Dodge Confirms NASCAR Cup Return in 2027 with Kaulig Racing

LAS VEGAS -- Dodge will return to the NASCAR Cup Series in 2027 with Kaulig Racing, parent company Stellantis announced Monday in Las Vegas.

Tim Kuniskis, head of American Brands, SRT Performance and Direct Connection division, Stellantis North America, shared the news during a sneak preview of the Stellantis display at the 2026 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show.

"Everyone said it was impossible to get back in one year. We said, 'watch this,'" said Kuniskis. "Sure, we could spend three years planning, testing and perfecting ... or we could do all three in real time, on the track. It's going to be exponentially harder this way. But slow has never been part of Dodge DNA. LFG."

Dodge will return to the NASCAR Cup Series in an official capacity for the first time since 2012. It'll also mark the manufacturer's first season officially supporting NASCAR entries since then. Dodge raced on with "zombie entries" for years beyond then but never with manufacturer support until 2027.

In 2027, Kaulig Racing will reportedly field two entries. A report before the public release of the announcement indicated current Cup drivers AJ Allmendinger and Ty Dillon will reportedly be the drivers for those entries.

This move comes after Kaulig paired up with Dodge's pickup truck brand, Ram Trucks, starting this year. They announced the partnership in 2025, setting up this season where they no longer had an alliance with Richard Childress Racing but still used ECR engines.

For NASCAR, this marks a big step forward. For years, the sanctioning body chased a "fourth OEM" and made various changes to try and attract a new OEM. The current NextGen car is designed with the capacity to have hybrid powerplant with an internal combustion engine and an electric engine. Horsepower was also reportedly reduced to try and attract manufacturers.

Currently, no other manufacturers are set to join the sport. However, some possible interested names include Honda, which races in INDYCAR but hasn't publicly expressed interest in NASCAR recently.

Dodge has been synonymous with NASCAR racing. The overarching Mopar brand was tied to Richard Petty for much of his career and Dodge returned with him and his No. 43 car back in 2001. 

Now back again, Kaulig will officially announce its 2027 driver lineup during Championship Weekend this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Dodge will reveal its new Dodge stock car at the 59th annual Snowball Derby, set to air on  FloRacing and on the NASCAR Channel courtesy of Flo Racing on Dec. 4.  

During that weekend, Dodge will hold The Dodge Sno-Brawl. Celebrity drivers will race in a head-to-head challenge in equally prepared Dodge Charger late-model stock cars for "some friendly competition."

Additional race details will be announced at a later date. Dodge will also reveal the race car that will wear the brand's livery in NASCAR Cup Series competition.