By John Sturbin, Raceday San Antonio

Three-time Cup Series champion Tony Stewart will return to his NASCAR roots next month at Daytona International Speedway as first driver of Kaulig Racing’s innovative Dodge Free Agent Driver Program in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2020, Stewart will wheel the No. 25 Ram Trucks entry during the season-opening Fresh From Florida 250 on Friday, Feb. 13, around DIS’ high-banked/2.5-mile trioval.

“Having Tony Stewart in one of our Ram trucks is the kind of thing you dream about,” said Matt Kaulig, founder/owner of Kaulig Racing. “He’s a legend _ his name alone brings energy to the sport. We couldn’t be more fired-up to have him in our camp as we roll into Daytona for our first race. This is going to be a ride worth watching.”

Kaulig Racing is based in Welcome, N.C., where its shop is located on the campus of Richard Childress Racing. Kaulig is partnering with Ram to field five Truck Series entries this season. Daniel Dye (No. 10), Brenden “Butterbean” Queen (No. 12) and Justin Haley (No. 16) will be driving full-time for the team, with a fourth truck (the No. 25) going to a rotation of free-agent drivers like “Smoke” Stewart. The fifth truck (No. 14) will be driven by the winner of the “Race for the Seat” reality TV series.

Stewart won his Cup titles in 2002 and 2005 driving for Joe Gibbs Racing and in 2011 with Stewart-Haas Racing. Stewart most recently competed in a Truck Series race in 2005 and in Cup in 2016 with SHR. Stewart since has founded and raced for Tony Stewart Racing in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series. Stewart finished fifth overall in points in the final 2025 Top Fuel standings after claiming the regular-season title in the TSR Dodge/SRT Direct Connection Top Fuel Dragster he owns.

Elite Motorsports owner Richard Freeman announced in mid-September that Stewart will drive the team’s Top Fuel dragster in 2026, following Freeman’s purchase of the equipment previously fielded by series regular Josh Hart.

“Tony is a great driver, we all know he can drive anything,” Freeman said. “He’s great for drag racing, not just as a team-owner, but behind the wheel. We’re excited that through our marketing alliance with Tony Stewart Racing we’re creating an opportunity for Tony to keep a Top Fuel seat and a chance to race alongside his wife, Leah (Pruett).”

Pruett announced in early September she would be returning to the TSR Dragster fulltime in 2026. Pruett vacated the ride in 2024 to start a family with her husband, who has served as her replacement driver the past two seasons. The Stewarts welcomed son Dominic in November 2024. Since becoming a mother, Pruett has remained involved in the day-to-day operations at TSR, working with various partners on marketing initiatives and assisting the crew chiefs with technical projects.

“I said from the very beginning that I was just keeping Leah’s seat warm and that it was hers as soon as she was ready to come back,” Stewart said. “And as much as I wanted to continue driving, TSR is not in a position to add a second Top Fuel car (to its single Funny Car entry). But with Richard buying Josh Hart’s team and our recent alliance, I can still work as an owner and a driver to help both our organizations grow.”

The 2026 season will be Stewart’s third behind the wheel of a Top Fuel dragster. Stewart, who made his NHRA driving debut in 2022, earned NHRA’s Rookie of the Year award in 2024. The 2025 season saw Tony notch his first Top Fuel national event win during the NHRA 4-Wide Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Stewart’s career-best elapsed time over NHRA’s 1,000-foot nitro distance is 3.679-seconds at 335.15 mph.

Stewart now has two Top Fuel victories in six final-round appearances, as well as two wins in the Top Alcohol Dragster Sportsman division.

Ironically, Stewart’s one-off participation at Daytona follows NASCAR’s recent decision to return to The Chase championship format for the 2026 season in its three touring series _ a system in which Stewart won two of his three Cup titles.

“I’ve raced just about everything with four wheels at Daytona, but never a truck,” said Stewart, a 54-year-old native of Columbus, Ind. “So when a seat in the new Ram was offered up for their first race back in NASCAR, I didn’t hesitate. Ram’s ‘Free Agent Program’ is another great way for me to stay sharp and have a little fun.”

Stewart has made six Truck Series starts across five seasons from 1996-2005, with victories in 2002 and 2003 at Richmond Raceway in the No. 33 Chevrolet Silverado fielded by Andy Petree Racing. DIS has been a successful venue for Stewart, who has posted four points-paying Cup wins, seven O’Reilly Auto Parts Series victories, three exhibition Clash wins and three Duel at Daytona qualifying races for the Daytona 500.

Kaulig’s entrance into the Truck Series will mark the return of the Ram nameplate for the first time in over a decade, a period topped most recently by a win with Ryan Blaney in 2012.

“We’re not just returning to the track; we’re re-writing the playbook,” Tim Kuniskis, Head of American Brands, SRT Performance, NA Marketing and Retail Strategy at Stellantis, said in a corporate release. “Bringing Tony in as the first ‘Free Agent’ will generate a crazy amount of excitement, which is exactly why we created the program _ allowing fans to watch an all-time favorite driver get back into the seat. But this time, it’s a Ram truck. This is about honoring a legacy. Tony represents grit, determination and the spirit of racing _ pure adrenaline for the fans.”

In addition to his NASCAR and NHRA successes, Stewart is the first and only driver to win all three U.S. Auto Club National championships _ Midget, Sprint and Silver Crown _ in one year (1995). He also won the 1996-97 championship of Tony George’s fledgling Indy Racing League (now INDYCAR). In addition to be honored by NASCAR, Stewart was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2022.

The Truck Series’ Fresh From Florida 250 will be broadcast at 7:30 p.m. (EST) on Friday, Feb. 13, by FOX Sports 1 (FS1), NASCAR Racing Network Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.