Recently, it was announced that General Motors will be joining Formula 1 in the 2026 season. They will be joined by their American rivals, the Ford Motor Company. This marks the first time in over 20 years that an American engine manufacturer will compete in F1.
With all of this buzz going around, we at the Daily Downforce thought it would be fun to take a look at some of the manufacturers that could come to NASCAR. GM and Ford are uniquely American brands that have competed in NASCAR since the beginning. Here are a few other brands that might dip their toes into America’s #1 racing series.
The manufacturer that has been rumored the longest to join the NASCAR ranks is Honda. The Japan-based manufacturer has been teasing coming to NASCAR for a while, usually amidst some IndayCar drama. In 2024, Honda representatives reported that they were “taking a hard look” at NASCAR. And, with Michael Andretti expressing interest in coming to NASCAR, the Honda rumors could potentially be more than rumors.
Marshall Pruett, on his podcast, said:
There’s been at least one, maybe two but at least one, “Honda taking a hard look at NASCAR”-type story that proceeds this: I have a list of things that I know are in the works, could happen, are being discussed. I would say for anybody who has followed the Honda thing a little bit, however many years passed and seen it pop up here, keep following. If you’re a Honda fan and you like NASCAR, you’re probably going to be really happy here in the future.
Pruett is generally seen as a reliable source in IndyCar, so his words speak volumes. Will Honda eventually enter NASCAR? Who knows for sure? But they could, and it certainly sounds like they are the most willing party to do so, especially after NASCAR introduced its EV.
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To many fans, Dodge is the one that got away. Dodge was in NASCAR for a very long time, but after winning the championship in 2012, they just weren’t. Back in 2023, Steve Phelps name-dropped Dodge (along with Honda) as potential OEMs joining NASCAR. But since that, mum’s been the word. A couple of years back, there was a rumor that Tony Stewart could switch his Stewart-Haas Racing team to Dodge, thus bringing the manufacturer back. If those talks ever happened at all, they fell through as SHR has officially closed its doors.
Of all of these on this list, this is probably the one most NASCAR fans want to see come back. Will it ever happen? At this point, it looks unlikely. But never say never, right?
Late this spring, Adam Stern reported that Hyundai could potentially be joining the NASCAR ranks. According to Stern, the manufacturer was first name-dropped by former Toyota executive and current Joe Gibbs Racing consultant Ed Laukes. Laukes cited NASCAR insistence on single-use parts as a tactic to court new sponsors. He mentioned Honda in the same interview.
Whether or not this happens really depends on NASCAR’s willingness to go hybrid/electric in the future. With the EV car in development, it’s not out of the question that Hyundai could potentially join the sport. But it’s not likely on the Cup side of things.
Nissan was one of the first foreign manufacturers to start producing V-8 trucks. When their V-8 trucks initially launched, it was rumored that Nissan could potentially join NASCAR in the Craftsman Truck Series. There were murmurs online, but nothing ever really came of it. Today, Nissan is sometimes briefly mentioned when the topic of potential OEMs comes up. But they’re usually buried beneath the three we’ve already taken a look at.
Like Hyundai, for Nissan to enter NASCAR, the sport would have to adopt a more hybrid or electric vehicle approach. Even then, though, that might not be enough to sway the brass at the corporate office in Japan.
This one is kind of cheating, so I’ll give you two for the price of one. Yes, General Motors is already in NASCAR with Chevrolet, but they’ve run two distinct manufacturers in the past with Pontiac. But I’m not suggesting that GM run one of these alongside Chevrolet. The Chevys in NASCAR currently run the Camaro, which has been discontinued. How long is GM likely to continue running the brand of a car they don’t even produce anymore? Eventually, they’ll want to replace it with something new. Cadilac is already gearing up to represent the brand in F1. So, why not NASCAR, too?
As far as Corvette goes, if GM wants to keep the sports car trend in NASCAR, their other only one is the Corvette. It’s either run that or switch back to a family model, like NASCAR used to run back in the day. How likely is this to go down? I don’t know. I’m 50/50 on it. On one hand, Chevy is a staple in NASCAR and always has been. On the other hand, the Camaro doesn’t exist anymore. So, eventually, a change will have to be made.
Which manufacturer would you like to see join the NASCAR ranks, Daily Downforce reader? Let us know by commenting on our socials. In the meantime, keep coming back here to DailyDownforce.com for all the latest news and stories in the world of motorsports.
