Nothing is announced, but Stellantis is reportedly thinking about moving its plans to rejoin NASCAR's top series up.When Stellantis announced plans to seek "Ram-demption" in the Truck Series during the 2026 season, it seemed inevitable that the program would eventually lead to a Cup Series return after over a decade for Dodge. News had been quiet on that front over the past year, with engine and aerodynamic design needs considered major hurdles to getting Dodge back into top-level NASCAR racing on short notice. That all changed on Thursday.The Athletic's Jordan Bianchi reports that Dodge could rejoin the Cup Series as soon as 2027. Yes, that means jumping two levels and getting back to NASCAR's most significant division in just eight months.Bianchi, citing "multiple industry sources briefed on the situation," says that the company is "increasingly likely" to return next year after Dodge's parent company "had a breakthrough in recent weeks in how it would produce engines." Given the complicated and vast nature of existing engine programs at Ford, Chevrolet, and Toyota, this could suggest that the company either believes it can purchase an existing program or that it can get something similar up to speed in a matter of months. When Dodge does make its return, it is expected to race a body that resembles the two-door Charger currently being sold with Hurricane inline-6 power. The design of this car would have to be approved by NASCAR as part of a complicated process that's meant to keep aerodynamic parity between all manufacturers competing in the series. According to Bianchi, such a design "has already undergone initial wind tunnel testing."Kaulig Racing, the partner chosen to operate the five-car Ram program in the Truck Series, is likely to be the key factory partner for Dodge upon its potential 2027 return. The team owns two of the 36 chartered entries in the Cup Series and currently races two Chevrolet-powered cars. Without signing on additional teams, that could mean Dodge debuts with just a two-car effort in a series where competitors often race a dozen or more cars on a weekly basis. Kaulig has just two wins in the Cup Series—both on road courses with driver AJ Allmendinger—and would not be expected to be a major contender to collect more wins in its first year with Dodge.
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