If this week’s news of the Hemi’s return to the Ram lineup was someone plugging the speakers back in at the party, consider this the moment that the host cues up the solo to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Free Bird: Ram’s going racing again in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

The return marks the end of a 13-year hiatus for the brand from America’s beloved racing discipline and a 17-year absence from a full, factory-supported effort. “For more than a decade, customers and our dealer network asked about getting back into NASCAR,” said Tim Kuniskis, Ram brand CEO. “The desire was always there, but we didn’t have a plan that delivered the last tenth, and following just didn’t fit our DNA.”

Perhaps most impressively, Kuniskis told members of the media at a launch event earlier this week that the Ram race truck will make its NASCAR racing debut next season on Friday, February 13, as part of the Daytona 500 weekend. Translation: the whole program needs to go from “idea and teaser truck,” to “Green, Green, Green!” in a little more than six months. Kuniskis also mentioned at the briefing that the brand wants to have four trucks on the grid for that opening race, but the particulars of who will be running them—teams, drivers, and pretty much everything else necessary to make that happen—are still in flux. “I’ve got a truck, I have the intention; we’re going to Daytona,” said Kuniskis. “We’re looking for a date to the prom right now.”

For this weekend’s Craftsman Truck race at Michigan International Speedway, there were 32 trucks on the entry list: Six Toyotas, 16 Chevrolets and 10 Fords. The Dodge Ram debuted in the brand-new NASCAR truck series in 1995, with three Dodges in the 33-truck lineup for the kickoff Skoal Bandit Copper World Classic at Phoenix International Raceway on February 5. One of the Dodge drivers was Bob Keselowski, father of NASCAR Cup racer Brad Keselowski. Mike Skinner, in a Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Silverado, won the race, with Dodge’s Joe Bessey driving the brand’s best-finishing truck to fourth. Other notables in the first truck race: Terry Labonte, Geoff Bodine, Ken Schrader, P.J. Jones, Sammy Swindell, Walker Evans, and former Houston Oilers and Atlanta Falcons head coach Jerry Glanville. It was Dodge’s first time back in NASCAR for a decade, and as Toyota did years later, Dodge used the truck series as a springboard back to Cup.

For Ram, like the other manufacturers involved in the series, the endeavor is a natural fit for marketing, specifically around the brand’s sportier truck offerings such as the Rebel, the RHO, and the Warlock. The Ram design team drew up the truck seen here: It’s worth mentioning, however, that the Craftsman Truck Series uses a common chassis, so the work went into the body covering that chassis. A few callouts: that large Direct Connection decal is a nod to the performance parts catalog that Mopar owners can sift through to juice their road-going machines to all manner of crazy. Also, peep that “Symbol of Protest” logo, clearly a nod to the Hemi V-8 that’s now back in the light-duty pickup.

That Hemi, however, will not be in the race truck. The series also runs spec engines—specifically the Ilmor NT1 V-8, a version of the 396-cubic-inch V-8 that has been the standard in the ARCA race series for a decade now. Still, with a V-8 back underhood at Ram, we’re hard-pressed to think of a better way to celebrate than going racing.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., June 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ —

• Ram returns to the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series in 2026, after a 13-year break, as part of a powerful product launch cadence — 25 announcements in 18 months
• Drive to NASCAR begins with a high-octane reveal of a new Ram 1500 concept race truck at Michigan International Speedway that includes a wild donut trailer
• Ram brand celebrates the HEMI® V-8’s historic comeback and return to NASCAR in “Ram-Demption” marketing campaign
• Performance pickups are embedded in Ram’s DNA: Ram 1500 RHO and TRX, Power Wagon and SRT10 Viper Truck

Ram will join the field for the 2026 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, ending a 13-year break. Today, the brand unveiled a new Ram 1500 concept race truck that previews the design for next year. Returning to the racetrack marks a major milestone, part of a pedal-to-the-metal drive for Ram that covers 25 product announcements over 18 months.

