Dodge NASCAR Return Could Beat 2028 Plan, Race in 2027 Daytona
Kaulig Racing and ECR power the fastest possible 2027 Cup debut
Dodge is ready to re-enter the NASCAR Cup Series, and it could happen as early as the February 21, 2027 Daytona 500. That would shrink Stellantis’s target from the announced 2028 season to a single gap, according to people briefed on the talks but not cleared to speak publicly.
Kaulig Racing is the vehicle. The Indianapolis-based team, which fields the five-truck Ram entry in the Craftsman Truck Series, plans to replace its two Chevrolet Camaro cars in the Cup paddock with two Dodges.
Stellantis already reopened the door to NASCAR this year by returning Ram to the Truck Series after a 13-year absence, following the comeback of the Hemi V8 in the Ram 1500. Tony Sapienza, a Stellantis spokesperson, told the Detroit News: “It’s no secret we’re exploring the Cup Series. Everyone said it was impossible for us to come back in 2027. So we are targeting 2028.
The engine question is where a 2027 slot gets hard. Cup manufacturers run different powerplants from separate engine shops, unlike the shared-spec V8 in the Truck Series. That means building a Dodge motor from scratch is not feasible on this timeline. Instead, Dodge has struck a deal with Earnhardt-Childress Racing (ECR), the Chevrolet engine supplier. ECR cannot hand over a remanned Camaro motor; it must deliver a Dodge unit with distinct technical differences.
Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota have approved the arrangement as a stopgap until Dodge signs its own builder. All three stand to benefit: Dodge’s return makes the Cup Series more marketable without displacing existing teams.
The timing also lines up with the road car. Rumors of a supercharged Hellcat V8 Charger for next year mean the race car could mirror the production Charger Hellcat, reviving the combination that won the Cup title when Brad Keselowski drove Team Penske to the 2012 championship with a Dodge Charger.
Dodge had left the series after 2012. It has not run a Cup car since.
NASCAR says its fan base reaches 20 million, with an average of 2.4 million viewers per race. The Cup Series sits above the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and the Craftsman Truck Series.
