Josh Williams apparent Cup Series driver replacement for Iowa revealed after Kaulig Racing split

Kaulig Racing and Josh Williams parted ways Wednesday, effective immediately. Kaulig will have multiple drivers pilot the No. 11 Chevrolet over the remaining 12 Xfinity Series races this season, they announced in a statement.

First up is Saturday’s HyVee Parks 250 at Iowa Speedway. It appears Carson Hocevar will get the first crack at it for Kaulig.

Hocevar, driver of the No. 77 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports in the Cup Series, has made just six starts in Xfinity competition. He’s competed in one Xfinity race this season, finishing 38th at COTA. It looks like start No. 2 in 2025 will come at Iowa. Williams, meanwhile, is out at Kaulig after less than two seasons with the team.

“Kaulig Racing announced that it has parted ways with NASCAR Xfinity Series driver, Josh Williams, effective today,” Kaulig said in a statement. “Kaulig Racing will field the No. 11 Chevrolet with multiple drivers over the remaining 12 NASCAR Xfinity Series races. More announcements regarding the driver lineup will be forthcoming.”

Josh Williams out at Kaulig, Carson Hocevar in at Iowa

Williams, who previously drove full-time for DGM Racing in Xfinity, joined Kaulig ahead of the 2024 season. He finished 18th in the standings last season.

Before his sudden release, Williams sat 19th in this season’s points standings, compiling two top 10s. He finished 22nd in this past Saturday’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in what ended up being his final start for Kaulig. Williams issued a statement on his release from Kaulig:

“As most of you have seen, Kaulig Racing has made the decision to release me for the remainder of the season. This has been a difficult day for my family, friends, long-time partners and fans, whom I can’t thank enough for standing by my side through all of this. We will be back soon and looking forward to a much brighter chapter in my racing career. I wish nothing but the best for my guys on the 11 team.”

Williams is still looking for his first career win in Xfinity competition. He’ll move on and look for a new opportunity in 2026 with his Kaulig tenure behind him.