The wait is over, and the announcement that NASCAR fans have been waiting for has finally arrived. Dodge is heading back to NASCAR’s biggest stage, and it’s coming much sooner than originally anticipated. After 14 seasons away from the Cup Series, the esteemed manufacturer will be back on the grid in 3 and a half months. The company will join Kaulig Racing in a two-car program built around the Dodge Charger. The announcement dropped early Monday at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, putting months of questions to rest about whether the brand would ever return to the sport.
The timing makes the news even more significant. Dodge had been working on a return, but the original expectation pointed to 2028. Instead, Stellantis pushed the timetable up, giving the manufacturer the green light to compete in the 69th annual Daytona 500 on Feb. 21, 2027. The race will mark the first time a new manufacturer has joined the NASCAR Cup Series since Toyota in 2007, bringing four brands to the sport alongside Toyota, Ford, and Chevrolet.
Kaulig Racing will serve as Dodge’s anchor organization, fielding two Chargers when the new season kicks off. The partnership signals the marriage between a manufacturer with a deep stock-car history and a team that has spent nearly a decade making its mark in NASCAR. Team owner Matt Kaulig describes the opportunity as a major responsibility, pointing to the stability and support that come with a factory-backed partner.
For Kaulig, the announcement also represents the next step in building a strong rapport with Stellantis. The organization returned the RAM name to the competition stage in 2026, operating a five-truck Craftsman Series effort. That program put former Cup Series winners Tony Stewart, Jamie McMurray, and Ryan Newman in the No. 25 entry. The move into the Cup Series, meanwhile, gives Dodge a much larger platform to grow its operation with factory support.
Dodge also brings plenty of history to the garage at tracks across the United States. Lee Petty delivered the brand’s first Cup victory at Palm Beach Speedway on Feb. 1, 1953. David Pearson won the 1966 championship after 15 wins, while Richard Petty added titles in 1974 and 1975. Buddy Baker also put Dodge in the record books in 1970, becoming the first driver to turn a lap above 200 mph at Talladega with a 200.447 mph run.
Dodge’s most recent Cup chapter ended with a championship. In 2012, Brad Keselowski won the title with Team Penske, and that, coupled with his victory at Dover that September, became the manufacturer’s final Cup win. Dodge then left after the season, leaving Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota as the series’ three manufacturers for more than a decade. Across its modern-era return from 2001 through 2012. Dodge recorded 57 Cup victories, including Keselowski’s championship season.
However, the 2027 return will not be built on history alone. NASCAR says Dodge’s new body has cleared the wind-tunnel portion of the approval process, with production panels expected in mid-November. The engine arrangement has not yet been formally announced, although NASCAR confirmed the planned configuration will strictly comply with its rulebook. Those details will matter as teams move from announcement to preparation. Fans will soon get two important dates.
Kaulig is scheduled to reveal its 2027 driver lineup during this weekend’s championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. And the official reveal of the new Charger will take place at the Snowball Derby in Pensacola on Dec. 4. The next chapter is still being written, but Dodge’s return is already reshaping the Cup Series. A fourth manufacturer brings another identity, another engineering challenge, and another reason for fans to watch what happens when the green flag drops at Daytona.
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