For the 2027 season: Dodge is finally returning to the NASCAR Cup Series

Dodge is set to return to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2027 in partnership with Kaulig Racing, as the manufacturer announced on Monday at the 2026 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

The two-car team will field Dodge Chargers, marking the manufacturer’s return to NASCAR’s top tier after a 14-year hiatus – following its withdrawal after the 2012 season.

Brad Keselowski won the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series championship at the wheel of a Dodge Charger and secured the manufacturer’s 217th – and to date final – Cup-level victory that autumn at Dover Motor Speedway.

“Dodge’s return to the NASCAR Cup Series is a significant milestone for the sport,” said Steve O’Donnell, Chief Executive Officer of NASCAR. “This commitment demonstrates Dodge’s confidence in our sport and gives fans yet another reason to look forward to what lies ahead. The partnership between NASCAR, Tim Kuniskis and the entire team at Stellantis has been simply phenomenal. They have a deep passion for NASCAR and its ability to showcase the world’s leading brands, and we can’t wait to see Dodge on the track at the Daytona 500 and beyond.”

John Probst, President of NASCAR Event Management, sees Dodge’s return to the sport as a sign of both the sport’s rising status and that of the automotive industry, particularly the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) currently represented in the sport, as Dodge is now back alongside Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota.

“I think this demonstrates not only the strength of the North American car market, but also the importance that NASCAR, as North America’s leading motorsport series, holds for these OEMs in that market,” Probst said on Monday during a conference call.

Dodge’s last stint in the Cup Series ran from 2001 to 2012, during which time the team secured 57 victories. Its return marked the entry of the first new manufacturer into NASCAR’s top tier since 2007, when Toyota first entered the Cup Series. Stellantis, Dodge’s parent company, returned to NASCAR in 2026 through a partnership with Kaulig Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The team fielded five full-time trucks and featured stars such as three-time Cup champion Tony Stewart, the 2010 Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 winner Jamie McMurray, and the 2008 Daytona 500 winner, Ryan Newman, at the wheel.

Dodge was back on the fast track to the NASCAR Cup Series – a project that Kuniskis, head of the ‘American Brands, SRT Performance and Direct Connection’ division at Stellantis North America, enthusiastically drove forward in the fast-paced world of motor racing.

“Everyone said it was impossible to return within a year. We said: ‘Just watch’,” Kuniskis explained in a press release. “Sure, we could spend three years planning, testing and perfecting … or we could do all three steps in real time on the racetrack. That makes it exponentially more difficult. But slowness has never been part of Dodge’s DNA. LFG.”

According to Stelantis, Kaulig Racing will act as the anchor team for both Dodge and Ram, with the aim of “restoring a factory-backed presence on the racetrack” and laying the foundations for the next phase of the company’s involvement in American motorsport. Dodge SRT Racing will lead the manufacturer’s return to NASCAR. Dodge SRT Racing also oversees all of the manufacturer’s North American motorsport activities, including NASCAR, NHRA and other competitions.

“This is a very exciting moment for team CEO Chris Rice and me,” said Matt Kaulig, owner of Kaulig Racing, in a statement. “We founded Kaulig Racing a decade ago and have overcome so many challenges together, which makes it all the more remarkable to be announced as the anchor team for Dodge’s return to the NASCAR Cup Series. What a significant time to be a member of Kaulig Racing. We recognise the responsibility that this opportunity brings for the men and women at Kaulig Racing, and we are ready to rise to the challenge. I am proud of the stability and support that this partnership brings to our organisation, enabling us to build a successful programme for many years to come.”

Bringing in a fourth manufacturer alongside Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota was a priority for NASCAR’s leadership. Knowing that Dodge will be back on the grid at Speedweeks at the Daytona International Speedway in 2027 is an achievement of which NASCAR chief Probst is proud. However, he also acknowledged that the work is not yet done.

“This is something we’ve been talking about for a long time, and sometimes we talk about it so much without it happening that you almost feel as though you’re losing credibility at some point,” Probst told NASCAR.com. “But it’s certainly a proud moment for us and for our industry to welcome Dodge back. And I think that’s the key point: welcoming them back. And I think that even during the process of assessing which OEM we should target, there was never any question that Dodge was always number one. Dodge belongs here, and it’s great to welcome them back.”

The process for approving the bodywork of Dodge cars for the NASCAR Cup Series was no different from the submissions made by current OEMs for new bodywork components, Probst added. The difference with Dodge, however, was that there was no existing template that needed adapting.

“When an existing OEM submits a new model or a brand-new OEM introduces a brand-new car, it involves an approximately 18-month process comprising CFD tests and wind tunnel tests,” said Probst. “And once they meet the performance requirements, we go one step further: we source the actual production body parts for that car and ensure that they still meet the requirements even when used in production. So that’s exactly the same process we’ve gone through with this model.”

Probst explained that Dodge and NASCAR had passed the wind tunnel phase of the tests and that the production body panels were due to arrive in mid-November – a part of the process that Probst regards as a routine checkpoint rather than a cause for concern.

Details regarding the expected engine specifications for Kaulig’s Dodge cars were not disclosed on Monday, but Probst stated: “The engine they will be using complies with our regulations,” and chose to give Kaulig and Dodge SRT Racing the opportunity to announce their plans at a later date.

Whilst plans to bring Dodge back into the NASCAR Cup Series appeared to be taking shape rapidly, Probst described a process spanning several years that led up to Monday’s announcement.

“It certainly looks that way, but I can tell you that there were many trips to Detroit with Steve O’Donnell, Ben Kennedy and myself to speak to all these OEMs and explain the strength of our sport to them,” said Probst. “But I think it also shows that, once a car manufacturer has made the decision to get involved, it really doesn’t have to take all that long for them to be on the track. So I hope this encourages some of the others who may still be hesitating to take the plunge and simply go for it, because it can happen more quickly than has been the case with some of our car manufacturers in the past.”

In a press release, Stellantis stated that Kaulig Racing will announce its driver line-up for 2027 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where the NASCAR Cup Series championship will be decided on Sunday. On 4 December, at the 2026 Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida, Dodge will unveil the race car that Kaulig Racing will field in the NASCAR Cup Series.