NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — Elliott Sadler is putting on the firesuit to make his first NASCAR national series start since the 2019 season. He will take on his home state track while enjoying a reunion.
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Sadler, a Virginia native, will take over the Kaulig Racing free agent truck. He will drive the No. 25 Ram 1500 at Richmond Raceway on Aug. 14. This will mark his first Truck Series race since 2011.
"It'll be fun getting back into a truck — I just hope I still remember how to drive it," Sadler said in a press release.
"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."
Elliott Sadler will drive for Kaulig Racing and Ram at Richmond. pic.twitter.com/1AjJDGRDyI
— John Newby (@JohnNewby_) July 18, 2026
Sadler, a winner in all three of the national series, is quite familiar with a key executive at Kaulig Racing. Team CEO Chris Rice previously served as Sadler's crew chief at South Boston Speedway (Virginia) in the 1990s. They celebrated a track championship together.
The two parted ways as Sadler moved up to the national series. He drove for such teams as JR Motorsports, Richard Childress Racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, and Kevin Harvick Incorporated among others while winning races.
He drove for several teams in the Cup Series including Wood Brothers Racing, Richard Petty Motorsports, Yates Racing, and Gillett Evernham Motorsports among others.
Rice and Sadler eventually reunited in 2019 as he made two starts for Kaulig Racing in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series. He drove the No. 10 Chevrolet at Richmond Raceway and Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He finished 12th and 10th.
Now, they will reunite once again as the Kaulig Racing free agent program continues. This has already featured Tony Stewart, Corey LaJoie, Ty Dillon, Colin Braun, Jamie McMurray, Travis Pastrana, Parker Kligerman, Clint Bowyer, A.J. Allmendinger, and Carson Ferguson.
Ryan Newman took over the No. 25 at North Wilkesboro Speedway, and Conor Daly will take over the entry during the race weekend at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
"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."
