Bobby Travis · NASCAR/IndyCar Correspondent
After 14 seasons away, Dodge is coming back to NASCAR’s top division, a year earlier than planned and with Kaulig Racing as its factory team.
Dodge is back. Stellantis confirmed on Monday at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas that the brand will return to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2027. Kaulig Racing becomes the factory team and, according to the Associated Press, will field two Dodge Chargers starting with the Daytona 500. That gives the Cup Series four manufacturers again next season: alongside Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota, Dodge will be back on the grid.
A year ahead of schedule
Stellantis originally had its sights set on a Cup Series return in 2028. The company took the first step in 2026 in the Truck Series, where sister brand Ram came back with Kaulig Racing. Kaulig now becomes the anchor team for Dodge and Ram. The program is led by Dodge SRT Racing, the division that runs all of Stellantis’ North American motorsports efforts, from NASCAR to NHRA drag racing.
Tim Kuniskis, head of the American brands at Stellantis North America, made no secret of how ambitious the timeline is: “Everyone said it was impossible to get back in one year. We said, ‘watch this.’” Instead of spending three years planning, testing and perfecting, Dodge wants to do it all in real time on the track. That will be “exponentially harder,” Kuniskis admitted, but slow has never been part of the brand’s DNA.
ECR engines, drivers still to come
The accelerated entry is made possible by a partnership with Earnhardt Childress Racing. According to the Associated Press, Richard Childress’ engine shop will build the Dodge engines alongside its Chevrolet program. Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota signed off on the arrangement because a fourth manufacturer benefits the whole series.
Kaulig is taking its time with the drivers. The team plans to announce its 2027 lineup during Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami. According to the AP, A. J. Allmendinger and Ty Dillon, who drive Kaulig’s two Cup cars this year, are expected to fill the seats. The next step follows on December 4: at the Snowball Derby in Pensacola, Dodge will unveil the Cup car in its colors.
A name with history
Dodge brings plenty of history back to the Cup Series. The brand’s first Cup win dates back to 1953, its last big moment to 2012, when Brad Keselowski won the title with Team Penske in the No. 2 Dodge Charger, the “Blue Deuce.” It was also Dodge’s final year in the series before the manufacturer pulled out.
NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell called it a “significant milestone for the sport” and said he is looking forward to seeing Dodge on track at the Daytona 500. For Kaulig, it is the step from Chevrolet team to factory team for a brand of its own. Whether the tight timeline becomes a problem will be clear by February at Daytona at the latest, when Chargers line up in a Cup field for the first time since 2012.
