Dodge will return to the NASCAR Cup Series for the 2027 season, the automaker announced on Monday at the 2026 SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Officials confirmed the return during a presentation at the trade event.
Tim Kuniskis, the head of American Brands for Stellantis North America, told the audience that the company chose an aggressive timeline. Kuniskis explained that the team decided to skip years of preparation and testing to bring the car back sooner.
“Everyone said it was impossible to get back in one year,” Kuniskis said. “We said, ‘watch this.’ 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 will serve as the anchor team for the Dodge and Ram programs, which are managed by Dodge SRT Racing. The division oversees the brand’s motorsports activities across NASCAR and other series. The company has not released all technical details yet, but it promises the new stock car will not stay a secret for long.
The return will officially begin during NASCAR Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Kaulig Racing is scheduled to announce its driver lineup for the 2027 season at that event. The new race car will be revealed there as well.
Stellantis has already expanded its motorsports presence with Ram’s return to the Truck Series. The company is now focusing its factory-backed efforts on the Cup Series through the Dodge partnership.
Dodge last competed in the Cup Series in 2012, when Brad Keselowski drove the No. 2 Dodge Charger to the championship at the end of the season. This victory marked a significant moment for the brand before it stepped away from NASCAR’s top tier for a fourteen-year hiatus. The manufacturer has a long history in NASCAR, dating back to its first Cup Series victory in 1953. The brand went on to become a regular presence in stock-car racing.