The news of Ram’s return to NASCAR was officially announced by Tim Kuniskis, CEO of Ram brand, during a live NASCAR event at the Michigan International Speedway this weekend. Jaw-dropping moments included a Ram 5500 hauling a custom trailer built specifically for smoky donuts, courtesy of Ram’s NASCAR concept truck. Anderson Silva, Hall of Fame MMA icon, took to the track to shoot HEMI®-branded T-shirts into the crowd.

“For more than a decade, customers and our dealer network asked about getting back into NASCAR. The desire was always there, but we didn’t have a plan that delivered the last tenth and following just didn’t fit our DNA,” said Kuniskis. “Now we have a solid plan that will set us apart from the field and will bring fresh new interest and engagement to America’s motorsport.”

Joining the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, in a way that only Ram can, is a natural, strategic move for the brand, as more than 40% of NASCAR fans are truck owners. The popular and competitive race series gives Ram a high-performance showcase as it launches a series of exciting and capable new trucks.

“Ram returning to the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series is a major moment for the sport, and a sign that NASCAR remains a strong platform for blue chip brand partners,” said John Probst, NASCAR executive vice president and chief racing development officer. “We are excited to welcome Ram back to the sport. Its identity includes high performance, durability and innovation – characteristics that embody NASCAR and, specifically, the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.”

Ram 1500 NASCAR Concept
The Ram 1500 concept race truck unveiled today was molded by the Ram design team. The concept resembles a production truck, adopting elements from the Ram Truck Sport lineup (Warlock, Rebel and RHO), but honed with an aerodynamic signature to slip through the air efficiently, yet with enough airflow to cool a race engine that revs over 9,000 rpm. Body lines around the fenders and grille carry a familiar appearance, framing a large Ram logo that separates this truck from the pack.

The one-off body design is covered by a two-tone Gloss Black canvas with Molten Red lower. The Ram design team created an impactful and exciting livery that complements the visual emotion of Ram’s design DNA and highlights Direct Connection and Symbol of Protest logos. Mopar’s Direct Connection aftermarket unit is adding performance options for Ram trucks and earns prominent signage on the concept race truck.

“There will be more details on our NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series program later this year,” added Kuniskis. “We are undoubtedly having fun with this project, and I truly look forward to sharing information on our team and how getting back on track relates to the future of Ram performance.”

In conjunction with the news, the brand showed off its “Ram-Demption” campaign, featuring Kuniskis behind the wheel of Ram’s NASCAR concept truck at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina, with the iconic Goodyear Blimp and jets flying overhead. Different versions of the “Ram-Demption” video include 60-second, 30-second and 15-second spots that will run across NASCAR media and the Ram brand’s social media channels, plus a long-form video running on www.ram.com and on YouTube. “Ram-Demption” was created in partnership with Argonaut agency.

Ram’s racing news is part of a power celebration that includes a popular demand return of the 5.7-liter HEMI V-8, as orders open for the engine’s availability in the 2026 Ram 1500.

Ram exited factory support of NASCAR’s CRAFTSMAN Truck Series in 2012 after a 17-year run and focused on launching the new 2013 Ram 1500. Ram’s return is one part of a strategy to build on the greatest variety of sport trucks and off-road enthusiast trucks the brand has ever offered.

Ram boasts a rich history of performance trucks, including the Power Wagon, SRT10 Viper Truck, TRX, RHO, Rumble Bee, Little Red Express and Warlock.

In 2004, a Ram SRT-10, piloted by NASCAR driver Brendan Gaughan, set a Guinness World Record for the world’s fastest production truck with an average speed of 154.587 mph (248.784 km/h) at the Stellantis Proving Grounds in Chelsea, Mich.
 
Ram Brand
Ram offers a full lineup of pickups and commercial vehicles; the Ram 1500, 2500/3500 Heavy Duty, 3500/4500/5500 Chassis Cab and ProMaster vans.

The Ram Light-Duty and Heavy Duty pickups are considerably improved for 2025 and offer new products in the fastest growing segment within the pickup space—Sport Trucks. Ram introduced the largest variety of off-road performance trucks the brand has ever offered, including the new Ram 1500 RHO with more horsepower per dollar than any other performance off-road pickup.

