After eight episodes of the Ram: Race for The Seat reality show competition, Kaulig Racing has finalized the driver of its fifth truck for the 2026 Craftsman Truck Series season. Mini Tyrrell, aged 21, bested 14 other drivers to win the competition and secure a full-time deal in the Truck Series.
The competition featured various races at road courses and ovals, featuring late model stock cars, Legends, and even go-karts. There were also off-track competitions, testing drivers with press conferences, commercials, and rewarding them based on their personality, physical endurance, and leadership skills.
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Title showdown to secure full-time ride in the #14 truck
Points were awarded for all of this, and going into the final episode, Tyrrell was one point behind Carson Ferguson in the championship standings. Under the lights at South Boston Speedway, the contenders faced off in Lade Model Stock Cars.
Tyrrell won his heat race, which meant Ferguson had to do the same to maintain his narrow one-point championship lead. He started fourth, but had to win in order to deny Tyrrell. He struggled to make forward progress, finishing fifth (last).
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“The fact that I came out on top is crazy, man,” said Tyrrell. “It’s unreal. I cant wait to get to work.” He later added: “This is the craziest day of my life, man. Best day of my life. Everything I’ve ever worked for has paid off.”
Ferguson was emotional after the tough loss, and was comforted by Kaulig Racing CEO Chris Rice. “It hurts a little bit more because because I know I was so close,” remarked Ferguson.
Battle for $50k and Martinsville #25 seat
In a twist, the hosts announced that the winner of the final race would get a chance to compete in the Truck Series anyway, but as the driver of the No. 25 in a one-race deal at Martinsville Speedway.
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Landon Huffman and Jared Fryar joined Tyrrell and Ferguson in that final race for the $50,000 prize. And beyond Tyrrell, who was just chasing the cash, the other three still had a chance to secure a one-race deal and race the No. 25 Ram truck at Martinsville.
Ferguson drew pole position, and led most of the 20-lap race. On a restart, they nearly went three-wide as Ferguson maintained the advantage, taking the checkered flag. It was a pretty good consolation prize after losing out on the full-time ride, as the dirt racer netted the aforementioned $50,000 prize and a chance to race at Martinsville later this year. It will be his NCTS debut.
“Everybody is going to think it’s scripted,” joked Tyrrell. “The top two, right? The one guy wins the seat, and the guy that doesn’t win the seat wins the 50k. Glad it was a happy ending for the both of us.”
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Who is Mini Tyrrell?
Throughout the show, Tyrrell won his heat race in the Legends cars at Ace Speedway, and in Late Model Stocks at VIR. He also won a competition surrounding a mock commercial, promoting Kaulig and Ram.
Tyrrell has never raced at the national level of NASCAR, nor has he competed in the ARCA Menard’s Series. However, he will make his ARCA debut at Daytona with Cook Racing Technologies in preparation for the upcoming Truck season.
He is an experienced driver in the CARS Late Model Tour, securing his first win in 2021, just a few days after his 17th birthday at Tri-County Motor Speedway. This past year, he added three more CARS Tour victories to his resume, and has finished inside the top five in the standings in back-to-back seasons.
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