13 at 7:30 PM ET on FOX Sports 1, NASCAR Racing Network, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
