Tim Kuniskis kept his promise.
Last June at Michigan International Speedway, as the Stellantis brand executive announced RAM’s advent into the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, Kuniskis also asserted that Dodge planned to return to NASCAR Cup Series racing.
That promise is now reality, as Dodge will join NASCAR’s top division in 2027—perhaps sooner than expected.
Kaulig Racing, which ran five Ram entries in the Craftsman Truck Series this season, will field two Dodge Chargers in the Cup Series next year.
“Everyone said it was impossible to get back in one year. We said, ‘Watch this,'” said Kuniskis, head of American Brands, SRT Performance and Direct Connection division, Stellantis North America.
“Sure, we could spend three years planning, testing and perfecting. … or we could do all three in real time, on the track. It’s going to be exponentially harder this way. But slow has never been part of Dodge DNA. LFG.”
Dodge last raced in the Cup Series in 2012 and departed after Brad Keselowski won the series title with Team Penske that year. During NASCAR Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Kaulig Racing will announce its driver lineup for the 2027 season.
This season, AJ Allmendinger and Ty Dillon drive Cup cars for the organization, which will transition from Chevrolet to Dodge in time for the season-opening DAYTONA 500 on Feb. 21.
Details on the engine builder for the Dodge Chargers will be released later.
“Dodge’s return to the NASCAR Cup Series is a significant milestone for the sport,” NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell said in a statement. “This commitment speaks to Dodge’s belief in our sport and gives fans another reason to be excited about what’s ahead.
“The partnership between NASCAR, Tim Kuniskis and the entire team at Stellantis has been nothing short of phenomenal. They have a deep passion for NASCAR and its ability to showcase the world’s top brands, and we can’t wait to see Dodge on the racetrack for the DAYTONA 500 and beyond.”
Stellantis established its presence in NASCAR racing this season with its five entries in the Craftsman Truck Series. Justin Haley’s fourth-place result in the fall race at Bristol Motor Speedway has been the high-water mark for the brand thus far.
As Kuniskis indicated, the return of Dodge follows an expedited schedule under which NASCAR already has approved the Charger body for next season.
On a Zoom call with reporters on Monday night, NASCAR President of Event Management John Probst said the typical timeline for a new OEM is 18 months.
“I think we’ve done it a little bit more abbreviated,” Probst said of Dodge’s entry, “because there was a notice of submission of a Dodge, and then it went quiet. And then it picked up a lot of steam very quick, so we were able to combine a lot of the milestones.
“It’s still a year or more process to go through the whole thing, so this one came right up against it. We’ll have those production panels in a little under two weeks, so we’ll be done with our season.
“They’re certainly not going to have a ton of time to prep cars and get ready for the Clash (Wheatley Vodka Clash exhibition race on Feb. 13 at Daytona), but this was done about as fast as fast as we can do it once they decided to go.”
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