RAM and Dodge’s return to NASCAR has excited many. With them going all in on their partnership with Kaulig. Hiring fan favorite drivers like Brendan Queen, bringing back legends like Tony Stewart, and even starting their own reality show to find the next Dodge driver. Many want them to bring this energy to the Cup Series. And they themselves have the same desire!
Why Ram’s CEO Insists Dodge Will Chase NASCAR Cup Return
When Ram made its long-awaited return to NASCAR competition by rejoining the Craftsman Truck Series in 2026, a comeback more than a decade in the making, many assumed the brand’s sights extended beyond the third tier. Now Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis has crystallized that ambition with perhaps the boldest goal yet: a return to the NASCAR Cup Series by the 2027 Daytona 500, and a willingness to chase it even as skeptics question the feasibility.
“There are a lot of people who have told me that’s absolutely impossible, that I’m crazy, and it’s never going to happen,” Kuniskis said in a recent Q&A session. “I don’t know. I’m not giving up yet.” That kind of candor, equal parts underdog bravado and corporate resolve, sets the tone for what could become one of NASCAR’s most fascinating factory programs in years.
Ram’s current NASCAR involvement is focused on preparing a stable of Ram 1500 race trucks under the Kaulig Racing banner for the Truck Series in 2026. That partnership was announced with the sort of marketing gusto befitting a brand determined to make a splash, with plans for up to five trucks hitting the track and even a reality-show “Race for the Seat” concept to determine drivers.
Why The Leap From Trucks Is A Tall Order
But the leap from spec-chassis Truck competition to a full Cup Series effort with bespoke aero, engine development, and a manufacturer’s infrastructure is anything but simple. A Cup effort would require Dodge, under the Stellantis umbrella alongside Ram, to engineer and build a competitive engine package, develop aerodynamic solutions for the NASCAR Next Gen platform, and align with a team capable of executing at the sport’s highest level.
That’s a tall order on a compressed 2027 timeline, and industry insiders have been quick to remind fans that Cup programs often take years of engineering and testing to come together. Still, Kuniskis’s unwavering public commitment even in the face of logistical realities is a calculated effort to plant a psychological flag: Dodge isn’t simply visiting NASCAR again. It intends to compete.
What’s Next
For fans of the sport, this isn’t just another manufacturer announcement. It’s a narrative arc with history behind it. Dodge’s last full Cup presence ended in 2012 after Brad Keselowski’s championship season and a bold new chapter potentially beginning at Daytona. Whether or not 2027 becomes the year the Dodge badge graces the Cup grid remains uncertain, but one thing’s clear: no one in the Ram camp is ready to walk away from that goal. Thanks a bunch for reading!
