Brooklyn, Michigan – The mother company of Dodge Stellantis will enter Nascar Racing in 2026 with its RAM brand in competition in the Nascar Craftsman Truck series with an eye on the cutting race in the years beyond.
Whether in 2027 or later – 2027 is possible, but it would be an aggressive chronology – remains to be considered as the announcement on Sunday focused mainly on the truck, an elevator much easier than the cup race.
With all the trucks in the series using an Ilmor engine and several elements of the common body, Ram just needed to design a nose, a hood, front wings and a tail for his racing vehicle. Ram has not announced who will drive his trucks or the teams that will align his trucks. RAM CEO Tim Kinuskis said he hoped to have between four and six trucks for the opening of the 2026 season in Daytona.
“We are looking for a date at the ball right now (for trucks),” said Kinuskis. “So how will I get the cup?” It will depend on the way I get to the truck. So, however, we arrive at a truck that will obviously weigh heavily, do I have a path to the cup?
“Our intention is not to make a wonder at a blow and go to the truck and not to cut it. This is not our plan.”
Ram has no cars, so what a car brand – Dodge? Plymouth is the Renaissance possible? – it is still to be determined that Dodge has a long history in sport and motorsport as a whole.
“Ram returns to the series of trucks,” said Kinuskis. “It has nothing to do with Dodge, despite the fact that everyone in the world calls him Dodge Ram. … If we go back to the cup, which is our intention, Ram does not have a car, so it should obviously be Dodge.
“But I do not make this announcement. I do not say that Dodge is back. Do not put this title. But when we arrive at this point, it would not be RAM, of course.”
There are speculations in the industry that GMS, which has participated in the three national series in the last decade and has finally been bought by Jimmie Johnson in the change of brand at Legacy Motor Club, will be involved in the construction of chassis and / or field trucks for RAM.
Kinuskis has promised a program that will increase fans’ commitment, and the star of YouTube Cleetus McFarland, who participated in certain Arca races, was linked to the RAM program.
Dodge had Cup teams from 2001 to 20 before leaving sport on a high note with Brad Keselowski winning a cup title in Team Penske. When Penske left for Ford, Dodge had a hard time winning a leading team and chose to leave sport. No new manufacturer has entered sport since Toyota did in 2004 in trucks and in 2007 in the cup.
Kinuskis also said that at his return to Ram earlier this year, his two goals were to reintroduce the Hemi engine and get started in Nascar, where 50% of its own fans base.
“It has always disturbed me,” said Kinuskis. “We have always looked for a way to come back. It took us a long time to find the right time.”
To reintegrate the Cup would take a certain engine development and an important body design, a process that would take at least 18 months, said the head of chief development of NASCAR, John Probst.
“The last time the engine worked was 2012 – the main components of the block, the head, the collector, are all always relevant,” said Probst. “Our manufacturers of existing engines develop their engines each year. There was a gap there, so there would be a certain development of this necessary engine.
“But from the basic constituent elements, they could start from this and make a catch -up development.”
Kinuskis did not talk about a chronology on Sunday to go to the cutting race.
“Our complete intention is to be back in the cup,” said Kinuskis. “But at the moment, we are on the way to Daytona next year with Truck, with our eye when we can be in the cup after that. TBD.
“We are a snow -free fly at the moment trying to arrive in Daytona. This is our goal at the moment.”
Keselowski, currently driver and co -owner at RFK Racing, said trucks are the right entry point for a manufacturer because it does not have to obtain an available engine and due to the parity of the series.
“(The series of trucks) is an ideal place for an OEM (manufacturer of original equipment) to enter Nascar and really get this appetite for the Cup series,” said Keselowski.
“It is a big jump in the series of trucks to the Cup series, but it is nevertheless an excellent entry point for the OEM, and I hope they are not the only ones to enter the series of trucks.”
Bob Pockrass covers Nascar and Indycar for Fox Sports. He has spent decades to cover motorsport, including more than 30 Daytona 500, with stays in ESPN, Sporting News, Nascar Scene Magazine and Le (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow it on Twitter @bobpockrash.
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