Dodge is increasingly likely to enter NASCAR’s Cup Series in 2027 as a manufacturer and is working to finalize its plan, according to multiple industry sources briefed on the situation.Should Dodge begin competing in Cup next season, NASCAR would then have four manufacturers in its premier division for the first time since 2012 — the year when Dodge last competed in Cup. Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota have each been entrenched across NASCAR’s three national series for decades.Dodge has long targeted a 2028 return to Cup, but the possibility of an accelerated timeline has caught many in the garage by surprise due to the time needed to get a car and engine designed, tested and approved.Challenges remain for Dodge to be ready by 2027, but the company has made progress in key areas, industry sources said. Dodge’s proposed Challenger model body has already undergone initial wind tunnel testing. At the same time, Stellantis, which owns Dodge, has had a breakthrough in recent weeks in how it would produce engines, considered the more complicated hurdle to overcome.
When Stellantis made the announcement in June 2025 that its popular Ram brand would return to NASCAR’s third-tier Truck Series after a lengthy absence, the company said it had ambitions to be back in Cup but acknowledged it was a process to reach that point.Any return by Dodge will almost certainly be with Kaulig Racing, which owns two charters and partnered with Stellantis to compete this season in the Truck Series, where Kaulig fields five full-time teams. Kaulig currently races Chevrolet cars in Cup, but it severed ties with Chevy to align with Stellantis — with the intention of eventually being Dodge’s flagship Cup team — and is free to switch to Dodge.Dodge’s expected return to Cup will not trigger NASCAR to increase the number of charters available from 36 to 40, league sources told The Athletic. Teams holding charters are guaranteed specific revenue streams, along with a starting spot in all 36 Cup points races, and increasing charters would ensure the new manufacturer a presence in every race — including NASCAR’s signature race, the Daytona 500 — without taking any away from others.But NASCAR and its 15 charter-holding teams prefer to keep charters capped at 36, thereby increasing the value of charters, which are estimated to be worth nearly $100 million each. This decision also effectively compels any new manufacturer to align with an existing team, with the intent to direct resources and revenue to lift both that team’s competitiveness and the overall on-track competition within the sport.Dodge’s ascent into Cup would be a win for NASCAR, whose leadership has worked extensively to secure a fourth manufacturer ever since Dodge exited following the 2012 season. Through the process, executives have had courtships with numerous manufacturers. The goal is now increasingly likely to be reached next year.