In the commercial business, Ram is launching the new 2025 Chassis Cab line with improvements to help customers and upfitters. Ram Professional is making considerable changes in process, execution and resources with a focus on commercial offerings, dedicated B2B-focused expertise, and sales and service support, which are critical to growing in this segment.

Ram continues to outperform the competition, setting the benchmark in the most important areas for truck buyers:

• Segment-first: 1,000 lb.-ft of torque with Cummins Turbo Diesel
• Most luxurious: Ram 1500 Tungsten with air suspension, 24-way massage seats and 540 horsepower
• Ram 1500 and Heavy Duty: Best ride and handling with five-link solid rear axle with available, segment-exclusive, active-level air suspension
• Ram 1500 RHO: Best off-road performance per dollar
• Ram ProMaster: The most cargo space available in any traditional full size cargo van
• Ram Power Wagon: Most off-road capable full-size pickup

Ram is improving market competitiveness and growth while maintaining pricing power through products, services and electrified offerings. Aligned under the global presence of the Stellantis Pro One commercial vehicle organization, Ram currently offers a wide range of products globally, from the Ram 700 compact pickup to the Ram 5500 Chassis Cab and a range of ProMaster vans.

Ram is part of the portfolio of brands offered by leading global automaker and mobility provider Stellantis. For more information regarding Stellantis (NYSE: STLA), please visit www.stellantis.com.
 
Follow Ram and company news and video on:
Company blog: http://blog.stellantisnorthamerica.com
Media website: http://media.stellantisnorthamerica.com
Ram Truck brand: www.ramtrucks.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/RamTrucks
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ramtrucks
Twitter: @RamTrucks, @StellantisNA
YouTube: www.youtube.com/RamTrucks, https://www.youtube.com/StellantisNA

For more information, please visit the Stellantis media site for North America at https://media.stellantisnorthamerica.com. 

Contact:
Nick Cappa
(248) 512-4266 (office)
(248) 202-8039 (cell)
[email protected]

SOURCE Stellantis

Auburn Hills — Ram will compete in NASCAR’s truck racing circuit in 2026, returning after a 13-year hiatus, CEO Tim Kuniskis said.

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series continues today (Sunday, June 8) with the Firekeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

Sunday’s event marks the 108th Cup Series race hosted at the 2-mile oval, with the inaugural Cup race at the track having been held in 1969, the same year that it opened.

Of course, last time out in the Cup Series, Ryan Blaney was victorious at Nashville, becoming the latest Team Penske driver to lock themselves into the 2025 playoffs.

Blaney beat the likes of Carson Hocevar and Denny Hamlin in Tennessee last weekend, although heading into this week, both of those drivers are big talking points themselves.

Hocevar wrecked Ricky Stenhouse Jr on his way to that second-place finish last time out and has come under a lot of heat for doing so, whilst Hamlin remains on baby watch and could even miss today’s race, despite qualifying third on Saturday.

The 2024 Firekeepers Casino 400 was won by Tyler Reddick for 23XI last August, with William Byron and Ty Gibbs beaten to the victory that day. It will certainly be interesting to see who emerges as the winner this time around.

READ MORE: NASCAR Qualifying Results: Kyle Busch narrowly denied Michigan pole as JGR star stuns again

NASCAR Cup Series: Michigan start times

The 200-lap NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway starts today, Sunday, June 8, 2025, at 2 pm ET.

Here are the start times converted to your city and time zone.

NASCAR HEADLINES: Kyle Busch set for house move as Hendrick Motorsports announce new partnership

How to watch NASCAR on TV today

Today’s NASCAR Cup Series action from Michigan International Speedway will be broadcast live on Prime Video in the United States.

Radio coverage of the race will also be available via SiriusXM and MRN.

Broadcast details vary depending on your location. Please check below to see how you can catch the Cup Series action in your country.

