Ram to enter trucks in 2026 with possible future move to Cup for Dodge

BROOKLYN, Mich. — Dodge parent company Stellantis will enter NASCAR racing in 2026 with its Ram brand competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with an eye toward going Cup racing in the years beyond.

Whether that’s 2027 or later — 2027 is possible but would be an aggressive timeline — remains to be seen as the announcement Sunday focused primarily on the truck, a much easier lift than going Cup racing.

With all trucks in the series using an Ilmor engine and several common body elements, Ram just needed to design a nose, a hood, front fenders and a tail for its racing vehicle. Ram did not announce who will drive its trucks nor the teams that will field its trucks. Ram CEO Tim Kinuskis said he hopes to have somewhere between four and six trucks for the 2026 season opener at Daytona.

"We're looking for a date to the prom right now [for trucks]," Kinuskis said. "So how am I going to get the Cup? That's going to depend on how I get to truck. So however we get to truck is going will obviously weigh heavily on do I have a path to Cup?

"Our intention is not to do a one-hit wonder and go to truck and not to Cup. That's not our plan."

Ram does not have cars so what brand of car — Dodge? Plymouth’s possible rebirth? — is still to be determined although Dodge has a lengthy history in the sport and motorsports as a whole.

"Ram is coming back to the truck series," Kinuskis said. "It has nothing to do with Dodge, despite the fact that everyone in the world calls it Dodge Ram. ... If we go back to Cup, which is our intention, Ram doesn't have a car, so obviously that would have to be Dodge coming back.

"But I'm not making that announcement. I'm not saying Dodge is back. Don't put that headline. But when we get to that point, it