Dodge Accelerates Return to NASCAR Cup Series for 2027

NASCAR fans will see Dodge cars on the track starting in February 2027, one year ahead of the brand’s original target. The announcement was made at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas on Monday. This early entry restores a four-manufacturer field in the top division of stock car racing.

Dodge, owned by Stellantis, joins Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota in the Cup Series. The season consists of 36 races, running from mid-February to early November. Kaulig Racing will operate the new Dodge Charger entries. AJ Allmendinger and Ty Dillon are expected to drive the two cars in the team’s lineup.

Steve O’Donnell, CEO of NASCAR, stated in a release that the return is a major milestone. He said the partnership with Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis and the Stellantis team has been exceptional. O’Donnell noted that Dodge’s presence provides fans with another source of excitement for the upcoming season.

Dodge last competed in the Cup Series in 2012. The brand won its final championship that year with Brad Keselowski and Penske Racing. That victory marked Dodge’s first Cup title since Richard Petty’s sixth win in 1975. Since then, the manufacturer had focused on the Truck Series, re-entering with the Ram brand in 2026.

Kuniskis stated that Ram aims to expand NASCAR’s estimated 20 million fan base to between 80 and 100 million. He described the approach as disruptive. Kaulig Racing currently fields five trucks in the series, with all five drivers positioned outside the top 10 in the standings ahead of the season finale at Homestead, Florida.

The accelerated timeline resulted from a unique partnership with Earnhardt Childress Racing. Typically, a new manufacturer requires two years to develop a compliant engine. Dodge bypassed part of this process by building Dodge-spec powerplants alongside Earnhardt Childress’s regular Chevrolet operations. The Athletic reported that the other three manufacturers approved this arrangement, believing a fourth competitor would benefit the series’ health.