On Monday night at the 2026 SEMA Show, Dodge announced its long-awaited return to the NASCAR Cup Series after a 14-year absence.
This move has been anticipated since its Stellantis-partnered truck brand, Ram, returned to the Craftsman Truck Series this year. With it, Kaulig Racing—which has been operating its five-truck Ram team, will be the first to move over to Dodge.
Dodge’s return is being fast-tracked, moving into the sport after two generations removed. But to Stellantis North America head of American brands, North America marketing and retail strategy Tim Kuniskis, this approach is the only way. As Dodge looks to recenter “gasoline-powered performance,” as its North Star, the only stage truly suitable is the top level of NASCAR.
“Everyone said it was impossible to get back in one year. We said, 'Watch this,'" said Kuniskis. "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."
When Dodge last raced at the Cup Series level, it was the end of the Generation 5 era with a race car wearing the Dodge Charger’s face. The Cup car has changed drastically since then through two generations, running the 7 Gen or ’Next Gen’ car since 2022.
The driver announcement is set for this weekend during NASCAR Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami. Currently, Kaulig Racing runs Ty Dillon in the number 10 and AJ Allmendinger in the No. 16, and the driver lineup is not expected to change. The only wrench thrown into the mix is the unexpected availability of Brad Keselowski, who left RFK—a team he owns 20 percent of—due to disagreements about his future role with the company and his desire to keep racing as long as possible.
Keselowski and Dodge have a special bond, with Keselowski delivering Dodge and Penske Racing a championship in 2012, their farewell season in the sport. “I would say everything's on the table,” Keselowski said during his press conference at Martinsville last weekend. “I have not had a discussion with Dodge or Ram. I'm certainly very open-minded to it alongside all of the OEMs. I haven't given up on a relationship with Ford in the future as well, along with the other two OEMs of Chevrolet and Toyota. Everything's on the table right now for me.”
Kaulig Racing team owner Matt Kaulig founded the team in 2016, four seasons after Dodge first left the sport in the Xfinity (now O’Reilly) Series and then in 2020 at the Cup level with Chevrolet. “This is a very exciting moment for both Chris Rice and me. We launched Kaulig Racing a decade ago and have overcome so many challenges together, which makes it even more remarkable to be announced as the anchor team for Dodge’s return to the NASCAR Cup Series. What a monumental time to be a member of Kaulig Racing,” he said.
Dodge will have a major presence this year at the Snowball Derby, the premier off-season 300-lap pavement super late model race in Pensacola, Florida, held every December. Their new Next Gen NASCAR Cup Car—presumably Charger-branded and inspired—will be revealed on Friday, December 4th. Later that weekend, the brand will also host the Dodge Sno-Brawl, featuring celebrity drivers racing in Dodge Charger Late Models.
Victoria Beaver is a nomadic sports writer who spends her time hopping between race tracks and hippie farms. She’s covered every corner of motorsports that will let her in from 410 Sprints to NASCAR to Supercross. Her daily driver is a 2010 Subaru that she refused to do the smallest amount of preventative maintenance on. Instead, she spends her free time and money building a 42-foot Skoolie to one day travel the country full time.
