Fourteen years after storming off into the sunset with a 2012 Cup Series championship in tow, Dodge is officially returning to NASCAR’s top tier in 2027.
Announced by Tim Kuniskis at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, the Mopar faithful can finally stop crying into their V8 memorabilia. Partnering with Kaulig Racing as its flagship team, Dodge will field two Charger race cars, making its official points-paying debut at the 69th Daytona 500 on February 21, 2027.
It marks the first time a new OEM has crashed the NASCAR Cup Series party since Toyota rolled up in 2007. Dodge last competed from 2001 to 2012, stacking up 57 victories before Brad Keselowski and Penske Racing won the title and immediately ghosted the manufacturer.
Stellantis already dipped its toes back into the stock car waters in 2026 via its Ram brand in the Craftsman Truck Series, also alongside Kaulig, featuring heavy hitters like Tony Stewart, Jamie McMurray, and Ryan Newman. Now, Kaulig is dumping its Chevrolet ties to become the exclusive factory mothership for both Dodge and Ram.
NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell hailed the move as a major milestone, but the real punchline is the breakneck timeline. While normal corporations take three years to plan, test, and sanitize a major motorsport effort, Dodge logic dictates doing all three in real time on the track.
According to NASCAR’s John Probst, the standard 18-month CFD and wind-tunnel homologation phase is already wrapped up, with production body panels landing by mid-November. Engine specs remain under wraps, but knowing SRT, it won’t be subtle.
What comes next in this accelerated circus? Kaulig Racing will reveal its 2027 driver lineup, likely keeping AJ Allmendinger and Ty Dillon, at the Homestead-Miami championship weekend. Then, on December 4, 2026, Dodge will unveil the official Cup Series race car at the Snowball Derby in Pensacola, complete with a celebrity brawl dubbed “The Dodge Sno-Brawl” on FloRacing.
Joining Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota, Dodge officially brings the grid back to four manufacturers, proving that speed isn’t just for Sunday afternoons—it’s also for rushed board meetings.