The brand responsible for the iconic Hemi V8 and the legendary 440 Magnum is currently sitting out of the NASCAR Cup Series simply because it doesn’t actually have a race engine to its name.
For months, the corporate suits at Stellantis Motorsport acted as if everything was smooth sailing toward bringing a long-awaited fourth manufacturer back to the grid by 2027. NASCAR wanted it, the fans craved it, but NASCAR’s rulebook doesn’t bow to wishful corporate PR.
When Dodge packed its bags and walked away from Cup racing back in 2012, it relied on Penske and Ilmor Engineering. Fast forward to today, and the landscape has completely shifted. Roger Penske bought Ilmor, and Ilmor now holds hands in the Cup Series with Roush Yates Engines, Ford’s ride-or-die engine builder.
Expecting Ilmor to rescue Dodge is a fever dream, even if Dodge ironically slaps its badge on an Ilmor NT1 V8 inside the Mopar-sponsored RAMs over in the Craftsman Truck Series. In fact, that Kaulig Racing Truck entry doesn’t feature a single piece of genuine Dodge mechanical hardware under its hood.
Stellantis executives clearly assumed they could just waltz back into the garage, buy off-the-shelf engine batches, rebadge them, and go trophy hunting. The competition slammed that door instantly.
Chevrolet has Hendrick Motorsports and Richard Childress Racing Engine, Ford has Roush Yates, and Toyota has TRD. Nobody is willing to sell Dodge a turnkey V8, leaving the brand right back where it stumbled in 2012: engine-less and helpless.
Kaulig Racing certainly isn’t stepping up to build an engine program either. Developing, dyno-testing, and supplying technical support, spare parts, and reliable horsepower for 36 grueling races demands absurd time, money, and infrastructure, a financial weight Kaulig can’t carry and Stellantis knows it.
Desperate brainstorming even floated the absurd idea of Dodge competing on leased engines. Imagine the marketing masterpiece: bragging about “Hemi power” while secretly running a Ford motor underneath a Dodge body. That’s commercial suicide.
NASCAR loves the idea of a fourth manufacturer, but no illegal shortcuts are allowed. The series expects Stellantis to invest in a genuine, long-term engine development program to take full ownership and avoid another 2012-style retreat. Right now, Stellantis has chassis and bodywork getting polished in the wind tunnel. But until they build their own V8, a real Dodge NASCAR engine is nowhere near reality.
