Dodge Rejoins NASCAR Cup Series After 14-Year Absence

The entire Big Three will be battling for stock car supremacy in 2027. Dodge announced Monday that it will return to the NASCAR Cup Series next season. Kaulig Racing's pair of Dodge Chargers will be the first to compete in stock car racing's marquee series since the manufacturer's departure after the 2012 season. Plenty of questions remain after the announcement, including who will drive the entries and what the Gen 7 Charger's bodywork will look like.

The team partnering with Dodge was never a question. Kaulig Racing first paired up with Ram for the brand's return to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series this season, fielding five Ram trucks. It's surprising how quickly Stellantis North America cobbled together a Cup program. NASCAR confirmed that Dodge completed its wind tunnel testing and will have its production body panels ready later this month. Tim Kuniskis, Stellantis' Head of American Brands, said:

"Everyone said it was impossible to get back in one year. 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. LFG."

The biggest reason why a Dodge program for the Cup Series was organized in only a year is that the manufacturer will not be building its own engines. Dodge has yet to announce where it will source Kaulig's 2027 motors, but it is in talks with a third party. The Athletic reported that ECR Engines could potentially build engines for Dodge. The partnership has issues because ECR currently produces Chevrolet engines and is owned by Richard Childress, a Chevrolet team owner. NASCAR, Ford and Toyota would need to approve an exemption for ECR to build engines for both Chevy and Dodge.

Besides the powerplant, Kaulig expects to announce its 2027 Cup Series driver lineup this weekend ahead of the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. It wouldn't be a shock if the team retained its current pairing of Ty Dillon and A.J. Allmendinger. However, the driver market has seen a major shakeup over the past month. Brad Keselowski is departing RFK Racing, a team he co-owns, after falling out with fellow co-owners Fenway Sports Group. He stated last weekend that he will be available to race elsewhere regardless of manufacturer. Keselowski won Dodge's most recent Cup Series title with Penske in 2012. The 42-year-old admitted that he hasn't discussed anything with Dodge or Kaulig, but he's open to the idea.