Why This NASCAR Team Will Be The First to Switch to Dodge

What’s Happening?

With the news that Dodge is progressing towards a return to NASCAR as early as 2027, fans are already asking what teams could make the jump, a question that fortunately already has an answer.

The Latest on Dodge’s NASCAR Return

Rumors of Dodge’s return to NASCAR began last season, with most of the focus thrown towards their fellow Stellantis brand, Ram, re-entering the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for 2026.

Ram had a much easier time finding their way back into NASCAR, as the Truck Series uses a spec engine, leaving only the need to find a team and create Ram truck body panels as the brand’s responsibility.

On the Cup Series side, Dodge was looking at a longer journey, with the brand facing a new landscape after it left the sport following the 2012 season.

While they would have to create an engine program as they had in the past, the brand also needed to develop a sim testing program and find a team with chartered entries.

Though the time frame was pointing to Dodge’s return in 2028, the brand pushed hard for 2027, something that has now paid off, as Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic now reports they are on track to make their debut in the 2027 Daytona 500, possibly.

While little of the return of Ram lent itself towards the return of Dodge, one factor, their relationship with Kaulig Racing, which is fielding five Ram Trucks in 2026, meant that Dodge already had a home once their Cup Series car was ready.

How Did Kaulig and Dodge Link Up?

In early 2026, and shortly after Ram announced its return to the sport, fans had plenty of theories as to which Craftsman Truck Series team could make the jump to Ram.

Most of these theories revolved around already existing programs like Niece Motorsports, McAnally-Hilgemann Racing, and ThorSport Racing.

But in July, rumors first surfaced that NASCAR Cup Series team Kaulig Racing would make the move to the Truck Series with Ram, ultimately scrapping its storied NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series program in the process.

While OAP Series teams came to an end, this would pay dividends for Kaulig, as they became the clear frontrunner to be Dodge’s primary team when/if the brand returned to the Cup Series, going as far as to cut ties with Chevrolet despite racing Chevrolets in the Cup Series for the 2026 season.

With the latest rumors that Dodge is on its way back for 2027, this still seems to be the plan, as Kaulig tries to wait out what has been a trying 2026 campaign.

From July 2025:

Why Kaulig?

Funny enough, Dodge has done this before, returning to NASCAR after over a decade out of action in 2001.

For their return, Dodge paired itself with a couple of teams, Petty Enterprises, Chip Ganassi Racing, Bill Davis Racing, and Melling Racing.

Still, the brand’s primary team would be a two-car effort owned by Ray Evernham. This team would carry Dodge sponsorship and act like a factory team, expanding the number of competitive teams in the Cup Series field.

So, why isn’t Dodge doing this for its next return?

Given the introduction of the charter system in 2016, NASCAR has changed from what it was 25 years ago. Teams can no longer come into existence and receive equal benefits without owning a charter.

Per the report from Bianchi, despite NASCAR withholding four charters since 2016 to help new manufacturers enter the sport, the current charter owning team, perhaps including Kaulig, does not want to expand the charter pool for Dodge to keep Charter values high.

This leaves Dodge with an easy decision to find a well-backed, hungry-to-win team that already owns charters, making Kaulig a great choice.

Why Dodge?

For many NASCAR fans, hopes for a Dodge return pointed to plenty of teams, like Jimmie Johnson’s Legacy Motor Club or even Team Penske, mostly due to each organization’s (or, in LMC’s case, a prior organization’s) ties to the brand.

But when Kaulig stepped up as the frontrunner last season, the move may not have made sense to long-time fans, given that Kaulig is a well-established Chevrolet team, with facilities on the Richard Childress Racing campus.

Still, for Kaulig, they seemed lost in the shuffle of Chevrolet, fighting 15 other Chevy entries across seven other teams for resources.

In fact, despite aggressive moves in the past, rumors plagued Kaulig from their first few seasons that the team might sell their charters and call it a day.

Now, while the first season with Dodge might be rocky, the team will have the chance to be a manufacturer’s number-one asset on track, something that will hopefully put them in the same air as Hendrick Motorsports with Chevrolet, Joe Gibbs Racing with Toyota, and Team Penske with Ford.

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