Kaulig Racing brought five Ram trucks home between 21st and 29th at North Wilkesboro Speedway on Saturday, in Ram's first season back in NASCAR after 13 years away.
Brenden "Butterbean" Queen led the group in the No. 12 Cummins Ram, finishing 21st. Ryan Newman, in the No. 25 Ram that Kaulig hands to a different driver most weeks, came home 24th. Justin Haley finished 26th, Timothy "Mini" Tyrrell 28th, and Corey LaJoie 29th.
It was hot, temperatures past 90 degrees, and passing was hard in a 36-truck field on the 0.625-mile short track.
The race ran with only four cautions, and Queen said his 21st turned on one of them. "We fought to get our lap back but didn't get to put tires on and had to restart at the tail," he said. "That was the difference between running in the top 15 versus outside the top 20."
Kaulig's drivers framed the day as part of a longer build. Newman, this week's driver in the No. 25, talked more about the operation than the result.
"They have everything here. The communication, the crews, the people," Newman said. "They just need speed and that will come in time."
He was matter-of-fact about his own finish: "Our 24th-place finish was about what we deserved today."
Queen took the longer view. "We're just building this notebook," he said, "so it's just going to keep getting better."
The Truck Series runs again Friday at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, where Conor Daly takes over the No. 25 Ram.