Dale Earnhardt Jr: “I Think Kaulig Goes Into Daytona Next Year With Dodges”

What’s Happening?

With fans and industry members alike debating the odds of Dodge’s potential return to NASCAR for the 2027 season, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr. has thrown his hat into the ring, saying that he thinks the brand and its team, Kaulig Racing, will have everything ready in time for the 2027 Daytona 500.

NASCAR fans are focused on one manufacturer entering 2027, even though there is no guarantee that they will be on track by then.

Last week, Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic reported that Dodge is meeting its accelerated timeline to join the NASCAR Cup Series, meaning that NASCAR fans could see the brand back on track for the first time since 2012 by February.

While Bianchi did not guarantee that the brand would be back on time, this fast deadline was first proposed by Stellantis’ Head of American Brands, Tim Kuniskis, last season, raising eyebrows amongst NASCAR fans and industry members.

During the latest episode of his podcast Actions Detrimental, 23XI Racing co-owner and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin used Ram’s introduction to the Craftsman Truck Series as an example of jumping the gun on a return to the sport.

Of course, it was easy for Ram, a Stellantis sister brand to Dodge, to return to the Truck Series with Kaulig Racing due to the series’ spec, or single-source, engine package.

For the Cup Series, manufacturers must produce their own engines, with Hendrick Motorsports and ECR making engines for Chevrolet teams, Roush Yates Engines for Ford, and Toyota Racing Development for Toyota.

During an appearance on the Door Bumper Clear podcast, Kaulig Racing CEO Chris Rice shared that engines are the main problem affecting Dodge’s return, adding that the brand has not yet committed to returning for next season.

Still, some team owners think that Dodge could make it to Daytona, one of those is Dale Earnhardt Jr.

On the latest episode of his podcast, The Dale Jr Download, Earnhardt shared that he thinks the odds of Dodge returning are “really high” after looking over Bianchi’s report, laying out what he pictures when teams roll into Daytona next spring.

“I think that Dodge gets their car ready. I think Kaulig goes into Daytona next year with Dodges. I think they will be probably the only Dodges.” — Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Even then, Earnhardt did add that he thinks there is a chance that another, smaller team runs Dodges in 2027, though there are no rumors that this will be the case.

“Maybe another team flips over,” Earnhardt said. “I don’t know who it might would be. It would probably be a similar team like Kaulig, it’s not going to be one of the bigger teams.”

In addressing Rice’s claims on DBC that Dodge has not committed to a return for 2027, Earnhardt said he thinks this is a fake-out, joking that when Dodge announces their return to NASCAR with Kaulig, it won’t be on a podcast.

“They’re going to have an announcement,” Earnhardt said. “It’ll be a big announcement, they’ll have celebrities. Chris Rice isn’t going to come on Door Bumper Clear and tell you, ‘Yeah, we’re good, we’re good. The Dodge is ready.’ That’s not happening. As much as I’d love it to, it’s not going to happen on Door Bumper Clear.”

Regardless, at least as of press time, that announcement has yet to happen.

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