READ MORE: NASCAR star Denny Hamlin on baby watch as Michigan replacement update emerges

Related

Kyle Larson has three Michigan victories in his career, making him the winningest active driver at Michigan International Speedway heading into the 2025 FireKeepers Casino 400 on Sunday. Larson has not won at this track since joining Hendrick Motorsports, but he has two top-five finishes in four starts in the No. 5 Chevrolet. He is the +525 favorite (risk $100 to win $525) in the 2025 Firekeepers Casino 400 odds, while Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney are both +650. Blaney broke through for his first win of the season last week in Nashville, finishing ahead of Carson Hocevar. Sunday’s 2025 NASCAR at Michigan race is set to begin at 2 p.m. ET.

Nine of the last 10 Michigan winners have been Ford drivers, so should you target Blaney with your 2025 Firekeepers Casino 400 betting? Before entering any 2025 Firekeepers Casino 400 picks, NASCAR DFS lineups on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel, or locking in NASCAR props on sites like PrizePicks, Sleeper Fantasy, and Underdog Fantasy, be sure to see the latest 2025 NASCAR at Michigan predictions from SportsLine’s proven projection model.

Developed by daily Fantasy pro and SportsLine predictive data engineer Mike McClure, this proprietary NASCAR prediction model simulates every race 10,000 times, taking into account factors such as track history and recent results.

The model began its 2025 season by calling Chase Elliott to win for a +300 payout at the Clash at Bowman Gray and was also high on Byron as a +2000 longshot at Daytona. Then it predicted Kyle Larson’s win in Miami for a +350 payout and Christopher Bell’s +600 triumph in the NASCAR All-Star Race. In 2024, it nailed Larson to win in Las Vegas for a 21-5 sports betting payout and predicted Denny Hamlin’s wins in Bristol at 5-1 and Richmond at 17-4.

It also impressively nailed five of Larson’s wins during his historic season in 2021. All told, the model has nailed a whopping 20 winners since 2021, including nine in 2023 and three in the first seven races last season. Anyone who followed its lead on betting apps and sportsbooks on those NASCAR picks could have seen huge returns. New users also have the opportunity to take advantage of the latest Bet365 promo code, DraftKings promo code and Fanatics Sportsbook promo code.

Now, the model simulated the Firekeepers Casino 400 2025 10,000 times. Head to SportsLine to see the complete projected NASCAR at Michigan leaderboard.

Top 2025 Firekeepers Casino 400 predictions

For the 2025 Firekeepers Casino 400, we can tell you the model is high on Joey Logano, even though he’s a +1600 longshot in the latest 2025 NASCAR at Michigan odds. He’s a target for anyone looking for a huge payday. The defending NASCAR Cup Series champion likely punched his ticket to the postseason with a win in Texas earlier this season, but he’s still fighting for points and moved up to eighth in the NASCAR standings with a fourth-place run in Nashville last week.

It was Logano’s second top-five finish of the season and now he’ll look to build off that at a track where he’s had a lot of success. He’s a three-time winner at Michigan International Speedway and has finished top 10 in 18 of his 28 career starts there. Ford’s have won nine of the last 10 races in Michigan and Penske Racing has a lot of momentum after putting two of their cars into the top five last week. BetMGM has the best pricing on Logano as the outright winner, but you can also get him at +1500 and bet $5 to get $200 in bonus bets if your first bet wins with the latest FanDuel promo code.

The model has also revealed a surprising NASCAR prop for Sunday: Carson Hocevar finishes top 10 for a -112 payout. Hocevar is in his second season driving the No. 77 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports, and he is coming off his third top-10 finish of the campaign. He recorded a runner-up finish at EchoPark Speedway early in the season, finished sixth at Talladega Superspeedway and runner-up again at Nashville last week.

Hocevar had six top-10 finishes in 2024, including one at Michigan International Speedway. This race means more to him as a Michigan native, and he has momentum following his strong showing last week. The model thinks the 22-year-old has value to record a top-10 finish in his second appearance at this track. See which other drivers to avoid and the rest of the projected NASCAR leaderboard at SportsLine.

