After more than a decade away, Dodge is officially coming back to the NASCAR Cup Series.
Dodge announced Monday at the 2026 SEMA Show in Las Vegas that it will return to NASCAR’s top series in 2027 with Kaulig Racing. The two-car organization will become the factory-backed team for Dodge as the manufacturer prepares to return to the sport for the first time since the 2012 season.
For NASCAR fans, this is a major moment.
Dodge left the Cup Series following the 2012 season, but its final year ended on a high note. Brad Keselowski drove a Dodge Charger to the 2012 Cup Series championship, while also giving Dodge its most recent Cup Series victory at Dover Motor Speedway that fall.
That win was the 217th Cup Series victory for Dodge.
Now, 14 years later, the manufacturer is ready to add to that total.
A Fourth Manufacturer
Dodge’s return will give NASCAR four manufacturers in the Cup Series, joining Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota.
The addition of a fourth manufacturer has been a major goal for NASCAR officials for years. Toyota was the last new manufacturer to enter the Cup Series when it joined in 2007.
NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell believes Dodge’s return gives the sport another reason for fans to be excited about the future.
“Dodge’s return to the NASCAR Cup Series is a significant milestone for the sport,” O’Donnell said.
Dodge’s most recent run in NASCAR’s top division lasted from 2001 through 2012. During that time, the manufacturer collected 57 victories.
Now it gets a chance to start a new chapter.
Kaulig Racing Becomes the Anchor
Kaulig Racing will play a major role in Dodge’s return.
The team will field two Dodge entries in the Cup Series while also serving as the anchor organization for both Dodge and Ram. Stellantis, Dodge’s parent company, said the partnership will create a factory-backed presence at the track and serve as the foundation for its next phase of American motorsports.
This partnership is not completely new.
Stellantis returned to NASCAR competition in 2026 by working with Kaulig Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The organization fielded five full-time trucks and brought several big names behind the wheel, including three-time Cup Series champion Tony Stewart, Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray and Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman.
The Truck Series program has given Dodge and Stellantis a chance to get back into the NASCAR environment before making the jump to the Cup Series.
Now, the stakes are much higher.
Dodge Is Moving Fast
Dodge is not taking the slow road back to NASCAR.
Tim Kuniskis, head of Stellantis North America’s American Brands, SRT Performance and Direct Connection division, has made it clear that the company wants to move quickly.
“Everyone said it was impossible to get back in one year. We said, ‘watch this,’” Kuniskis said.
That approach fits Dodge’s reputation.
Instead of spending several years planning and testing before entering competition, Dodge is taking the opportunity to learn on the track.
“It’s going to be exponentially harder this way. But slow has never been part of Dodge DNA,” Kuniskis said.
That mindset could make Dodge’s first season especially interesting.
The manufacturer will be learning a new Cup car while also competing against three manufacturers that have already been working with NASCAR’s current rules package for years.
Building a New Cup Car
One of the biggest challenges for Dodge was creating a Cup Series body that fits NASCAR’s current rules.
Unlike Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota, Dodge did not have an existing Cup Series body to modify.
NASCAR’s John Probst said the approval process was still similar to what existing manufacturers go through when submitting a new car.
The process includes computer simulations, wind tunnel testing and testing of the actual production panels.
Dodge and NASCAR have already completed the wind tunnel portion of the process.
Actual production panels are expected to arrive in November, with NASCAR expecting that part of the process to be more of a final checklist than a major hurdle.
That means the new Dodge Cup car is getting closer to becoming a reality.
Who Will Drive for Dodge?
One of the biggest questions surrounding the return is also one of the most important.
Who will drive the two Dodge entries?
Kaulig Racing is expected to announce its 2027 driver lineup at Homestead-Miami Speedway during championship weekend.
The announcement will give fans their first real look at which drivers will be tasked with bringing Dodge back to victory lane.
The manufacturer will then reveal the actual Cup Series race car on December 4 at the 2026 Snowball Derby at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida.
That reveal should give fans their first official look at what Dodge’s return will look like on the track.
The Return Starts at Daytona
Dodge’s first points-paying Cup Series race since 2012 will come at one of the biggest races in NASCAR.
The manufacturer is scheduled to make its return in the 69th annual Daytona 500 on February 21, 2027.
There may not be a better place for Dodge to begin its new NASCAR era.
The Daytona 500 is NASCAR’s biggest race, and the return of a manufacturer that has been away for 14 years will add another layer to an already massive event.
Dodge will arrive at Daytona hoping to start its comeback with a strong showing.
Eventually, the goal will be much bigger.
Victory lane.
Dodge Wants to Build Something Bigger
Dodge’s NASCAR return is about more than simply putting two cars on the starting grid.
Stellantis said Kaulig Racing will help establish a factory-backed presence at the track as the company builds toward the next phase of its American motorsports program.
Dodge SRT Racing will oversee the manufacturer’s NASCAR program along with its other North American racing efforts, including NHRA competition.
The company is also planning a special event called “The Dodge Sno-Brawl,” where celebrity drivers will compete against each other in equally prepared Dodge Charger late-model stock cars.
The details of that event will be announced later.
All of it points toward one clear goal: Dodge wants to be back in American racing in a big way.
A New Chapter Begins
Dodge’s NASCAR history is already filled with major moments.
The manufacturer won races with legendary drivers, competed for championships and ended its previous Cup Series run with Keselowski winning the 2012 title.
Now, the clock has been turned forward.
Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota will have a new rival in 2027. Kaulig Racing will have a new manufacturer behind its Cup Series program. And NASCAR will finally have the fourth manufacturer it has wanted for years.
Most importantly, fans will get to see Dodge Chargers back on the NASCAR Cup Series grid.
The wait is almost over.
After 14 years away, Dodge is coming home.
And this time, it plans to stay.
