Dodge Is Reportedly Closing In on a 2027 NASCAR Cup Return at Daytona
Fourteen years after Dodge left NASCAR's top series, reports say Stellantis is close to a Cup comeback with Kaulig Racing, aiming for the 2027 Daytona 500 despite an unresolved engine deal.
NASCAR's Cup Series hasn't had a fourth manufacturer alongside Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota since Dodge walked away in 2012. According to multiple reports over the past several weeks, that's about to change, with Dodge reportedly closing in on a return for the 2027 season.
Dodge's Long Absence From Cup
Dodge's departure from NASCAR's top series wasn't a quiet fade. Brad Keselowski won the 2012 Cup championship driving a Dodge for Penske Racing, giving the brand a title on its way out the door. Penske had already announced it would switch to Ford for 2013, and Dodge confirmed it was leaving the Cup and Nationwide Series entirely at the same time, ending a factory run that had produced 215 Cup wins. The brand has been absent from NASCAR's premier series for 14 seasons since, though Ram, Dodge's sibling brand under Stellantis, returned to the Craftsman Truck Series in 2026 with Kaulig Racing as its anchor team.
The Reported Plan: Kaulig and ECR
Per reporting from The Athletic's Jordan Bianchi, Kaulig Racing is nearing a deal to become Dodge's flagship team in Cup, having already built a relationship with Stellantis through its Ram truck program. Kaulig currently races Chevrolets at the Cup level, and NASCAR has no plans to expand the league's charter system from 36 to 40 spots to accommodate a new manufacturer, meaning Kaulig would most likely convert an existing charter to Dodge rather than add one.
Engines are reportedly the trickier piece. ECR Engines, part of the Richard Childress Racing organization, is in talks to supply Dodge's power plants, at least temporarily. ECR already builds engines for Chevrolet teams, including Kaulig's current program, so any Dodge-badged engine would need real technical differences, not just a different name on the valve cover. Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota have reportedly signed off on the arrangement on the understanding that it's a bridge solution while Dodge works toward its own dedicated engine builder down the line.
Why the Timeline Is Tight
Reports describing Dodge as "very close" to finalizing its return have been circulating since mid-October, with Stellantis said to be preparing an official announcement. But as of early November 2026, nothing has been made official by Dodge, Stellantis or Kaulig Racing. The hang-up isn't willingness, it's logistics: building a competitive engine program, sorting out technical specifications with NASCAR, and getting a car ready for a full season all take time that's running short if the target is February. Industry voices have been blunt that reaching the season opener is a very different challenge than being competitive for 36 races after it.
Target: The Daytona 500
If the pieces come together, Dodge's goal is to debut at the 2027 Daytona 500 on February 21, the same race that gave the brand one of its most famous moments when Richard Petty won it in a Dodge decades earlier. Whether that target holds depends almost entirely on how quickly the engine question gets resolved. If it doesn't come together in time, multiple reports have suggested Stellantis could simply push the whole program back to 2028 rather than rush an uncompetitive debut.
For now, Dodge's Cup return remains one of the most closely watched storylines of NASCAR's offseason, with an announcement expected to land sometime after the Cup Series wraps its 2026 championship this month.
For more on this year's title fight, see our guide to the NASCAR playoff format and our recap of Talladega's wild 2026 race. Follow every update in our NASCAR coverage.
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Background from Wikipedia
Dodge
Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence, Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above Plymouth. The Dodge main factory operated in Hamtramck, Michigan, from 1910 until it closed in January 1980.
Founded as the Dodge Brothers Company machine shop by brothers Horace Elgin Dodge and John Francis Dodge in 1900, Dodge was originally a supplier of parts and assemblies to Detroit-based automakers like Ford.
Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Dodge last race in the NASCAR Cup Series?
Dodge's last full Cup season was 2012, when Brad Keselowski won the championship for Penske Racing. Dodge and Penske both exited the brand's factory program at the end of that season.
Which team would field Dodge in the Cup Series?
Reports point to Kaulig Racing, which already fields Ram trucks in the Craftsman Truck Series and currently runs Chevrolets in the Cup Series, as Dodge's expected flagship Cup team.
Who would supply Dodge's engines?
ECR Engines, affiliated with Richard Childress Racing, is reportedly lined up to supply Dodge's Cup engines on a temporary basis while the brand works toward its own long-term engine program.
Is Dodge's Cup return official?
Not as of early November 2026. Reports say Stellantis has begun preparing an announcement, but no official confirmation has come from Dodge, Stellantis or Kaulig Racing.
When would Dodge make its Cup debut?
The target is the 2027 Daytona 500 on February 21, though reporting has noted that timeline is tight, particularly on the engine side.
Sources & Official Resources
Rules, schedules and statistics in this article are checked against these official sources. See our editorial policy for how we fact-check.
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