Ever since the Ram brand returned to NASCAR’s Craftsman Truck Series this year, rumors abounded that Dodge would return to the Cup Series in 2027, and parent company Stellantis made it official Monday night during the SEMA show in Las Vegas.
Tim Kuniskis, head of American Brands, SRT Performance and Direct Connection division, Stellantis North America, shared the news during a sneak preview of the Stellantis display at this year’s SEMA show.
“Everyone said it was impossible to get back in one year. We said, ‘Watch this,’” Kuniskis said in a prepared statement. “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.”
Kaulig Racing, which fielded five Ram trucks this season in each NASCAR Truck Series race, will be the anchor team for Dodge and Ram. The organization will announce its driver lineup for the 2027 season during NASCAR Championship weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Spearheading Dodge’s return to NASCAR’s Cup Series after a 14-year absence is Dodge SRT Racing, which leads all North American motorsports efforts, including NASCAR, NHRA, and additional motorsports series.
During the 59th annual Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida, Dodge will hold The Dodge Sno-Brawl. Celebrity drivers will compete against each other in equally prepared Dodge Charger Late Model stock cars. At this event, Dodge will reveal the race car that will carry the brand’s livery in the Cup Series. The December 4 reveal can be watched on FloRacing and on the NASCAR Channel courtesy of FloRacing.
Dodge acquired its first victory in NASCAR’s premier series in 1953, and it departed after Brad Keselowski won the 2012 Cup Series championship in a Team Penske Dodge.
A North Carolina native, Deb Williams is an award-winning motorsports journalist who is in her fourth decade covering auto racing. In addition to covering the sport for United Press International, she has written motorsports articles for several newspapers, magazines and websites including espnW.com, USA Today, and The Charlotte Observer. Her awards include the American Motorsports Media Award of Excellence, two-time National Motorsports Press Association writer of the year, and two-time recipient of the Russ Catlin award. She also has won an award in the North Carolina Press Association’s sports feature category. During her career, Deb has been managing editor of GT Motorsports magazine and was with Winston Cup Scene and NASCAR Winston Cup Scene for 18 years, serving as the publication’s editor for 10 years. In 2024 she was inducted into the NMPA Hall of Fame.