How to make 2025 NASCAR at Michigan picks

The model is also targeting three other drivers with Michigan NASCAR odds of 16-1 or longer to make a serious run at the checkered flag. Anyone who backs these drivers could hit it big. You can see all of the model’s NASCAR picks, props, and projected leaderboard over at SportsLine.

So who wins the NASCAR Firekeepers Casino 400 2025, and which longshots are must-backs? Check out the latest 2025 NASCAR at Michigan odds below, then visit SportsLine now to see the full NASCAR Michigan projected leaderboard, all from the model that has nailed 21 winners, and find out.

2025 NASCAR Michigan odds, drivers, lineup

See the full NASCAR at Michigan picks at SportsLine

(odds subject to change)
Kyle Larson +525
Denny Hamlin +650
Ryan Blaney +650
William Byron +800
Tyler Reddick +850
Christopher Bell +1000
Ross Chastain +1400
Joey Logano +1600
Chase Elliott +2000
Chris Buescher +2000
Carson Hocevar +2000
Chase Briscoe +2200
Brad Keselowski +2500
Bubba Wallace +2500
Alex Bowman +2500
Josh Berry +3500
Kyle Busch +3500
Ty Gibbs +5000
Ryan Preece +6000
Austin Cindric +6000
Erik Jones +6000
Daniel Suarez +10000
AJ Allmendinger +10000
Michael McDowell +12500
Zane Smith +12500
Austin Dillon +15000
Noah Gragson +15000
John Hunter Nemechek +20000
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. +20000
Todd Gilliland +25000
Justin Haley +25000
Riley Herbst +50000
Shane Van Gisbergen +50000
Cole Custer +50000
Ty Dillon +100000
Cody Ware +100000

BROOKLYN, Mich. — Three years after a driver’s exasperation with his pit crew, a team executive’s social media post about needing to “clean up our messes on pit lane” and frustration on behalf of one of the owners, 23XI Racing has two of the best pit crews in NASCAR.

Bubba Wallace’s unit ranks first in the series in pit crew ratings as done by Racing Insights. Teammate Tyler Reddick’s crew ranks eighth heading into Sunday’s race at Michigan International Speedway. The ratings are based on the time of pit stops, a crew’s consistency in servicing the car, positions grained during yellow-flag stops and penalties against the unit.

“It is certainly encouraging to see because we have definitely put a lot of effort into it,” 23XI Racing co-owner Denny Hamlin said of the progress the pit crews have made. “Not just money, but effort. Whether that be recruiting people, getting (them) to trust us that we have a process.”

That process started three years ago with Josh Shipplett, a tire carrier with no coaching experience who was promoted to be 23XI Racing’s pit coach.

Making the job more challenging was that 23XI Racing no longer would lease pit crews from Joe Gibbs Racing after the 2022 season. It was Shipplett’s job to find 10 pit crew members for the two teams the organization had at the time, put them in the right unit and train them to excel.

A recent decision by a federal appellant panel could lead to 23XI Racing becoming an open team in the next few weeks.

The 2022 season was a tipping point for the organization. That was just the second year for 23XI Racing, a team co-owned by Hamlin and Michael Jordan. The organization put its resources into other areas to gain speed and leased pit crews from Joe Gibbs Racing.

That May, Steve Lauletta, president of 23XI Racing, responded to a fan’s comment about Wallace’s crew by saying on social media “we have to clean up our messes on pit lane and at least keep the 23 where it runs when they pit. Working hard at this frustrating issue.”

About a month later at Nashville, Wallace’s frustration boiled after another pit road miscue cost him several spots. He told Bootie Barker, then his crew chief, he was done talking to him for the rest of the race.

By the middle of the season, Hamlin said 23XI Racing planned to have its own pit crews.

That’s what Shipplett faced as he put together a group for the 2023 season. The focus was to recruit experienced crew members because the team didn’t want to develop young crew members with two teams it felt could win immediately.

“It started with Denny and ownership allowing us to have the mindset that we need to achieve some kind of consistency before we go for speed (in pit stops),” Shipplett, now the team’s athletic director, told NBC Sports this past week. “So, that’s really what we built the teams around.

“(The mindset then was) we want to keep the drivers in the races. We know this is a new program. We don’t expect to light the world on fire, but we’re trying to not take it out of the driver’s hands, team’s hands, in any way.”

As Wallace’s team gained consistency the focus turned to going for quicker pit stops in 2024.

Christopher Bell and his new spotter will be tested in today’s race, particularly on restarts.

The focus in 2023 was to have an average variation of half a second for Wallace’s team with its pit times. As the team improved, the average variation decreased to quarter of a second. Last year, Tyler Reddick’s pit crew had an average variation of about three tenths of a second.

“What we were chasing was to get to a point (that) whenever you have half a second of variation, it’s very hard to figure out what the problem is because when you have that much variation, it’s typically not one person. It’s typically several different people. It’s just whose turn is it?

“But whenever you get down to that quarter of a second of deviation, you can kind of pinpoint what exactly the issue is.”

As Shipplett analyzed the pit crews for both teams, he moved jackman Nathan Ricketts from Reddick’s team to Wallace’s team, joining front tire changer Austin Dickey, rear tire changer Adam Hartman, tire carrier Joe Crossen and fueler Josh Pech.

“He got more consistent,” Shipplett said of Ricketts after moving to the No. 23 team. “As a jackman, he flipped a switch. He was good, he was really good last year. This year, he’s extremely good and he’s gotten extremely consistent. So the rest of the team hasn’t lost any consistency, but now their jackman has gained it.”

Seeding for the In-Season Challenge will begin with the first June race at Michigan since 2019.

The key for Ricketts, Shipplett said, was his ability to mount the right front tire. Once the jackman raises the car, his duty is to put the right front tire on for the tire changer to tighten.

The better Ricketts is at putting the right front tire on, the quicker Dickey can be in tightening it. Even half a tenth of a second — .05 seconds — can be vital. Gain .05 seconds in a couple of areas and it can mean help gain a position or more on pit road.

Reddick’s team had jackman Brandon Banks join the team from Stewart-Haas Racing, which folded after the 2024 season. Front tire changer Devin Lester and rear tire changer Dakota Ratcliff joined 23XI from SHR and moved up to Reddick’s team, joining tire carrier Wade Moore and fueler Brian Dheel.

“With the way Tyler ran, we … had expected more, we had to have more,” Shipplett said from the No. 45 pit crew.

Thus the changes going into this season and the addition of the three Stewart-Haas Racing pit crew members, who were originally hired for 23XI Racing’s third (the No. 35 of Riley Herbst). But those three excelled in the offseason and moved up to Reddick’s team.

“We couldn’t be a 20th-place pit crew (the team ranked 25th in the Racing Insights ratings last year), trying to contend for championships,” Shipplett said.

Chase Briscoe won the pole with a lap of 195.514 mph, the fastest pole in the Next Gen car era.

Another key change this season is that Shipplett moved up to the athletic director’s role after the team hired Jon Carvin to be the pit crew coach. Carvin, a former college football coach, had been with Hendrick Motorsports since 2015.

“We hired Jon because he’s that guy that can enliven the group up and command the locker room, command a timeline, has the practice plan every day,” Shipplett said. “Puts a lot of thought into it.

“So I don’t really attribute a lot of (the progress of the pit crews) to the things I’ve done. It’s just who I’ve been able to hire.”

Mistakes will still happen and time will still be lost on pit road — it happens to all teams — but the key is limiting those issues. Both Wallace’s and Reddick’s teams have, helping them gain spots on pit road this season. The result is that there’s less criticism on the radio because there are fewer issues.

“Growing up and maturing a little, you look back on the frustrating times and you see that even when you’re screaming and shouting and pissed off, that people are listening and that when they tell you they’re going to fix it, they do,” Wallace said of the pit crew struggles three years ago.

“We’re greedy and we want to fix it in the moment, but you don’t realize it takes a lot of time. Two years, three years, whatever it is, we’re starting to see things be put in place in the right spot. I appreciate everybody on that side of things for stepping up and delivering to allow our players and myself to have good Sundays.”